Music Trade Review

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instruments which were shown at the Convention had
already been announced and many dealers knew
what was going to be shown. We also had comments
from some dealers that the Convention was such an
unwieldy thing at the present time that they felt they
couldn't afford to be there more than one or two days,
and that it was impossible to get around to see every-
thing they wanted to see. In fact, we even heard this
comment at the Convention, where people who
wished to see various items and found it impossible
to get around in the alloted time, due probably to
the fact that there were certain meetings which they
were supposed to attend which took up considerably
more time than they considered necessary.
Are There Too Many Meetings?
T
HE National Association of Music Merchants
has been doing a splendid work for its mem-
bers. There is no question but that William
R. Gard, the Executive Secretary of this association,
has done a Herculean job in every Convention that
has been held ever since he has been Secretary. There
is no doubt but that the Executive Committee, the
officers and the Board of Directors all are well-mean-
ing persons who are endeavoring to promote the as-
sociation to the nth degree. The association has
shown steady progress since it was reorganized back
in the 40's and we shall have to congratulate those
who have devoted time, energy and effort to this
work. But, in all fairness, we still believe that more
time should be allowed the dealers who attend the
Convention to visit exhibits and not compel them to
attend so many meetings in the daytime. On Tuesday
of the last Convention, the annual meeting of the as-
sociation was held in the morning, there was a lunch-
eon at noontime at which approximately 100 dealers
might have attended, which lasted until 4 o'clock, so
that from 10 o'clock that day until 4 o'clock in the
afternoon, as one dealer put it, "You could shoot a
cannonball down the corridor of the 8th floor and
never hit anybody." In fact, we were in our exhibit
room a greater part of that day dictating, and it just
seemed to us that there wasn't five people an hour
who went by the door. There was. practically one
day completely lost in which dealers could visit the
piano floor. It might seem that a practical solution
might be to have the annual meeting of the N.A.M.M.
in the evening, or after 4 o'clock in the afternoon on
one of the days of the Convention. The annual meet-
ing as a rule lasts about two or two and a half hours,
and certainly if it were held at 4 o'clock in the after-
noon it would be over by dinnertime. This may hold
true of some of the other activities which might be
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, AUGUST, 1953
held at a time during which no harm would be done
toward the visiting of exhibits. After all, the exhibi-
tors are the ones who pay for the Convention, and
they pay plenty! In our opinion, they should receive
the utmost consideration even to the curtailment of
any of those things that might be done at times other
than exhibit visiting hours.
Why Not Give the Show Advertising
Predominance?
I
N all the propaganda which is used to promote
the Convention, a great deal more stress is laid on
some of the academic features which take place
than on really what is going to be shown at the Show.
In our estimation, in view of the fact that the manu-
facturers pay for the Show, the publicity should be
turned just in the opposite direction. More stress
should be given to publicity on what is going to be
shown at the Show and in this way stimulate the in-
terest in the things that people are supposed to go
and see, hear and everybody hopes buy. Back when
the National Association of Music Merchants seemed
to be on its last legs, we were one of those who sur-
veyed the industry as to what was necessary to put
it back on its feet. We are glad that we had such an
opportunity and we are happy to see that a great
many ideas which we advocated at that time have
been put in force. The association has made wonder-
ful progress but let's hope it doesn't get top-heavy
because already there has been talk about having a
separate piano convention, to which piano dealers
could go and view their own products, the merchan-
dise which they handle primarily. We do not think
that this will probably be done but it does seem to
us that a happy medium might be found and instead
of the shouting about the large attendance, put the
thing on a basis where we all might shout about the
tremendous success of the Convention from the
standpoint of taking orders from a much larger num-
ber of dealers than we have seen attend the Conven-
tion in the last two or three years. If any dealers
have any suggestions along these lines as to what or
how this may be accomplished, we shall be very glad
to receive them and publish them in subsequent
issues of the REVIEW.
EDITOR