Presto
Issue: 1925 2029 - Page 7
June 13, 1925.
PRESTO
BETTER BUSINESS
BUREAU'S WORK
EEBURG
TYLE«L"
The KEY to
OSITIVE
ROFITS
MANUFACTURED ONLY BY
J. P. Seeburg
Piano Co.
"Leaders in the
Automatic Field"
1510 Dayton St.
Chicago
Address Department "E"
"Bait" Advertising in Music Trade Not So
Much in Evidence Owing to Vigilance of
This Admirable Department of Music
Industries Chamber of Commerce.
The concentration of trade attention upon the prob-
lems presented by "bait" piano advertising was the
outstanding development of the year's Better Busi-
ness activities of the Chamber, according to C. L.
Dennis, manager, in the annual report of the Better
Business Bureau of the Music Industries Chamber of
Commerce. The report continues in part:
An increasing volume of misleading price advertis-
ing brought the piano field to its lowest morale of
recent years, with a consequent revulsion of feeling
on the part of the legitimate trade. Not since the
picture puzzle contest and coupon scheme was rooted
out of the industry has it been so thoroughly aroused.
A year ago the Bureau's annual report included a
warning against "dishonest and unwise methods under
threatening business conditions," noting as the first
item "the 'bait' of low price advertising." In Octo-
ber, the Board of Directors ordered an investigation.
The Bureau submitted a "Report and Recommenda-
tions with Reference to Low Price and 'Bait' Piano
Advertising," which was approved by the Advisory
Committee of the Bureau and accepted and adopted
by the Board of Directors at its January meeting.
The recommendations have been carried out.
Flood of Bait Subsiding.
The Bureau believes that the great flood of "bait"
advertising is subsiding, partly because of organized
activities and exposure of the "bait" methods of sell-
ing, partly because the wavering ones of the trade
are turning away from it instead of toward it as a
business stimulant, and chiefly because the public is
not as much attracted by "bait" offers and conse-
quently such advertising does not pay as it did.
The greatest factor enlisted by the Chamber in the
drive against "bait" piano offers and other advertising
evils of the music trade is the National Vigilance
Committee (now National Better Business Bureau)
of the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World and
the 43 affiliated local Better Business Bureaus.
The Chamber has been striving toward the end of
a better working relationship, -which has been taking
shape rapidly since the first of the year.
Cases Handled by Chamber.
The Chamber gave attention to 156 better business
matters during the past year, of which 83 related to
merchandising problems and 73 to the song swindle.
The principal merchandising cases had to do with
the "bait" piano offers, complaints arising in the band
instrument field from the agreement against secret
subsidies to musicians, a special sale repetition of
"wholesale price" claims involving a prominent
dealer, trade name violations several "credit check"
or coupon schemes which were stopped, and a radio
selling scheme which appeared to be the outgrowth
of past phonograph company operations
which made
trouble for several small town w r estern dealers.
Complaints of advertising by piano tuning schools
were taken up.
An effort to assist the passage of a fraudulent ad-
vertising law by the Illinois legislature was made
upon request of the Illinois Music Merchants' Asso-
ciation.
The Song Swindle.
The finish of the song swindle, so far as volume
operations are concerned, was foreseen in last year's
report. The indictment on June 30, 1924, of George
Graff, Jr., and Albion S. Keller of the Broadway
Composing Studios, New York Melody Corporation
and World Music Publishing Corporation, followed
by a postoffice fraud order in October, was the first
decisive action in New York and removed one big
operator. Another big one changed his plan and the
smaller ones are having a hard struggle. Several
have closed up shop. While it is difficult to end such
an elusive fraud, the volume business is stopped and
the post office authorities have the situation in hand,
with prospects of further arrests and examples being
made of New York offenders.
Features of Swindle.
Offers of music roll cutting service to amateur song
writers and mail order schemes for selling sheet
music to local "agents" are side issues of the song
swindle which are being watched.
The Chicago post office authorities closed up the
last of the song swindlers there. The New Era
Music Co. and Music Sales Co., of St. Louis, both
operated by Robert A. Bell, were closed by post
office fraud order. The Chamber campaign against
the song swindle was given wide publicity, including
an article in the Saturday Evening Post and two
radio talks from Station WGBS by the undersigned.
