Presto

PRESTO-TIMES
than of the industries making the pianos. Re-
sponsibility was involved in their manufacture,
and in their sale by the dealers. But in the
The American Miute Trade Weekly
general scheme of denunciation the good sten-
Published Every Saturday at 417 South Dearborn cils were included with the fraudulent thump-
Street, Chicago, Illinois.
boxes which really constituted the evil in the
situation.
C. A. OANIELL and FRANK D. ABBOTT •
Editor*
Did any member arise at the San Francisco
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 234
Private Phones to all Departments. Cable Address (Com-
convention and wrathfully condemn, stigmat-
mercial Cable Co.'s Code), "PRESTO." Chicago.
Entered as second-cla«« matter Jan. 29. 1896, at the ize, arraign, denounce and generally lambast
Post Office. Chicago. Illinois, under Act of March 3. 1879.
the "commission fiend"? Nobody did, because
Subscription. $2 a year; 6 months, $1: Foreign, $4.
even the term is unfamiliar to the trade today.
Payable In advunce. No extra charge In United States
possessions, Cuba and Mexico. Rates for advertising on The commission fiend, it may be explained,
application.
was a person who had the temerity to expect
Items of news and other matter are solicited and if
an honorarium for influencing a prospect to
of general interest to the music trade will be paid for
at space rates. Usually piano merchants or salesmen buy a piano or even for suggesting the name
in the smaller cities are the best occasional corre- •of a prospect who eventually purchased one.
spondents, and their assistance is invited.
Sometimes the commission taker was a
Payment is not accepted for matter printed in the double-crosser and in that way satanic enough
editorial or news columns of Presto-Times.
Where half-tones are made the actual cost of pro- to deserve the title, although usually he or she
duction will be charged if of commercial character,
was a thrifty teacher, honest in directing pros-
or other than strictly news interest.
pects to one house. But in those days of keen
When electrotypes are sent for publication it is
competition the commission-takers too often
requested that their subjects and senders be carefully
played the dealers at the ends and the dealer
indicated.
in the middle against each other, with propor-
Forms close at noon every Thursday. News mat-
ter should be in not later than eleven o'clock on the tionate results in ill-gotten commissions.
same day. Advertising copy should be in hand before
That naturally rankled in the dealers who
Tuesday, five p. m., to insure preferred position. Full
page display copy should be in hand by Monday noon lost out and ill feeling against the commission-
preceding publication day. Want advs. for current takers generally became deep and loud. Thus
week, to insure classification, must not be later than
at every convention of the trade somebody al-
Wednesday noon.
Address all communications Tor the editorial or business
ways appeared with a deafeningly jangling
departments to PRESTO PUBLISHING CO., 417 South
Dearborn Street, Chicago* III.
bell, book filled from cover to cover with in-
vective, and candle as long and as thick as a
SATURDAY, JULY 23, 1927.
baseball bat which was strenuously used in
swatting- the fiend. The situation recalled may
The last form of Presto-Times goes to press evoke a smile from the dealer who anxiously
at 11 a. m. Thursday. Any news transpiring scans the piano prospect field today with a
after that hour cannot be expected in the cur- powerful telescope.
rent issue. Nothing received at the office that
is not strictly news of importance can have
Years and years ago the national associa-
attention after 9 a. m. on Thursday. If they tion of piano dealers started to bell the fake
concern the interests of manufacturers or tuner, a nervy individual with a ten-cent-store
dealers such items will appear the week follow-
ing. Copy for advertising designed for the screw driver and a hammer, who by a few
current issue must reach the office not later passes caused good pianos to become bad and
bad ones to become several degrees worse.
than Wednesday noon of each week.
His was a profitable although not a tuneful
lav, and the ease with which odd dollars of
CONGRATULATIONS IN ORDER piano owners were garnered made the calling
The piano trade should congratulate itself an attractive one.
at being enabled to attend wholeheartedly to
There used to be piano men who held that
its piano sales promotion plans, free from the
the
guessing schemes, bean jar, and other va-
irritating thoughts of the evils that once beset
rieties
of the piano contest were subjects for
it. At the convention of the Western Music
the
bell,
book and candle ; trade devils of a
Trade held in San Francisco last week no
particularly
demoniacal kind. On the other
talker had to wax wrathful over certain condi-
hand,
there
were
men of the trade who con-
tions that a few years ago were considered
sidered
the
numerous
schemes desirable. The
grievious and called for the figurative bell,
former,
of
course,
were
loud in denunciation
book and candle for their removal or repres-
of
the
schemes
on
every
occasion and at the
sion.
trade
conventions
especially.
