Music Trade Review

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NO-STRADDLE
DECEMBER 1941—VOL. 100, No. 12—THE 2,744th ISSUE
WE MAY BE WRONG BUT NEVER IN DOUBT
BUY
BUY
* United States •
* United States *
DEFENSE
SAVINGS
BONDS and
STAMPS
MEDALS AWARDED THE:
T happens that we have a parallel ex-
ample of piano growth in that of the
record business. In another paper last
month was featured "The Decade of
Records" showing sales of 8,000,000
records jumping to 106,000,000 in 1941.
It took 10 page articles to cover the "how"
of the story, but on the "why" of it, no cor-
rect conclusion is possible. Many factors
enter into this "why," but we take refuge in
what we would argue until doomsday, that
brilliant merchandising tactics of the manu-
facturers had much to do with molding pub-
lic acceptance of recorded music.
I
s
EDITORIALS
O in pianos, in 1932, production was
27,000, and it should hit 160,000 in
1941,
and while up 6 times versus
records up 14 times, it is still a mag-
Mustc TRADE REVIEW
DEFENSE
SAVINGS
BONDS and
STAMPS
nificent demonstration of the industry's mar-
keting. It is much more, for the money spent
in promotion, than on records, latter prob-
ably being 25 times on records as on pianos.
In each case, 12 factories did the bulk of the
promotion. Piano trade was slow, however,
in getting proper returns on prices, which
automatically cuts down the money to spend
—record profits are adequate to insure a
substantial sum for getting additional busi-
ness.
IGHT now, outside influences are
beginning to be harrassing to the
continuance of the constantly in-
creasing piano growth — in num-
bers—for copper and brass are to be used on
a 30% cut in production, for the last quarter
of 1941, as well as for the quarters of 1942.
R