Music Trade Review
Issue: 1954 Vol. 113 N. 3 - Page 7
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
welcome a manufacturer or his repre-
sentative who comes to my floor and
sits down and tells our department
more about his product."
To this, John H. Gettell, Vice-Presi-
dent of Winter & Co., said, "I agree
heartily. Our own sales force is doing
just that. The days of just taking a
boss out to lunch are over. We all
have to render more service to dealers.
Dealers can learn a great deal from
the traveler who knows of successful
promotions in other towns. Dealers
should ask the travelers to talk to their
salesmen. They will not only pass on
good information but they will learn
of other good ideas to pass on as they
visit other dealers."
Piano Rentals
There was a long discussion about
the rental of pianos, as to whether it
was a practical system in which to
create piano sales, and it developed
that almost 100% rentals are effective
in buying except for peculiar and un-
usual reasons.
The used piano business was also
another subject which was thoroughly
discussed.
Getting back to the basic salary for
salesmen, one dealer stated that the
basic salary that he paid ranged from
$40 to $70 per week. Another dealer
stated that he paid his salesmen $75 a
week and 1% of the gross business,
less the excise tax ,no matter who sells
it. which he claimed created an atmos-
phere of goodwill.
When asked by the moderator wheth-
er the persons present cared to have the
regional on Friday or Saturday, or
Monday and Tuesday, the majority for
this showed hands for Monday and
Tuesday, and also unanimously voted
that they would like to have another
regional next year. The reason for
Monday and Tuesday was because it
was much easier for the small dealer,
who had to be on hand for appoint-
ments on Friday and Saturday.
Cost of Doing Business
On the cost of doing business, Wil-
liam R. Gard, Executive Secretary of
the N.A.M.M. stated "Two years ago,
we compiled figures on cost of doing
business from N.A.M.M. members and
we found that many people used the
same terms to talk about different
things. We are trying to introduce a
uniform system of accounting, not to
tell people how to do their accounting
but to enable them to compile statistics
that will provide accurate averages."
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW. MARCH, 1954
The tuner shortage was discussed
pretty fully. Jack Vogt of the Baldwin
Piano Co., Cincinnati, wanted to know
if anything had been done about this
shortage, and Mr. Gard stated, "It re-
mains a very difficult problem."
Charles W. Tillander, President of
the local tuning chapter, pointed out
how successful he has been as a tun-
er. "I don't know of anything," he
said, "I can say to enlighten you. I
am two or three months behind in my
orders. The financial incentive in this
field is not much. With present day
gadgets, tuning can be learned quick-
In respect to price range of tuning
in Atlanta, he stated that $10 was the
price for tuning grands and $8 for up-
rights ,and he also said that he av-
eraged about two per day. A former
tuner stated that he did not believe that
people are educated enough to have
their pianos tuned properly. He added
that when you buy a car you are taught
to have it oiled and greased, but says
this is not being done in the piano
business.
After this discussion on tuners, the
meeting adjourned.
THE
GULBRANSEN
Mason & Hamlin Piano Featured
On Barker Bros. TV Program
A promotional activity in which Bar-
ker Bros., Los Angeles, Cal. is actively
engaged is a television broadcast over
Station KCOP at 4:30 to 5:00 p.m.
each Sunday, known as "Debut".
This program is designed to encour-
age youthful talent. Each 13-week win-
ner will receive a $1,000 cash scholar-
ship. Besides this, the program is
aimed at bringing before the television
public an array of entertainment by
young artists whose names may be
sometime celebrated throughout the
musical world. It features the concert
orchestra of David Blum.
Mr. Pierce, in explaining the type of
program, states also: "We feature a
Mason & Hamlin AA piano on this
program with a king sized, hand-let-
tered, ideally photogenic fall board
identification."
Seventh Sommers & Son Store
Sommers & Son, Jackson, Ohio, re-
cently opened their seventh store. The
company now has stores in Jackson,
Columbus, Portsmouth, Marietta, Ohio
and Huntington, West Virginia. The
new Columbus branch is 114-16 East
Broad St.. Columbus, Ohio.
RMANDY
DIACRON
CONSOLE
C/rench cJrovinclal styling oj Cof> LVealgn . . . etjiiifjf>ed tvlih ihe LViacron G/cale
Here is a perfectly exquisite
creation—our new Nor-
mandy Model, quietly
reflecting provincial at-
mosphere—rich with nos-
talgic charm . . . Available
in two fine woods, French
Provincial Walnut or
Cherry (Fruitwood).
A full 88 note console with
37" scale—our Diacron
Scale—justly noted for its
grand-like tonal quality—
sparkling versatility and
superior action perform-
ance. (The Diacron scale
is exclusive in Gulbransen
Diacron Consoles.)
Now—it's yours for profit-
able retailing.