Hundreds of inquiries about song sharks were an-
swered, and many warnings sent to amateur song
writers.
Stock Selling Schemes.
The Chamber was partly responsible for the ex-
posure of the stock-selling scheme of the Hearst
Music Publishers of Winnipeg, Canada, with offices
in New York and Chicago. Hearst is a fugitive from
justice. Several other stock selling schemes have
been given attention.
Book of Business Standards.
Through the Chamber's representation in the Com-
mercial Standards Council, to whose executive board
the writer was re-elected in February, we have taken
an active part in the publication and distribution of
"The Book of Business Standards," by J. George
Frederick, which is receiving widespread attention in
trade organizations and the world of business
generally.
AMERICAN PIANO CO.
AT THE CONVENTION
Great Number of Visiting Dealers See Numer-
out Fine Piano Exhibits and Others En-
joy Social Pleasures Provided.
The American Piano Company, New York, ar-
ranged events for the convention as follows: On
Tuesday morning, June 9, R. K. Paynter, president
of Wm. Knabe & Co., gave a breakfast for his Knabe
dealers at Hotel Drake.
The American Piano Co. gave a theater party, sup-
per and dance for all of their dealers at the Hotel
Blackstone on Tuesday evening, June 9.
As to exhibits, the Mason & Hamlin Company ex-
hibited at the warerooms of The Cable Piano Co.,
Wabash and Jackson, Chickering & Sons exhibited
at the warerooms of the Bissell-Weisert Piano Co.,
26 So. Michigan avenue, and Wm. Knabe & Co. at
the warerooms of the Raymond Music Co., 300 N.
Michigan avenue.
The Foster-Armstrong lines were shown as fol-
lows: The Franklin and Fischer at the warerooms
of the Raymond Music Co., the Marshall & Wendell
at the warerooms of the Bissell-Weisert Piano Co.,
and the Haines Bros, at the warerooms of The Cable
Piano Co.
A YOUNG PIANO MAN
FROM AN OLD TOWN
An M. Schulz Enthusiast Who Is Filling a Section
of Indiana with Good Pianos.
Peter F. Schneider, a dealer in M. Schulz Co. pi-
anos, is a young man from an old city, Vincennes,
Ind. This place is the oldest town within the limits
of the state of Indiana.
With the exception of Detroit, Michigan, which
was settled by the French in 1670, and of Kaskaskia,
111., which was also settled by the French in 1673,
it is the oldest town in that vast expanse formerly
known as "The Territory Northwest of the River
Ohio," out of which the five great states of Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin have been
formed.
Vincennes was settled by the French from Canada
about 1735, and it was the capitol of Indiana Terri-
tory from 1800 to 1813. There are many historical
landmarks present, including the old home of Wil-
liam Henry Harrison and the old cathedral. The In-
dian name for the town was Chippe Coke, meaning
Brush Wood. No part of our country is richer in
hitorical interest than Vincennes, a town which is one
of the oldest on the continent; one for the possession
of which the greatest nations of the earth have con-
tended—France, England and the United States.
And "Alice of Old Vincennes"—why, she lived there,
too!
SHOWS PIANO WITH
THRILLING TORNADO RECORD
Oldendorf Music House, Mt. Carmel, 111., Features
Storm-Scarred Piano Taken in Trade.
On display at the Oldendorf Music House, Mt.
Carmel, 111., is a piano which went through the tor-
nado of last March 18. The piano was sold eight
years ago by Mr. Oldendorf to Arthur Keneipp, who
lived a mile west of Owensville.
When the storm struck the house was destroyed
as well as barn and outbuildings, and the piano was
blown for some distance and shows the effects of the
storm. Mr. Keneipp was blown through a window
but did not suffer serious injury. Mrs. Keneipp was
found some distance from the house in an orchard,
unconscious, and Mr. Keneipp carried her for almost
half a mile to get help. She is now recovering at the
home of her mother.
The piano which went through the storm lay in
the open where it was blown for two days before
being taken to shelter. It has been returned to Mt.
