Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
RAY S. ERLANDSON
President
AMC Annual Report Outstanding
Take time during the holiday rush to
read the Year-End Report of the Presi-
dent La Mair of the American Music
Conference. A copy of the report has
been mailed to all members, who as
shareholders in AMC, should be en-
thused over the great music promotion
gains during 1951. The report will also
be found in the December Review.
Who Will Brand Name Retailer
Great interest is being shown in the
4th Annual Brand Names Retailer of
the Year competitions, sponsored by
Brand Names Foundation. Many me-
chants have sent in their nomination
blanks, and others have until the dead-
line of January 25, to do so. NAMM is
anxious that the "Music Retailer of
the Year" award winner and the run-
ners-up be NAMM members. Full in-
formation was sent with the December
Bulletin. If mislaid, write NAMM for
another 5 today.
Education Project for San Antonio
NAMM's Education Director, "Verne
R. Marceaux, is busily engaged in
drawing up materials to be used in
launching the new Education Division
project in San Antonio about inid-Jan-
uar^f. High enthusiasm among NAMM
members is expected, when they are
show» the many new sales fields which
planne<| promotion and follow-up of an
Education Division will open to them.
Following the complete organization
of the new Education Division at
NAMM, all members will benefit
through bulletins outlining activities
which can be undertaken in every com-
munity.
Dealers Inivted to Atlanta
Within a few days, NAMM members
in Tennessee, North and South Car-
olina,, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and
Mississippi, will receive an invitation
to attend the Southeastern Regional
Conference at the Hotel Ansley in At-
lanta, on February 11 and 12. All mem-
bers, wherever located, are cordially
welcome should they be en route to or
from Florida or other places. A top-
14
W. R. GARD
Executive Secretary
flight program on sales, production and
promotion has been planned.
Delivery Practices Wrapping
OPS has ruled that retailers may not
alter their customary delivery practices,
nor charge for gift wrapping when no
charge has been previously made.
Charges for either, may be continued
at no v increase if such charges were
made in the base period. Merchants may
not eliminate a service, such as gift
wrapping or delivery, which was per-
formed during the base period—free
or otherwise.
Band Instruments: Metal inventories
are near exhaustion. During the first
quarter of 1952, the industry will get
only 35 percent of the brass used in an
average quarter of the base period (first
half of 1950 or the last half of 1949).
Employment in the industry in the first
quarter of 1952 will be 30 percent
below the same quarter of last year.
Musical Instruments: Reduced first
quarter allotments (35 percent of the
base period) may cut production 25
percent by quarter's end. This cut
would reduce the industry's labor force
by one-third to one-fourth. This reduc-
tion would carry the industry below its
breakeven point of production which is
between 80 to 90 percent of normal.
Pianos: First quarter allotments are
75 percent of base period use of carbon
steel; 10 percent of brass mill and cop-
per foundry products; 20 percent alloy
steel and aluminum. The industry as-
serted such allotments as insufficient,
and requested a change in the essen-
tiality rating and the level of allot-
ments. The industry repeated its request
for a different base period from the first
six months of 1950.
Phono Production at 1949 Level
The Radio-Television Manufacturers
Association has announced that produc-
tion of phonographs in the first 10
months of 1951 totalled 1,133,444, and
is estimated to exceed 1,250,000 sets for
for the year. These comprise combina-
ation phonographs, record-players, and
radio attachments. This production
compares favorably with 1949, but is
below thee 1950 level.
New Parcel Post Rules
New parcel post size and weight
limitations go into effect January 1. The
new limits apply to packages mailed be-
tween first class postoffices. Old limita-
tions wil apply to packages mailed to
second, third or fourth class postoffices
and RFD routes. The Post Office Depart-
ment is in the process of publishing a
list of first class postoffices, which
will be sold for 25 cents. Your post-
office will key this list of zones using
your town as the focal point. Thus,
at a glance, a clerk will know whether
the old or new size and weight limit
applies. Local postal officials will
probably be glad to cooperate to elimi-
nate confusion and delays.
PX Buying Again
Recurrence of civilian buying at
Army Post Exchanges and Navy Ship
service stores have been reported in
some quarters. NAMM has fought this
problem, as well as discount solicita-
tions by government service groups,
through the American Retail Federa-
tion. Eternal vigilance is needed to con-
trol these abuses and any cases coming
to the attention of members should be
reported to NAMM at once.
Dealers Pool Efforts
Some music merchants might benefit
by taking a page from the book of four
furniture dealers with poor locations
and poor business.. To stretch their ad-
vertising dollar, they pooled their time,
talent and money to buy newspaper ad-
vertising dominating the page. This in-
telligent cooperation paid off for these
four metropolitan merchants who were
on the city's fringes and could not
singly afford advertising space to pull
in the customers. The Retail Memo of
ANPA, reporting this story says, "each
of the store owners is extremely well
pleased with the results."
First Quarter Major Purchases
A nationwide survey by National
Family Opinion, Inc., reveals that near-
ly half of U. S. families will make a
major purchase of $100 or more for a
single item before March 15. This will
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, JANUARY. 1952