14
January 24, 1925.
PRESTO
PLEASANT FACT
IN MUSIC TRADE
Growth in the Sales of Instruments for Bands
and Orchestras One of the Amazing
Phases of the Business in
Music Goods.
One of the generally admitted facts in the music
business is that the sales in band and orchestra in-
struments were never better than now and that the
possibilities for further growth in sales are very
promising. It is one of the interesting phases of
the music business, a business which has developed
surprising conditions within the last few years. Of
course the holiday trade brought stimulation to the
sales in band and orchestra instruments, already nor-
mally'good, but it is the normal conditions that en-
courages the music dealer and tfie manufacturer of
the goods.
""S^
The Banjo Business.
The acceleration of the holiday? brought stocks of
certain kinds of instruments rather low and in the
factories the condition is reflected in an urgent effort
to supply demands of dealers. The banjos of the
better grades are short in stocks, as the calls for that
kind now come from amateurs as well as profes-
sionals. The possibilities of a shortage were antici-
pated by the Slingerland Banjo Co., Chicago, which
keenly watches the tendencies of every phase of the
stringed instrument trade demands, and now the com-
pany is in a position to fill the orders of dealers
promptly for anything included in the forty styles of
banjos, banjo mandolins, tenor banjos and banjo
ukuleles.
The Saxophone Calls.
You can pick any kind of adjective to describe the
size and continuous growth of the saxophone busi-
ness. The saxophone is leading in point of sales of
band instruments. It is a business continuously
stimulated by the requirements of amateurs, but the
professional band men have added in no small way
to the increase in the production and sales of saxo-
phones of all types.
More extended uses for the saxophone are develop-
ing every day. In the arrangements of band music
the composers depend upon the ability of the saxo-
phones of various tone quality to produce required
tone shadings in orchestral work. That is why the
professional saxophonists equip themselves with two
or three saxophones to be prepared to properly inter-
pret the scores.
Woodwind Instruments.
Special requirements in the rendering of the mod-
ern scores has naturally brought a bigger demand
for the better grades of woodwind instruments. In
the present-day dance orchestras, for instance, the
saxophonists double on clarinet and sometimes on
piccolo, and this of course means two or three sales
where only one was made before. The increase in
stocks of woodwind instruments in the progressive
stores is a recognition of the pleasant fact.
A fact that has considerably stimulated the sales
of band and orchestra instruments is one prominently
recognized by C. G. Conn Co., Ltd., Elkhart, Ind.
That is the placing the management of its branches
in the hands of professional or former professional
musicians. The advantages are obvious. For one
thing the presence of the professional musician in-
spires the spirit of trust in the amateur who is a cus-
tomer and not the least important thing is that the
professional in the sales staff usually has a wide
acquaintance among the professional musicians in the
city.
A Musician's Rendezvous.
Such stores are made places of call by the pro-
fessionals who come to meet other musicians or for
a friendly talk with the salesmen. But usually they
want some part or spend agreeable moments trying
out a new instrument which possibly they may buy.
It is the flocking to the music stores of the profes-
sions that makes the accessories such an important
and profitable portion of the stock. New reeds, new
strings, new mouthpieces always interest the profes-
sionals, who see the things in the show cases and arc
reminded of requirements.
A STEINWAY & SONS LEASE.
Four floors and basement.in the building at 437 to
453 Eleventh avenue, New York, have been leased by
Steinway & Sons, for temporary repair and mechani-
cal department pending the completion of the new
Steinway building in course of erection at 109 to 113
West Fifty-seventh street, which is expected to be
ready for use by early summer.
SUPPLY DIRECTORS TO
HOLD DINNER MEETING
Schedule of Meetings Announced at Blackstone
Hotel Chicago, on Wednesday of This Week.
The mid-year meeting of the Board of Directors of
the Musical Supply Association of America, which
was originally scheduled for Thursday morning, Jan-
uary 22nd, was held at 6:30 p. m. on Wednesday,
January 21st. at the Hotel Blackstone, Chicago. This
was a dinner meeting, and, like the meetings of
the Chamber directors and the. Executive Committee
of the Piano Manufacturers, will be an executive
session.
Te complete schedule of the mid-year meetings,
all of which were held at the Blackstone Hotel, is
as follows:
Wednesday, January 21st, 6:30 p. m. Dinner and
meeting of Board of Directors, Musical Supply Asso-
ciation of America.
Thursday, January 22nd. 9:30 a. m. Executive
Committee of the National Piano Manufacturers' As-
sociation.
Thursday. 10:30 a. m. General meeting of mem-
bers of the National Piano Manufacturers' Associa-
tion.
Thursday, 1:()() p. m. Luncheon at which the direc-
tors and members of Executive Committees of mem-
ber associations will be guests of the Chamber Board
of Directors.
Thursday, 2:0() p. m. Meeting of the Board of
Directors of the Music Industries Chamber of
Commerce.
NEW ROCHESTER MANAGER.
F. J. Osier, formerly manager of the player depart-
ment of the W. F. Frederick Piano Co., Pittsburgh,
Pa., has been appointed manager of the Music Lovers'
Shoppe, Rochester, N. Y. The Rochester store is
one of the most widely known of the music houses
of the city and its progressiveness easily adds to the
number of its customers. Mr. Osiers sees the oppor-
tunity to make the business a still greater part in the
musical thought of Rochester.
J. T. Gill opened a new store recently in Fairbury,
111., where lie carries the line of Adam Schaff, Inc.,
Chicago.
E. LEINS & CO.
Manufacturers of
Exceptionally Fine PIANOS and PLAYERS for
SELECT TRADE
Correspondence Invited
If you have particular repairs of Rare Pianos or complete
rebuilding, we will be pleased to hear
from you—it is our specialty.
NEW YORK
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