Presto

MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1881
Established
1884
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
10 Cents a Copy
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 1927
PRICE CUTTING
IN LOS^ ANGELES
Objectionable Practice Being Loudly Adver-
tised Is Regrettably Noticeable Feature,
but Healthful Phases of Business Out-
weigh the Unusual Ones.
A SUCCESSFUL CONTEST
Events Just Closed Had Knabe Grand as First Award
—Dealers Make Use of Good Window Dis-
plays for Featuring Grands.
By Gilbert Breton.
Los Angeles is in the throes of a rash system of
smashing and cutting piano prices. Famous, time
honored pianos of ancient days are paraded at reduc-
tions in page ads in the daily papers, prices with
stool, cover, bench, lamp and other allurements. This
practice of price-cutting has so demoralized the
profits on piano sales that the reputable dealers have
declined to pursue this downward course which de-
moralizes the entire trade.
Another pernicious practice is the offering of pianos
with names nearly resembling the names of time-
honored instruments at prices about equal to the
price of the materials. The stencil take-offs are
as numerous, and prominent among them are Mason,
New York; Miller & Co., New York; Hamlin & Co.,
New York; Cable & Co.. New York; C. J. Cable &
Co., Cable Bros., Kable Bros., New York; Kaible &
Co., Chicago, and every other Cable (but the At-
lantic cable). The prices asked for these instruments
are so ridiculous that the impression is given to pur-
chasers that the dealers are piano trade reformers.
A Notable Contest
The Fitzgerald Music Co., of which J. T. Fitzgerald
is the head, has just closed a notable piano contest
which has received the earnest commendation on
account of the utmost fairness with which it was
conducted.
A magnificent Knabe grand was presented the win-
ner of the contest, which was composed of thirty-
seven contestants, many of whom were prominent
music teachers and advanced pupils. The judges
were selected from among our most prominent citi-
zens and connoisseurs of music, chairman of which
was Modert Altschulter, the famous Russian or-
chestral conductor of Moscow and New York who
now heads the Glendale Symphony Orchestra.
The contest terminated to the entire satisfaction
of all, so different from others which usually create
bad feeling and do more harm than good, and re-
flected great credit upon both the contestants, judges
and the popular firm of Fitzgerald Music Co. who
sponsored it.
Grand Displays Prevail.
The dealers in Los Angeles are making their win-
dows special displays of grand pianos, prominent
among whom is the Wiley B. Allen Co., which is
showing a beautiful 'Haines Bros.' grand in Italian
design and a superb Ludwig of Spanish design of
Renaissance period. The department is under the
supervision of J. B. Moning.
A new furniture factory, called the Hawthorne
Furniture Co., will soon be erected on a large plot
adjoining the Goodyear Rubber Co. on East 59'th
street, Los Angeles. The company will manufacture
the famous Hawthorne furniture and, it is said, will
later embark in the manufacture of pianos and radios.
Notwithstanding the absence of Ben Platt in the
East, the ground for the new building was broken
with impressive ceremonies last week. The trowel
laying the first dip of mortar was wielded by a prom-
inent movie star with appropriate music.
A new conservatory of music lately organized at
1205 West Jefferson street, Los Angeles, will feature
piano, harmony and orchestral music.
The Presto-Times Convention Edition was read by
all Los Angeles dealers with great interest.
BUYS FULTON STORE.
William F. Woodward has purchased the control-
ing interest in the music store of William J. Bogue,
61 South First street, Fulton, N. Y.. and has taken
possession of the store. Mr. Woodward until re-
cently has been identified with the McComber Piano
Co. in the same city, and has announced his intention
of remodeling 'the entire establishment and increasing
many of its facilities. Mr. Bogue, who opened the
music store here in 1892, will remain with the store
for the present.
MAKES NOTABLE AMPICO SALE
A Chickering Ampico grand was recently sold for
$19,500, a price, of course, among the highest ever
paid for a piano.
