Music Trade Review
Issue: 1954 Vol. 113 N. 8 - Page 10
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
The Jfusi
REVIEW
Established 1879
CARLETON CHACE, Editor
Alex H. Kolbe, Publisher
A. C. Osborne
Alexander Hart
Associate Editor
Technical Editor
V. T. Costello
Terry Ruffolo
Production Manager
-
.
Circulation Manager
Published monthly at 510 Americas Building, Radio
City, 1270 Sixth Avenue, New York 20, N. Y.
Telephone: Circle 7-5842-5843-5844
Vol. 113
AUGUST, 1954
No. 8
year, but the redeeming feature of the report showed
that there were a little over 1800 dealers at the Con-
vention, whereas in the analysis which was made
last year there were some 1600 dealers who could
be depended upon as purchasers. The increase in this
buyer attendance certainly was reflected in the or-
ders which were placed but it was very noticeable
that quality and not quantity was the feature of the
attendance. Many of the smaller dealers throughout
the country did not attend and this of course was at-
tributed to the fact that the spring business had been
pretty dull and that they choose to stay at home for
the simple reason that they did not wish to miss any
business that might be forthcoming. The piano man-
ufacturers, furthermore, were quite pleased with the
delivery arrangements which were made by the
N.A.M.M. in securing the services of one transporta-
tion company which took care of delivering the in-
struments and taking them away from the hotel. This
was a tremendous help, according to many of the ex-
hibitors, and proved to be another improvement
which had been brought about this year by the Exec-
utive Committee of the N.A.M.M. Practically every
piano manufacturer had some new model piano to
show. Some of them had more than one, and there
were quite a variety of new methods of teaching the
piano, with the idea of making it fun to play rather
than the drudgery which had been attributed to
taking piano lessons in the years gone by.
Business-As We See It
T
HERE were certainly very definite signs of op-
timism at the 53rd Annual Convention of the
National Association of Music Merchants which
took place last month in the Palmer House in Chi-
cago. In spite of the terrific 100-degree heat, the
piano and organ exhihits were
visited by a large number of deal-
ers and when the show was over
practically every one of the ex-
hibitors said that they had done
considerably better than they did
in 1953. The rearranging of the
meetings of the members and di-
rectors of the N.A.M.M. proved
very effective. Incidentally, the
breakfast
m e e t i n g of the
N.A.M.M. which was held on
CARLETON CHACE
Tuesday morning was attended by
more dealers and members than any other annual
meeting which was ever held in the history of the
association, according to retiring President Russell
B. Wells. Furthermore, it was over early enough in
the morning to give the members a splendid oppor-
tunity to use the rest of the day for visiting exhibits.
The association's report on the annual attendance
reveals that it was approximately 7% less than last
10
The Increase in Electronic Organs
W
E believe that the electronic organ was prob-
ably a topic which was more liberally dis-
cussed than ever before in the history of the
business. At the present time, there are 9 manufac-
turers of electronic organs and since the inception
of the chord organ, which was introduced a few
years ago by the Hammond Organ Co., the steady
increase in sales of this type of instrument has
prompted other manufacturers to devise a similar
instrument. So, at this Convention we had a new
chord organ introduced by the Minshall Organ Inc.
of Brattleboro, Vt. and another new organ of the
spinet type introduced by the Organo Division of
the Central Commercial Corporation. In addition to
this, the Estey Organ Corp. of Brattleboro, Vt. in-
troduced a complete line starting with a pipe organ,
an electronic organ, a spinet organ right down to the
small portable organs for children. The other organs
displayed, which had been on the market for some
time are the Allen, the Baldwin, the Connsonata and
the Wurlitzer. The exhibit rooms of all these ex-
hibitors were visited by a very large number of those
who attended the Convention, and in every instance
the feeling surrounding these instruments was pre-
dominated by an "easy-to-play" program.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, AUGUST, 1954
The Jfusi
REVIEW
Established 1879
CARLETON CHACE, Editor
Alex H. Kolbe, Publisher
A. C. Osborne
Alexander Hart
Associate Editor
Technical Editor
V. T. Costello
Terry Ruffolo
Production Manager
-
.
Circulation Manager
Published monthly at 510 Americas Building, Radio
City, 1270 Sixth Avenue, New York 20, N. Y.
Telephone: Circle 7-5842-5843-5844
Vol. 113
AUGUST, 1954
No. 8
year, but the redeeming feature of the report showed
that there were a little over 1800 dealers at the Con-
vention, whereas in the analysis which was made
last year there were some 1600 dealers who could
be depended upon as purchasers. The increase in this
buyer attendance certainly was reflected in the or-
ders which were placed but it was very noticeable
that quality and not quantity was the feature of the
attendance. Many of the smaller dealers throughout
the country did not attend and this of course was at-
tributed to the fact that the spring business had been
pretty dull and that they choose to stay at home for
the simple reason that they did not wish to miss any
business that might be forthcoming. The piano man-
ufacturers, furthermore, were quite pleased with the
delivery arrangements which were made by the
N.A.M.M. in securing the services of one transporta-
tion company which took care of delivering the in-
struments and taking them away from the hotel. This
was a tremendous help, according to many of the ex-
hibitors, and proved to be another improvement
which had been brought about this year by the Exec-
utive Committee of the N.A.M.M. Practically every
piano manufacturer had some new model piano to
show. Some of them had more than one, and there
were quite a variety of new methods of teaching the
piano, with the idea of making it fun to play rather
than the drudgery which had been attributed to
taking piano lessons in the years gone by.
Business-As We See It
T
HERE were certainly very definite signs of op-
timism at the 53rd Annual Convention of the
National Association of Music Merchants which
took place last month in the Palmer House in Chi-
cago. In spite of the terrific 100-degree heat, the
piano and organ exhihits were
visited by a large number of deal-
ers and when the show was over
practically every one of the ex-
hibitors said that they had done
considerably better than they did
in 1953. The rearranging of the
meetings of the members and di-
rectors of the N.A.M.M. proved
very effective. Incidentally, the
breakfast
m e e t i n g of the
N.A.M.M. which was held on
CARLETON CHACE
Tuesday morning was attended by
more dealers and members than any other annual
meeting which was ever held in the history of the
association, according to retiring President Russell
B. Wells. Furthermore, it was over early enough in
the morning to give the members a splendid oppor-
tunity to use the rest of the day for visiting exhibits.
The association's report on the annual attendance
reveals that it was approximately 7% less than last
10
The Increase in Electronic Organs
W
E believe that the electronic organ was prob-
ably a topic which was more liberally dis-
cussed than ever before in the history of the
business. At the present time, there are 9 manufac-
turers of electronic organs and since the inception
of the chord organ, which was introduced a few
years ago by the Hammond Organ Co., the steady
increase in sales of this type of instrument has
prompted other manufacturers to devise a similar
instrument. So, at this Convention we had a new
chord organ introduced by the Minshall Organ Inc.
of Brattleboro, Vt. and another new organ of the
spinet type introduced by the Organo Division of
the Central Commercial Corporation. In addition to
this, the Estey Organ Corp. of Brattleboro, Vt. in-
troduced a complete line starting with a pipe organ,
an electronic organ, a spinet organ right down to the
small portable organs for children. The other organs
displayed, which had been on the market for some
time are the Allen, the Baldwin, the Connsonata and
the Wurlitzer. The exhibit rooms of all these ex-
hibitors were visited by a very large number of those
who attended the Convention, and in every instance
the feeling surrounding these instruments was pre-
dominated by an "easy-to-play" program.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, AUGUST, 1954
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