Music Trade Review
Issue: 1953 Vol. 112 N. 7 - Page 10
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
in order to help boost sales. This seemed to fall flat
and at the suggestion of one of a traveling man
who happened along the tactics were changed and
a high priced combination instrument was advertised
with an invitation to come in and hear it demon-
strated. The result of this effort was the sale of sev-
eral of these high priced instruments. The result of
the Jenkins Music Co. small grand sale was very satis-
factory according to officials of the company and the
scheme now being promoted by this company to give
75 pianos to churches, schools etc. chosen by cus-
tomers with every purchase is said to be progressing
very satisfactorily. So much for that.
The Jiusic
Ji
REVIEW
Established 1879
CARLETON CHACE, Editor
Alex H. Kolbe, Publisher
Business will not Walk in the Door.
A. C. Osborne
Associate Editor
V. T. Costello
Production Manager
Alexander Hart
NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION
OF MUSIC
MERCHANTS
Technical Editor
Dorothy Elizabeth Bloom
Circulation Manager
Published monthly at 510 RKO Building, Radio
City, 1270 Sixth Avenue, New York 20, N. Y.
Telephone: Circle 7.5842-5843-5844
Vol. 112
JULY, 1953
No. 7
Business-As We See I t
T
HERE have been various promotion schemes
used during the past few months for the pur-
pose of creating business in what has appeared
to be a very dull period for piano merchants. To
some of these there has been peculiar reactions. For
instance it was decided to put on
1
an organ demonstration for one
month in one of the largest de-
partment stores in the country. It
appeared that it should draw a
reasonably large audience espe-
cially in response to the liberal
advertising which was done. Aft-
er one week it had to be discon-
tinued. The most practical reason
for the failure of this promotion
CARLETON CHACE was the fact that the piano de-
partment had been separated
from the music center of the store and moved to an
upper floor in the back of the store. This would
appear to prove that location has a lot to do with
the attracting of people and store traffic must be
counted upon to do its part in helping to make a
success of an effort of this character. Another store
in another large city tried price conscious advertising
10
N
OW all the foregoing manifests without a doubt
that in this day and age business must be sought
out and not expected to walk in the door.
With the era of outside salesmen something of the
past, combined with the fact that it seems impossible
to get salesmen who will go after business on the
outside as they used to in the old days, piano merch-
ants simply have to be ingenius enough to create some
method of attracting the public, not only to their
warerooms, but to the piano itself. Fortunately there
is a lot more propaganda rife now than there has
been for many years to help get the public interested
in the latter. If cooperating with the work of Amer-
ican Music Conference and the National Association
of Music Merchants the dealer can't stir up enough
interest in his store to get people to come in and look
under ordinary promotional conditions then we sug-
gest that he sit down and figure out some unusual
legitimate method that may hit the nail on the head.
As stated above unusual methods are proving their
worth in some localities and perhaps they will in
yours. Why not try something different.
..*.
Convention Looks Like a Big One
T
HIS editorial is being written as the conven-
tion of the National Association of Music
Merchants is convening in Chicago. There
has been a tremendous preregistration and without a
doubt the Trade Show is beginning to shape up into
the largest that has ever been held.
Furthermore as far as the piano manufacturers
are concerned there is now being shown plenty of
new attractive models and in some instances at prices
much below those which have been in existence since
the war. The popular styling seems to be French
Provincial in Fruit Wood although this style is also
produced in other standard woods. All in all a dealer
now has at his disposal a wide variety of styles.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, JULY, 1953
in order to help boost sales. This seemed to fall flat
and at the suggestion of one of a traveling man
who happened along the tactics were changed and
a high priced combination instrument was advertised
with an invitation to come in and hear it demon-
strated. The result of this effort was the sale of sev-
eral of these high priced instruments. The result of
the Jenkins Music Co. small grand sale was very satis-
factory according to officials of the company and the
scheme now being promoted by this company to give
75 pianos to churches, schools etc. chosen by cus-
tomers with every purchase is said to be progressing
very satisfactorily. So much for that.
The Jiusic
Ji
REVIEW
Established 1879
CARLETON CHACE, Editor
Alex H. Kolbe, Publisher
Business will not Walk in the Door.
A. C. Osborne
Associate Editor
V. T. Costello
Production Manager
Alexander Hart
NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION
OF MUSIC
MERCHANTS
Technical Editor
Dorothy Elizabeth Bloom
Circulation Manager
Published monthly at 510 RKO Building, Radio
City, 1270 Sixth Avenue, New York 20, N. Y.
Telephone: Circle 7.5842-5843-5844
Vol. 112
JULY, 1953
No. 7
Business-As We See I t
T
HERE have been various promotion schemes
used during the past few months for the pur-
pose of creating business in what has appeared
to be a very dull period for piano merchants. To
some of these there has been peculiar reactions. For
instance it was decided to put on
1
an organ demonstration for one
month in one of the largest de-
partment stores in the country. It
appeared that it should draw a
reasonably large audience espe-
cially in response to the liberal
advertising which was done. Aft-
er one week it had to be discon-
tinued. The most practical reason
for the failure of this promotion
CARLETON CHACE was the fact that the piano de-
partment had been separated
from the music center of the store and moved to an
upper floor in the back of the store. This would
appear to prove that location has a lot to do with
the attracting of people and store traffic must be
counted upon to do its part in helping to make a
success of an effort of this character. Another store
in another large city tried price conscious advertising
10
N
OW all the foregoing manifests without a doubt
that in this day and age business must be sought
out and not expected to walk in the door.
With the era of outside salesmen something of the
past, combined with the fact that it seems impossible
to get salesmen who will go after business on the
outside as they used to in the old days, piano merch-
ants simply have to be ingenius enough to create some
method of attracting the public, not only to their
warerooms, but to the piano itself. Fortunately there
is a lot more propaganda rife now than there has
been for many years to help get the public interested
in the latter. If cooperating with the work of Amer-
ican Music Conference and the National Association
of Music Merchants the dealer can't stir up enough
interest in his store to get people to come in and look
under ordinary promotional conditions then we sug-
gest that he sit down and figure out some unusual
legitimate method that may hit the nail on the head.
As stated above unusual methods are proving their
worth in some localities and perhaps they will in
yours. Why not try something different.
..*.
Convention Looks Like a Big One
T
HIS editorial is being written as the conven-
tion of the National Association of Music
Merchants is convening in Chicago. There
has been a tremendous preregistration and without a
doubt the Trade Show is beginning to shape up into
the largest that has ever been held.
Furthermore as far as the piano manufacturers
are concerned there is now being shown plenty of
new attractive models and in some instances at prices
much below those which have been in existence since
the war. The popular styling seems to be French
Provincial in Fruit Wood although this style is also
produced in other standard woods. All in all a dealer
now has at his disposal a wide variety of styles.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, JULY, 1953
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