They read like
Take the case of the stencil, for instance,
ancient
history
today.
which was at one time chivied in a scattering
way every day of the year and in an organ-
ized manner during the convention of the piano
MAKING PIANO CUSTOMERS
dealers' national association. Then it became a
It is expected that nearly every piano dealer
frantic ringing of the alarm bell, a denuncia- in the country now is aware of the active
tory reading of the minute-book and an in- movement for group piano teaching. Talks
quisitorial singeing of the stencil's tail with on it and discussions about it have been fea-
the oratorical candle. The manufacturers' tures of every convention, national and state
conventions used to have a chivy of their own within the past year. Trade papers have ex-
after the demon stencil but the clapper of plained it and propaganda has urged its ex-
the bell got out of order, the book got lost in tension. Some of the brightest minds in both
the shuffle and the candle was used up in light- the professional and industrial phases of music
ing the burnt offerings—the convention cigars. are devoting their time, money and genius to
The structural and tonal merits of many of arouse interest in what is really a movement
the denounced stencil pianos might have been that eventually must create a vastly greater
equal to those of instruments emerging from demand for pianos.
the factories with well-known names. In fact,
It is a rule accepted by every piano dealer
many of the stencil pianos which offended, that the desire to buy a piano is equal to the
were standard makes with names of respon- prospect's interest in piano music. It is ad-
sible dealers on the fallboards. And the names mitted that without an understanding of piano
of the dealers had greater selling power locally music there can be no inspiration to buy
July 23, 1927.
pianos. In the condition in which the piano
trade had found itself a year or two ago a
drastic cure was needed. It was provided in
the movement for group piano instruction, a
systematic means by which the young and old
could acquire at least the fundamentals of a
piano education.
Everywhere busy piano stores are being
made busier and the too quiet ones roused to
desired activity by the adoption of one or
other of the teaching systems. Piano instruc-
tion by the plan selected is a feature of a
great number of stores and the movement
continues to grow. Everywhere are bright
young music teachers who would welcome
the opportunity to cooperate with the music
dealer in developing piano pupils into piano
customers. With the aid of piano playing con-
tests and the group instruction classes in the
stores a healthy enthusiasm is being infused
into the trade. It is a spreading movement
which means the recreation of buying" interest
in the piano.
MR. FREDERICK T. STEINWAY
The unexpected death last Sunday of Mr.
Frederick T. Steinway, president of Steinway
& Sons. New York, was a shock to the world
of musical art with which he was so closely
associated; to his associates in the great busi-
ness of which he was the efficient head, his
passing evoked the keenest regrets. That, too,
is an emotion shared by the wide circle of
Steinway & Sons' representatives whose con-
nection with the house had a close quality
evoked by the friendly personality of its pres-
ident.
Mr. Steinway had that charm of manner
that made every new dealer feel he "belonged"
from the start in the coveted circle and which
gave a personal attribute to the loyalty of the
lifetime ones. His interest in their ambitious
efforts, keen understanding of their individual
problems and timely sympathy in their family
afflictions were further bonds between them
and the famous house.
The manner in which Mr. Steinway planned
new achievements for Steinway & Sons ex-
pressed an inherited ability for accomplish-
ment. The progress of Steinway & Sons has
been continuous since its founding and at
every period was a man of Steinway name
from whom the active spirit emanated. Like
his predecessors, Mr. Frederick Steinway had
a series of achievements to his credit and
standing out among them were the planning,
building and occupation of the new Steinway
Hall, New York. It was Mr. Steinway's am-
bitious arrangements for its dedication that
made the event of international interest. The
new Steinway Hall may be considered a mon-
ument to his broad outlook, artistic impulses
and fine commercial instincts.
The able help of the piano tuner in aiding
the promotion of piano sales is suggested in
an article in this issue by Mr. Charles Deutsch-
mann, president of the National Association
of Piano .Tuners. Inc. The attitude of the pro-
fession is against assisting in the doctoring of
the old, sick pianos. "No piano tuner, espe-
cially desires or cares to work on these old
pianos but invariably assist to his utmost to
bring about a replacement by a new instru-
ment," said Mr. Deutschmann, who added that
the vital question of accumulated used pianos
will be discussed at the convention in August
at the Hotel Commodore, New York.
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