Carmel and a new piano is taking its place.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
PRESTO
BETTER BUSINESS
BUREAU'S WORK
EEBURG
TYLE«L"
The KEY to
OSITIVE
ROFITS
MANUFACTURED ONLY BY
J. P. Seeburg
Piano Co.
"Leaders in the
Automatic Field"
1510 Dayton St.
Chicago
Address Department "E"
"Bait" Advertising in Music Trade Not So
Much in Evidence Owing to Vigilance of
This Admirable Department of Music
Industries Chamber of Commerce.
The concentration of trade attention upon the prob-
lems presented by "bait" piano advertising was the
outstanding development of the year's Better Busi-
ness activities of the Chamber, according to C. L.
Dennis, manager, in the annual report of the Better
Business Bureau of the Music Industries Chamber of
Commerce. The report continues in part:
An increasing volume of misleading price advertis-
ing brought the piano field to its lowest morale of
recent years, with a consequent revulsion of feeling
on the part of the legitimate trade. Not since the
picture puzzle contest and coupon scheme was rooted
out of the industry has it been so thoroughly aroused.
A year ago the Bureau's annual report included a
warning against "dishonest and unwise methods under
threatening business conditions," noting as the first
item "the 'bait' of low price advertising." In Octo-
ber, the Board of Directors ordered an investigation.
The Bureau submitted a "Report and Recommenda-
tions with Reference to Low Price and 'Bait' Piano
Advertising," which was approved by the Advisory
Committee of the Bureau and accepted and adopted
by the Board of Directors at its January meeting.
The recommendations have been carried out.
Flood of Bait Subsiding.
The Bureau believes that the great flood of "bait"
advertising is subsiding, partly because of organized
activities and exposure of the "bait" methods of sell-
ing, partly because the wavering ones of the trade
are turning away from it instead of toward it as a
business stimulant, and chiefly because the public is
not as much attracted by "bait" offers and conse-
quently such advertising does not pay as it did.
The greatest factor enlisted by the Chamber in the
drive against "bait" piano offers and other advertising
evils of the music trade is the National Vigilance
Committee (now National Better Business Bureau)
of the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World and
the 43 affiliated local Better Business Bureaus.
The Chamber has been striving toward the end of
a better working relationship, -which has been taking
shape rapidly since the first of the year.
Cases Handled by Chamber.
The Chamber gave attention to 156 better business
matters during the past year, of which 83 related to
merchandising problems and 73 to the song swindle.
The principal merchandising cases had to do with
the "bait" piano offers, complaints arising in the band
instrument field from the agreement against secret
subsidies to musicians, a special sale repetition of
"wholesale price" claims involving a prominent
dealer, trade name violations several "credit check"
or coupon schemes which were stopped, and a radio
selling scheme which appeared to be the outgrowth
of past phonograph company operations
which made
trouble for several small town w r estern dealers.
Complaints of advertising by piano tuning schools
were taken up.
An effort to assist the passage of a fraudulent ad-
vertising law by the Illinois legislature was made
upon request of the Illinois Music Merchants' Asso-
ciation.
The Song Swindle.
The finish of the song swindle, so far as volume
operations are concerned, was foreseen in last year's
report. The indictment on June 30, 1924, of George
Graff, Jr., and Albion S. Keller of the Broadway
Composing Studios, New York Melody Corporation
and World Music Publishing Corporation, followed
by a postoffice fraud order in October, was the first
decisive action in New York and removed one big
operator. Another big one changed his plan and the
smaller ones are having a hard struggle. Several
have closed up shop. While it is difficult to end such
an elusive fraud, the volume business is stopped and
the post office authorities have the situation in hand,
with prospects of further arrests and examples being
made of New York offenders.
Features of Swindle.
Offers of music roll cutting service to amateur song
writers and mail order schemes for selling sheet
music to local "agents" are side issues of the song
swindle which are being watched.
The Chicago post office authorities closed up the
last of the song swindlers there. The New Era
Music Co. and Music Sales Co., of St. Louis, both
operated by Robert A. Bell, were closed by post
office fraud order. The Chamber campaign against
the song swindle was given wide publicity, including
an article in the Saturday Evening Post and two
radio talks from Station WGBS by the undersigned.
