Presto

Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American P i a n o s
and in Detail Tells of
Fheir Makers.
PRESTO
Etabtuhed 1884. THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
JO c, nt . ;
Presto Year Book
The Only Complete
Annual Review of the
American Music In-
dustries and Trades.
t*.oo a i w
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1924
PRESIDENT SPEAKS
FOR ASSOCIATION
of the National Piano Manufacturers' Association are
a unit in working for whatever will tend to place the
entire industry in the position its importance de-
serves.
E. R. JACOBSON,
President, Nat'l Piano Mfrs. Ass'n of America.
HOW MUSIC TRADE
IS MISREPRESENTED
E. R. Jacobson, Head of National Piano Man-
ufacturers' Association of America, Takes
Optimistic Look Forward and Sees Bright
Future for Piano Sales.
FIRST GREETINGS OF
THE STARRY SEASON
Growing Tendency of Some Dealers to Attract
by Low Price Bait Advertising of Player-
pianos Which Embarrasses Ethical-
Minded Merchants.
Advance Cards of Good Will That Herald the
Merry Avalanche to Follow Before
Close of Old Year.
OTHER PHASES OBSERVED
MERCHANT COOPERATION
Believes Joint Endeavor of All Forces in Music
Trade and Industry Will Achieve Desired
Results.
The year 1924 in point of volume of business has
not generally been up to 1923 levels. The natural
law of supply and demand, temporarily suspended
by world war conditions, has been, since the close of
that conflict, endeavoring to function and in getting
back to normalcy, several periods of necessary ad-
justment have been experienced. -The current year
has been one of those periods referred to. Since
The season of Christmas cards has come again, and
the first advance of the avalanche of welcome tokens
have already come to Presto. The very first is that
of the Jesse French & Sons Piano Co., of New Castle,
Indiana, and it reads as follows:
"Just as the ties of friendship are strengthened at
this Holiday Season so may our business associa-
tions grow in mutual accord and confidence. With
best wishes for Christmas and the New Year."
The second to reach ^Presto offices came from
President F. S, Smith, of trie Perfection Piano Bench
Co., Chicago. It reads as follows:
"Joy in our work,
Faith in our friends,
All through the year,
When its time ends
In the year that's dawning for us
Let's be glad.
"Let's forget our hurts and trials,
All our failures, self-denials—
Everything except our smiles—
And be glad.
"Can't write a clever greeting,
Don't suppose I ever shall;
But when it comes to friendship
We'll say: You know me, Al!"
Third in the list is the pretty reminder from the
Waltham Piano Co., Milwaukee, which expresses it
thus:
"The spirit of Christmas calls us to a better appre-
ciation of old associations and the value of old
friendships. May the New Year bring you a full
quota of prosperity."
Every year it is of pleasant interest to note the first
fall of these snowdrops of the prettiest sentiment that
can cheer the human race. There will be a lot of
them soon.
NEW OREGON COMPANY.
E. R. JACOBSON.
early September, however, the industry has enjoyed
a good demand for its products for current sale.
Bright Look Forward.
We can all look forward to 1925 with a spirit of
optimism. For the first time in four years the agri-
cultural sections of our country will be in the mar-
ket for pianos in quantities.
The potential demand from this source, due to the
hesitant buying of the past few years, is enormous.
This condition agriculturally will reflect itself in
activity in industrial centers. The foreign situation
is also improved.
Enlarged Piano Market.
With increased demand for American products
abroad an enlarged market for pianos will be estab-
lished at home. Piano exports are also beginning to
assume sizable proportions.
In considering all these factors I believe that an
extremely hopeful attitude for 1925 is entirely justi-
fied. The piano is the backbone of musical instruc-
tion and knowledge, and its future is therefore as-
sured beyond question.
Backs Chamber's Work.
