Presto

PRESTO
SHEET MUSIC DEALERS'
ANNUAL CONVENTION
Advance Particulars of Approaching Event in New York, With Extracts
From the "Pointed Paragraphs," in Which Useful
Suggestions Are Presented
The seventh annual meeting of the National Asso-
ciation of Sheet Music Dealers will be held in New
York City on June 14th and 16th at the Hotel Mc-
Alpin. Owing to the hotel situation in New York,
even in June, it would be a good idea to have res-
ervations made at once. It is expected that the
meeting may be the most important ever held, and,
of course, the value and influence of any organiza-
tion is only in proportion to the active interest
shown in it by its members generally.
A letter has been sent to a large number of firms
who are not members of the association, but the re-
turns have not warranted the work, so members arc
asked to send in the application of at least one new
member. To stimulate interest in the meeting and
as an incentive to members to come prepared to
take a real constructive interest in the work to lv;
done, a series of pointed paragraphs has been pre-
pared, extracts from which are reproduced further
along.
A little careful preliminary thought to one or
more of the subjects suggested will enable members
to talk at the meeting in a helpful way, and short
papers of not more than five or ten minutes' length
on any subject will be welcomed. A substitute for
this, although not so satisfactory, would be a let-
ter which could be read by the secretary at an oppor-
tune time.
Subjects to Be Considered.
Most of the topics suggested have furnished the
principal questions for discussion at other meetings
but because they have not been disposed of, or
changed, conditions have brought new phases of
some of them, they are reconsidered from year to
year.
Prices and Discounts.
A "net"' printed selling price, or a fair discount,
•on sheet music that will settle as far as possible or
tend strongly toward simplification and standardiza-
tion of prices.
If satisfactory and lasting results are to be
achieved, this a\l-important question must be con-
sidered from the point of view not only of dealer::,
but also of publishers, teachers, and the general pub-
lic.
Standard editions of Studies and the Classics.
Popular music—Are publishers giving dealers satis-
factory discounts? Other questions.
Band and orchestra music. Foreign music. Oc-
tavo music.
Publishers and Dealers.
Better methods of co-operation. More effective
circulation of advertising matter. Satisfactory dis-
plays of music and books. Local advertising—Who
should pay for it? New music—Music on approval
—Music on sale—Long-time credits?
Need of better service from some of the publish-
ers in giving information about orders not filled and
other matters. Is the tendency of publishers gener-
ally toward recognizing the need and providing ac-
cordingly for prices and discounts that give the
dealer a satisfactory profit?
Continue to impress upon publishers the quoting
to teachers and the general public of only such
prices as will enable the dealer to handle an order
at those prices and make a fair profit on it.
General and Special Topics.
General conduct of business; hiring, training and
keeping competent clerks; experience versus theory
in salesmanship and other things; local associations
and improved conditions; increased and increasing
cost of doing business.
Should the association send a form letter to its
members asking for information about cost of do-
ing business, or try in other ways to obtain such
valuable and necessary information? Increasing our
membership? Changes in constitution and by-laws?
Some poem swindle and fake and amateur publisher
nuisance?
Monthly, or occasional bulletins of new or special
music and books—and other merchandise. How
may the Association and its officers help its mem-
bers most effectively during the year? How may
the members do the same for the association?
Trade Papers—How to show our appreciation of
the courtesies extended and take more advantage of
the opportunities for publicity offered by them.
Educate customers to make out orders more care-
fully, giving, full information as possible, and re-
quest them to write orders with ink, instead of pen-
cil and only one item on a line. The object desired
being a material decrease in delays, annoyance, mis-
takes and expense, and mutual benefit the result, if
the suggestions are carried out.
POINTED PARAGRAPHS.
The following extracts were taken principally
from letters written by dealers, but a few are from
publishers' comments. The items should have a
definite and constructive value, coming as they do,
from different and well-informed sources.
Prices, Discounts and Profits.
It is of prime importance for the association to
clarify the situation as regards their present atti-
tude towards a net selling price or a net marked
price for sheet music.
The discount of one-third now generally accepted
as a fair rate, instead of the old discount of one-
half at which sheet music was sold for many years—
gives dealers a larger profit than formerly because
the cost price to them has not been increased pro-
portionately, and they are therefore encouraged to
give more attention to the sheet music part of their
business than some have been inclined to do in the
past.
Like all other lines of business, increased and in-
creasing expenses of doing business and the cost of
merchandise, made it necessary to obtain higher
prices and instead of continuing to sell many pub-
lications at prices that in many instances were too
low under normal conditions to allow a profit that
would give any net returns to a dealer, a nearly uni-
form discount of one-third on sheet music is now
being followed by most dealers and publishers.
Many of the evils from w T hich we have suffffered
have been the result of the desire on the part of
some publishers to sell at retail at prices that were
too low to take into consideration the legitimate
profit dealers should expect and have and publishers
also.
The dealers should understand the reasons for th':
recent increase in the list prices upon many of the
competitive volumes. (Editions.) Many of the vol-
umes upan which the changes were made have been
sold at a loss for some time. The prices on many
of these were those made on the original foreign
editions and were altogether too low.
Cut-prices on any commodity or article, lower the
dignity of the business, or industry, engaged in the
production of articles treated in that fashion.
Price cutting is merely intended to get people into
the stores, in order that they may be induced to buy
something else, the price of which has been boosted.