GULBRANSEN COMPANY • 2050 North Ruby Street • Melrose Park, Illinois
welcome a manufacturer or his repre-
sentative who comes to my floor and
sits down and tells our department
more about his product."
To this, John H. Gettell, Vice-Presi-
dent of Winter & Co., said, "I agree
heartily. Our own sales force is doing
just that. The days of just taking a
boss out to lunch are over. We all
have to render more service to dealers.
Dealers can learn a great deal from
the traveler who knows of successful
promotions in other towns. Dealers
should ask the travelers to talk to their
salesmen. They will not only pass on
good information but they will learn
of other good ideas to pass on as they
visit other dealers."
Piano Rentals
There was a long discussion about
the rental of pianos, as to whether it
was a practical system in which to
create piano sales, and it developed
that almost 100% rentals are effective
in buying except for peculiar and un-
usual reasons.
The used piano business was also
another subject which was thoroughly
discussed.
Getting back to the basic salary for
salesmen, one dealer stated that the
basic salary that he paid ranged from
$40 to $70 per week. Another dealer
stated that he paid his salesmen $75 a
week and 1% of the gross business,
less the excise tax ,no matter who sells
it. which he claimed created an atmos-
phere of goodwill.
When asked by the moderator wheth-
er the persons present cared to have the
regional on Friday or Saturday, or
Monday and Tuesday, the majority for
this showed hands for Monday and
Tuesday, and also unanimously voted
that they would like to have another
regional next year. The reason for
Monday and Tuesday was because it
was much easier for the small dealer,
who had to be on hand for appoint-
ments on Friday and Saturday.
Cost of Doing Business
On the cost of doing business, Wil-
liam R. Gard, Executive Secretary of
the N.A.M.M. stated "Two years ago,
we compiled figures on cost of doing
business from N.A.M.M. members and
we found that many people used the
same terms to talk about different
things. We are trying to introduce a
uniform system of accounting, not to
tell people how to do their accounting
but to enable them to compile statistics
that will provide accurate averages."
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW. MARCH, 1954
The tuner shortage was discussed
pretty fully. Jack Vogt of the Baldwin
Piano Co., Cincinnati, wanted to know
if anything had been done about this
shortage, and Mr. Gard stated, "It re-
mains a very difficult problem."
Charles W. Tillander, President of
the local tuning chapter, pointed out
how successful he has been as a tun-
er. "I don't know of anything," he
said, "I can say to enlighten you. I
am two or three months behind in my
orders. The financial incentive in this
field is not much. With present day
gadgets, tuning can be learned quick-
In respect to price range of tuning
in Atlanta, he stated that $10 was the
price for tuning grands and $8 for up-
rights ,and he also said that he av-
eraged about two per day. A former
tuner stated that he did not believe that
people are educated enough to have
their pianos tuned properly. He added
that when you buy a car you are taught
to have it oiled and greased, but says
this is not being done in the piano
business.
After this discussion on tuners, the
meeting adjourned.
THE
GULBRANSEN
Mason & Hamlin Piano Featured
On Barker Bros. TV Program
A promotional activity in which Bar-
ker Bros., Los Angeles, Cal. is actively
engaged is a television broadcast over
Station KCOP at 4:30 to 5:00 p.m.
each Sunday, known as "Debut".
This program is designed to encour-
age youthful talent. Each 13-week win-
ner will receive a $1,000 cash scholar-
ship. Besides this, the program is
aimed at bringing before the television
public an array of entertainment by
young artists whose names may be
sometime celebrated throughout the
musical world. It features the concert
orchestra of David Blum.
Mr. Pierce, in explaining the type of
program, states also: "We feature a
Mason & Hamlin AA piano on this
program with a king sized, hand-let-
tered, ideally photogenic fall board
identification."
Seventh Sommers & Son Store
Sommers & Son, Jackson, Ohio, re-
cently opened their seventh store. The
company now has stores in Jackson,
Columbus, Portsmouth, Marietta, Ohio
and Huntington, West Virginia. The
new Columbus branch is 114-16 East
Broad St.. Columbus, Ohio.
RMANDY
DIACRON
CONSOLE
C/rench cJrovinclal styling oj Cof> LVealgn . . . etjiiifjf>ed tvlih ihe LViacron G/cale
Here is a perfectly exquisite
creation—our new Nor-
mandy Model, quietly
reflecting provincial at-
mosphere—rich with nos-
talgic charm . . . Available
in two fine woods, French
Provincial Walnut or
Cherry (Fruitwood).
A full 88 note console with
37" scale—our Diacron
Scale—justly noted for its
grand-like tonal quality—
sparkling versatility and
superior action perform-
ance. (The Diacron scale
is exclusive in Gulbransen
Diacron Consoles.)
Now—it's yours for profit-
able retailing.
GULBRANSEN COMPANY • 2050 North Ruby Street • Melrose Park, Illinois
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).