Hundreds of inquiries about song sharks were an-
swered, and many warnings sent to amateur song
writers.
Stock Selling Schemes.
The Chamber was partly responsible for the ex-
posure of the stock-selling scheme of the Hearst
Music Publishers of Winnipeg, Canada, with offices
in New York and Chicago. Hearst is a fugitive from
justice. Several other stock selling schemes have
been given attention.
Book of Business Standards.
Through the Chamber's representation in the Com-
mercial Standards Council, to whose executive board
the writer was re-elected in February, we have taken
an active part in the publication and distribution of
"The Book of Business Standards," by J. George
Frederick, which is receiving widespread attention in
trade organizations and the world of business
generally.
AMERICAN PIANO CO.
AT THE CONVENTION
Great Number of Visiting Dealers See Numer-
out Fine Piano Exhibits and Others En-
joy Social Pleasures Provided.
The American Piano Company, New York, ar-
ranged events for the convention as follows: On
Tuesday morning, June 9, R. K. Paynter, president
of Wm. Knabe & Co., gave a breakfast for his Knabe
dealers at Hotel Drake.
The American Piano Co. gave a theater party, sup-
per and dance for all of their dealers at the Hotel
Blackstone on Tuesday evening, June 9.
As to exhibits, the Mason & Hamlin Company ex-
hibited at the warerooms of The Cable Piano Co.,
Wabash and Jackson, Chickering & Sons exhibited
at the warerooms of the Bissell-Weisert Piano Co.,
26 So. Michigan avenue, and Wm. Knabe & Co. at
the warerooms of the Raymond Music Co., 300 N.
Michigan avenue.
The Foster-Armstrong lines were shown as fol-
lows: The Franklin and Fischer at the warerooms
of the Raymond Music Co., the Marshall & Wendell
at the warerooms of the Bissell-Weisert Piano Co.,
and the Haines Bros, at the warerooms of The Cable
Piano Co.
A YOUNG PIANO MAN
FROM AN OLD TOWN
An M. Schulz Enthusiast Who Is Filling a Section
of Indiana with Good Pianos.
Peter F. Schneider, a dealer in M. Schulz Co. pi-
anos, is a young man from an old city, Vincennes,
Ind. This place is the oldest town within the limits
of the state of Indiana.
With the exception of Detroit, Michigan, which
was settled by the French in 1670, and of Kaskaskia,
111., which was also settled by the French in 1673,
it is the oldest town in that vast expanse formerly
known as "The Territory Northwest of the River
Ohio," out of which the five great states of Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin have been
formed.
Vincennes was settled by the French from Canada
about 1735, and it was the capitol of Indiana Terri-
tory from 1800 to 1813. There are many historical
landmarks present, including the old home of Wil-
liam Henry Harrison and the old cathedral. The In-
dian name for the town was Chippe Coke, meaning
Brush Wood. No part of our country is richer in
hitorical interest than Vincennes, a town which is one
of the oldest on the continent; one for the possession
of which the greatest nations of the earth have con-
tended—France, England and the United States.
And "Alice of Old Vincennes"—why, she lived there,
too!
SHOWS PIANO WITH
THRILLING TORNADO RECORD
Oldendorf Music House, Mt. Carmel, 111., Features
Storm-Scarred Piano Taken in Trade.
On display at the Oldendorf Music House, Mt.
Carmel, 111., is a piano which went through the tor-
nado of last March 18. The piano was sold eight
years ago by Mr. Oldendorf to Arthur Keneipp, who
lived a mile west of Owensville.
When the storm struck the house was destroyed
as well as barn and outbuildings, and the piano was
blown for some distance and shows the effects of the
storm. Mr. Keneipp was blown through a window
but did not suffer serious injury. Mrs. Keneipp was
found some distance from the house in an orchard,
unconscious, and Mr. Keneipp carried her for almost
half a mile to get help. She is now recovering at the
home of her mother.
The piano which went through the storm lay in
the open where it was blown for two days before
being taken to shelter. It has been returned to Mt.
Carmel and a new piano is taking its place.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).