Music Trade Review

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The Importance of the NAMM
As It Begins Its Fifty-first Year
by RAY S. ERLANDSON, President
National Association of Music Merchants, Inc.
I
T is just a little over a year ago
that war broke out in Korea. At that
time we were looking at our old
wounds incurred from the last war
"emergency" with feelings of encourage-
ment over the recovery we had made.
Today, we are experiencing not a new
"emergency" but a continuation of the
old one. Already our industry bears a
few new bruises, and we will undoubt-
edly receive more as the mobilization
program moves ahead.
As retailers, we are traditionally the
"middle man" between the consumer
of goods and the supplier of goods. We
daily face the public in the market
place, and there are brought to account
to explain why prices are higher; why
supply is short, why quality is above or
below standard. Many of these factors,
if not most of them, we have no con-
trol over, yet we must equip ourselves
with the proper answers to satisfy an
inquiring public.
Retailers Must be Informed
The complexities of a retail operation
have multiplied since the advent of OPS
and ceiling price regulations. Retailers
have taken personnel out of productive
endeavor, to put them on the unproduc-
tive work of report making. The Na-
tional Association of Music Merchants
helped fill the breach by producing and
distributing to its members interpretive
bulletins to help them solve the dilemma
of unscrambling governmental regula-
tions. What is now past can only be
referred to as the beginning. More is yet
to come, the form of which is not now
known.
Proper information, properly evalu-
ated and properly applied is more vital
to retailing today than it ever was. It is
not easy to be well informed, and, un-
fortunately, too many dealers consider
it too much trouble. Nevertheless, stay-
ing informed today is tantamount to
staying alive.
Music Industry Is Informed
Our industry's manufacturers and
wholesalers must keep themselves abreast
of developments for their own protection
and welfare, and that of the dealer.
Every month meetings of one sort or the
12
Production Problems Uppermost
The mobilization program is already
affecting the production of musical in-
struments. Present and future limitations
on metals will cut into available retail
stocks. In order that dealers may learn
the degree of curtailment, we have
scheduled speakers who are equipped
with the information as it relates to band
instruments, pianos, radio and television.
The speakers handling these subjects are
from the industry representing the items
in question. Their presentations will aid
the retailer in plotting his future course.
The Retailing Outlook
RAY S. ERLAXDSON'
other are held in Washington with
various government agencies, the results
of which vitally affect us retailers and
our customers. The NAMM, with its
War Effects Committee and the head-
quarters office, is in constant contact
with Washington sources gathering
knowledge on price controls, manpower,
inventory controls and many other
problems, for use in future planning and
action.
Informative Convention Sessions
The Convention business sessions this
year should receive the undivided atten-
tion of every dealer attending the Con-
vention. If a dealer comes to Chicago
the week of July 16, for the single pur-
pose of attending these sessions, he will
not go away disappointed. More facts
and information pertaining to what may
lie ahead of us will be available during
Convention week, than a dealer could
learn independently in a year. Not only
will he have access to the scheduled ses-
sions, but the opportunity to talk with
manufacturers and suppliers on the spot
is an invaluable one. Every dealer has
almost unlimited questions on his mind,
the answers to which can be found at
Chicago in July.
Government regulations affect more
than production. They affect our every
day operations and greatly influence
consumer actions. Another qualified
speaker will discuss and review the busi-
ness outlook as affected by governmen-
tal activities, and the current inflationary
trends affecting retailing, with sugges-
tions for checking them. We have been
most fortunate in securing a speaker for
the Golden Anniversary Luncheon from
the famous Amos Parrish Organization,
to present an appraisal of the outlook
for business in the Fall of 1951, which
will be of paramount interest to all
dealers. At the present, there are two
viewpoints—one. that consumers have
completely satisfied their requirements
and have committed their available
funds; and the other, that customers will
become active in the Fall after threat-
ened shortages begin to become evident.
Alert merchants cannot wait for one or
the other of these views to be proven.
They must be prepared'to act in either
case and know which of the two is
more likely.
Merchants Must Promote and Sell
Come what may in the months ahead,
and short of all-out war, there will be
business to be done, merchandise to be
sold and customers to sell. The large
number of exhibitors at the Golden An-
niversary Trade Show is indicative of
this. Government sources daily promise
lhat consumer production will not be
sacrificed for defense production—that
a balance will be maintained. Now is
not the time to pull back into a shell of
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, JUNE, 1951