The Piano Manufacturers' Association, in co-opera-
tion with the music merchants, is endeavoring to
back up the splendid work of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce by giving proper support
through the use of "stamps" on pianos. It has been
thoroughly demonstrated that. "In union there is
strength." With this thought in mind the members
The Tallman Piano Store of Salem, Ore., has
filed articles of incorporation with the secretary of
state of Oregon to do a general piano business. The
incorporators are J. W. Tallman, J. J. Tallman and
E. A. Forsch. The capital stock is announced as
$25,000.
BRAMBACH IS POPULAR.
In a single day's shipment recently the Brambach
Piano Co., of New York, shipped instruments to
sixteen states, one foreign country and twenty-five
different cities. This is a good illustration of Bram-
bach's wide distribution. It also tells an interesting
story of how widely and well known is the
Brambach Baby Grand.
NEW BRANCH IN CASPER, WYO.
A branch of the Knight-Campbell Music Co., of
Denver, has been opened.in Casper, Wyo., with Mrs.
Eileen K. Henderson Reed as manager. The Casper
branch will feature the Steinway and Duo-Art, as
well as a full line of phonographs and musical
accessories.
NEW LYON & HEALY TRAVELER.
Francis L. Miller has been appointed to the posi-
tion of sales representative with the musical mer-
chandise division of Lyon & Healy, Chicago. In ac-
cordance with Lyon & Healy's regular policy, Mr.
Miller will spend the month of December on their
wholesale sales floor before starting in his territory.
Work for Better Business Standards in All Lines of
Music Goods to Be Pressed Vigilantly
During 1925.
By C. L. DENNIS.
The condition of business during 1924 has been
none too favorable for the development and mainte-
nance of better business standards as contemplated
by the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce and
its division associations. It has been stated fre-
quently in our reports that the organization strength
of the music industries has developed to a point
where trade evils, once unitedly recognized and de-
fined, can be cast off by a determined majority.
As an illustration, the past year has seen a grow-
ing tendency to misrepresent the music industry by
low price "bait" advertising, especially noticeable in
offerings of playerpianos, which underrate the instru-
ments in the public mind and create sales resistance
for legitimate merchandise at fair market prices which
production and distribution costs require.
Investigation Ordered.
To combat this unfortunate tendency the Cham-
ber Board of Directors has ordered an investigation
and report which should result in a united, decisive
effort for counteracting the evil.
The Better Business Bureau has handled individual
cases of this misrepresentation in the course of its
regular work, also advised on methods in certain
larger communities where the competition has gotten
out of hand, even with concerns whose standards are
usually higher. This work has gone hand in hand
with the usual cases of comparative price advertising,
unbelievable discounts, "used" piano abuses, trade-in
questions, misleading descriptions, trade name viola-
tions, and a larger number than usual of misrepresen-
tations of retailers selling at "wholesale" prices or a
"factory to home" basis.
Considerable time has been given to the new move
of the Music Publishers' Association to establish a
system of marking time prices on sheet music, in co-
operation with the Federal Trade Commission. A
number of cases have been investigated under the
new Code of Ethics of the Band Instrument Manu-
facturers' Association toward the end of doing away
with secret subsidies to musicians for advertising pur-
poses, this also in co-operation with the Federal Trade
Commission through a trade practice submittal.
For Better Standards.
The work with other agencies for better business
standards has included an effort for closer co-opera-
tion with the National Vigilance Committee of the
Associated Advertising Clubs and its affiliated local
bureaus, illustrated by definite help soliciting support
for a merchandising section of tlie Better Business
Bureau of New York City. The writer is handling
the distribution of "The Book of Business Standards,"
just published under auspices of the Commercial
Standards Council, of whose executive board he is a
member. This book points out the tendency of com-
mercial organizations to establish better recognition
of the "Rules of the Game" in which International
Rotary has been an outstanding factor. , The Code of
Ethics adopted by the National Association of Music
Merchants at their 1924 Convention is illustrative of
this.
All the foregoing activities point to higher business
standards in 1925, under conditions of renewed busi-
ness confidence and a better atmosphere than pre-
vailed during most of 1924.
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