Keeping the price the same was a protection to the
public against exploitation and to the manufacturer,
who by his own efforts and by advertising had es-
tablished a market for his wares.
Prices will never return to the old pre-war levels.
Business men who are holding back, waiting for the
old prices are chasing a rainbow. Business men
should face the facts. To speak reverently of
1913-14 prices is to speak a dead language today.
Cost of Doing Business.
It would be very helpful to the small dealer to
know whether his costs were excessive or were in
line with the large efficiently organized houses. If
these houses are doing their retail business at less
cost than the small dealer it is up to the small dealer
to become more efficient and reduce his costs. If
the retail costs of these large houses are greater
than those of the small dealer it is up to the publish-
ers to provide adequate profits.
The retailers of sheet music for many years were
ignorant of the cost of doing business, due princi-
pally to the fact that in most cases sheet music was
carried largely as an advertising adjunct by piano
houses and not thought worthy of much consider-
ation as a merchandise proposition. The publishers
of music were also blissfully dormant regarding the
cost of production and operation as well as the ut-
terly inadequate discounts that they were allowing
to the retail trade on most of their publications
This was during a period when the labor question
was not the serious one it is at present.
We labored several years in an attempt to ascer-
tain the cost of doing business, but we never arrived
at any definite conclusion, due to the fact that we
were unable to agree as to a standard of valuation in
taking inventory, and if there is any variation in value
in taking inventory, between one dealer and another,
it will automatically produce a variation in results,
June 5, 1920.
therefore we shall never be able to intelligently en-
lighten the average dealer as to his cost of doing
business until we can come as nearly as possible to
standardization of inventory.
Service and Stock.
There is too much talk about "service," and not
enough intelligent effort to give it. A successful
business man was asked recently why he did not
spend more time and money advertising good serv-
ice. He said he was too busy giving it. He was
one of the practical men who still think—"A satis-
fied customer is the best advertisement."
The dealer who complains about the lack of busi-
ness seldom carries a well-kept stock and his cause
for complaint is probably because of his way in
dealing with the public. A better business can be
done with a small stock that is well and carefully
chosen and which is replenished promptly and intel-
ligently, than with a large stock that is taken care
of badly.
In a community of any size there are a consider-
able number of people who may be classed as regu-
lar music buyers, altough they are not music stu-
dents or teachers of music. They go to music stores
—or too often, to other stores dealing in general
merchandise, because there is no live music store in
their town—looking for new compositions that they
have heard, been told about, or seen advertised.
In many cases, being able to obtain only a small
proportion of what is asked for, they get out or
the htabit of expecting to find what they want, and
therefore buy much less, or leave special orders for
comparatively few publications.
It has been said that most of the profit on the
sheet music business goes back on the shelves, but
that could not be said and would not be true if
more attention w r ere given to buying carefully and
intelligently and in keeping with the volume of busi-
ness likely to be done.
With a fair knowledge of what a sheet music de-
partment well handled will do, not only as a direct
and indirect means of advertising a general music
business but also as a part of the business that yields
a fair profit when carried on as it should be—greater
interest should be shown in its success by dealers
generally. More money with less effort can be made
in other branches of the business, but if the best re-
sults are to be obtained the sheet music business
cannot be neglected.
The loss of time resulting from a poor arrange-
ment of stock, so that a clerk is unable to serve a
customer in the shortest time possible, is not given
the consideration it should have, and loss of time is
probably the greatest loss in any retail business.
Concerns that employ a large force of salespeople
understand what time means and their efforts are
constantly directed toward the elimination of wasted
time and effort.
The direct return in profits and indirect returns in
advertising that are gained from any retail depart-
ment depend very largely upon the system used in
handling the stock and the manner in which it is
displayed. That is particularly true of the sheet
music business.
Salesmen and Clerks.
What the retail sheet music business needs most,
next to profit sufficient to make it possible, is the
education of clerks to the possibilities of the busi-
ness. We all know that at least a fair degree of in-
telligence, ability, initiative and some musical knowl
edge are essential in a good music clerk, and a good
personality, an unusual memory, dispatch and ac-
curacy are also necessary.
Among the essential attributes of a good salesman
are a fair education, an intelligent and pleasing man-
ner, a neat appearance, a good memory, a willing-
ness to learn and a real interest in what he is at-
tempting to do. A very good thing to impress up-
on a young clerk is that the next best thing to
knowing a thing, is to know how to find out about it
in the most direct w r ay.
The best results cannot be obtained and disap-
pointment and loss in various ways will surely fol-
low if good judgment is not used in the selection oi
promising boys who show an aptitude for the busi-
ness.
Any man who expects to make a success of his
business must keep in close touch with what is be-
ing done in that business and have the services of
employes who are being compensated sufficiently to
be interested in what they are doing and then to see,
as far as possible, that they do it. This is one of the
vital things in any business. It is not given th'J
Iconsideration it should receive by many employers',
who prefer to follow the opposite policy of paying
as little as possible and taking whatever kind oi
work they can get as a result, which usually means
that it is not of a kind that could be called in any
sense constructive.
A sheet music business, properly managed, should
and can make a profit out of which to pay salaries
that would be attractive to desirable employes, who
can make themselves invaluable to their employers.
Co-Operation—Local and General.
One of the biggest things this association has
before ir, is to recommend dealers to organize lo-
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