Of even greater interest, however, is 'the advances
that have been made in the creation of piano cases
of special design, of which this instrument is one of
the finest examples extant. Hand carved in Italy out
of selected walnut by one of the great Italian sculp-
tors, the owner of this $19,500 Italian Renaissance
Chickering Ampico, Mrs. Charles A. Quinn of San
Francisco, Calif., possesses, undoubtedly, one of the
most exquisite pianos that has ever been produced.
The sale was made by Lee S. Roberts, of Lee S.
Roberts, Inc., Chickering representative at San Fran-
cisco, with the assistance of Myron Hill, one of this
country's outstanding interior decorators.
$2 The Year
TRADE CONDITIONS
IN STATE OF TEXAS
Houston, Called Most Rapidly Growing City
in the Southwest, Is Visited by Presto
Representative, Who Notes Pleasant
Possibilities for Trade.
SUMMER IN SAN ANTONIO
Live Dealers There Make Vigorous Efforts Towards
Lowering Stocks to Make Room for Fresh
Fall Goods.
Houston, Tex., is probably the most rapidly grow-
ing city in the southwest. The reporter for the
Presto-Times this week counted fifteen large ocean
liners with their immense cargoes in the mighty chan-
nel leading from the Gulf to Houston. There are
more piano stores in Houston than in any other city
in either Texas, Louisiana. Arkansas or Oklahoma.
Joe Sondock, manager of the Brook Mays & Co.
store there, was interviewed as to business conditions
and said: "Our business has been quiet until just
lately. We are making vigorous efforts to dispose of
a large amount of stock that we have stored due to
heavy purchases during the holidays, and we are very
agreeably pleased with the results so far. We shall
inaugurate two or three clearance sales between now
and fall in order to prepare for a large volume busi-
ness we anticipate."
One Dealer's Opinion.
When Mr. Sondock was asked if he believed the
piano was losing favor with the public he replied:
"No! The piano is needed in the homes, in the col-
leges, in the churches, in many of the halls of enter-
tainment and public functions. It is the very basic
solidity of the music industry. It is fundamental,
and the other things are contributory.
"One of the great needs to stimulate piano business
is hearty co-operation with salesmen. I believe firmly
in a weekly nominal salary with a sliding scale bonus
at the close of the month. Salesmen sell pianos. We
have one of the best organizations anywhere, and I
am proud of it. We have built up at this branch
store a business that keeps in operation more than
$300,000 continually."
Mr. Sondock is a man of vision. He is alert 'to
everything new. He is aggressive and progressive,
is well liked, and has a strong following in the busi-
ness that he manages. He has been the manager of
Brook Mays & Co. store in Houston for many years.
In San Antonio.
Vigorous efforts towards effecting sales are being
made by the several piano merchants of San Antonio,
Tex. A representative of Presto-Times, visiting the
city this week, found the piano merchants generally
very heavily stocked with instruments. These large
stocks are due to heavy purchases at Christmas time,
and to a small Christmas business failing to reduce
stocks. There has been, owing to a general quiet-
ness in the piano business, quite a number of repos-
sessions from purchases, and just at this time when
schools are closing, a large amount of "renters" have
come back into stock from the schools and colleges,
teachers and their many pupils.
The San Antonio Music Company is making a
vigorous effort in sales, and meeting with splendid re-
sults. Mr. McDonald, the manager, is a pleasing,
affable gentleman, a thorough business man and ex-
perienced in the best piano trade methods. He is
expecting a pretty active business when the fall sea-
son arrives, and plans, as manager of the San Antonio
Music Company, to press the clearance sales during
the summer months in order to close out the large
stock and be ready to embrace a promising business
with new fresh stock this fall.
When asked by the reporter what he thought of
the future of the piano business Mr. McDonald re-
plied: "Its future is all right. The piano is funda-
mental. It is the backbone of the music industry.
Tf the piano was eliminated from the music industry
we would have some small shops instead of the mam-
moth stores that are everywhere in the cities and
towns of this nation. We sell everything musical in
our business."
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