Presto

MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1881
Established
1884
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
10 Cents a Copy
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, JULY 30, 1927
A MAYOR'S BALL
FOR DETROIT MEET
Departure From Established Convention Proc-
esses Is Now Contemplated and Costume
Dance and Reception to Piano Playing
Champions May Supercede Staid Dinner.
PUBLICITY PLUS
Other New Features Provided for Attracting Public
Attention to Second Annual Music Carnival,
Finals and Important Events.
By FRANK J. BAYLEY.
It is now contemplated by the Michigan Music
Trade Association to displace the usual banquet at
the forthcoming convention in Detroit by giving a
Mayor's Ball the first night of the Carnival, to be a
reception for the school girl piano champion, the
Prince and Princess of Music and their court of 428
school champions, followed by an inside costume
dance for the highbrows.
The third annual convention of Michigan Music
Trade Associations, which is to be held in the Book-
Cadillac Hotel, Detroit, August 15 to 18, promises to
be an event of outstanding publicity. All Detroit is
looking forward especially to "The Second Annual
Detroit Music Carnival," which is to be held on the
four blocks of Washington Boulevard, the Fifth
Avenue of Detroit, on the evenings of August 16 and
17.
A bandstand and stage is to be erected in each
block, connected by a twelve-foot board-walk, 1,500
feet in length, upon which a spectacular musical pro-
gram will take place from 7:30 till 10:30 when four
big jazz bands will then provide music for street
dancing. Many prizes are offered for fancy and gro-
tesque costumes.
Great Civic Event.
This great civic event, which is sponsored by all the
prominent organizations and individuals of the city,
will be presided over by a Prince and Princess of
Music with a court of 428 other school children, all
of whom are school piano playing champions. The
selection of Prince and Princess will be made in a
contest of versatility among the 430 school champions
of the second annual piano playing contest of Greater
Detroit, during the whole week previous at the lead-
ing Balaban & Katz theater, the normal attendance
of which reaches 75,000.
The Capitol Theater, capacity 5,500, will also fea-
ture the Greater Detroit piano champion together with
the Carnival Prince and Princess the week following
the carnival. Here is a tie-up of a most successful
piano playing contest, in which the whole public is
brought into the picture to make the children who
play the piano, the basic musical instrument, the
most popular in town and places a great premium
upon piano playing.
The Grand Finals.
On Monday evening, August 15, the grand finals of
the piano playing contest will be held in the Belle
Isle Symphony Bowl, before an audience estimated
to be 20,000. It will be noted that this event takes
place in the all-prominent civic assembly place under
auspices of the city government, broadcasted by radio
and taken up by the movies for city and state dis-
tribution and given publicity by all papers.
Thus, the delegates to the Michigan convention will
have three evenings of opportunity to study the De-
troit theory and practice of popularizing the piano,
which should be of keenest interest to every man in
the industry. In all the work of arranging and or-
ganizing there has been no camouflaging the purpose.
Here is a Music Week, in fact, coincident with a
piano convention.
Busy on Program.
S. E. Clark of Grinnell Bros., Mr. Ed. Andrews of
the Hudson Music store, and Clayton H. Hoffman
of Grand Rapids are busy on the convention program
of speakers, but do not wish to announce the list
until next week. We know it will be interesting and
varied, worth while to any piano man. Monday will
be devoted only to registration, a yacht ride and
golf, the regular meetings being Tuesday, Wednesday
and Thursday morning. Many reservations have
already been made at the Book-Cadillac for displays.
Expense will be kept to a minimum and a large at-
tendance is anticipated. It is expected that we shall
have the honor of the presence of our National Presi-
dent, C. J. Roberts of Baltimore.
Wednesday evening, following the carnival, the
third annual conclave of Michigan Chapter No. 2 of
the Ancient and Honorable Order of Cheese Hounds,
at the Oriole Terrace. Many prominent men of De-
troit have signified their desire to be initiated into this
order at this time and ally themselves morally with
the piano industry. Phil Sadowski, Dave Reddaway
and George Burke, who have charge of the arrange-
ments, promise satisfaction guaranteed. The Border
Cities Board of Commerce have extended a formal
invitation to the convention to visit Canada, but there
will be no necessity.
A most cordial invitation is extended to every man
in the piano industry to attend the Michigan conven-
tion of profit and fun.
THEODORE E. STEINWAY
IS ELECTED PRESIDENT
Successor to Frederick T. Steinway Chosen This
Week Ideally Fitted for Position.
Steinway & Sons, New York, has mailed the fol-
lowing letter to the trade and the trade press, dated
July 25:
"Gentlemen: We beg to notify you that at a
meeting of the board of directors of Steinway &
Sons, held here today, Theodore E. Steinway was
elected president of our corporation, to fill the va-
cancy caused by the sudden, untimely death of his
cousin, Frederick T. Steinway, who died of a heart
attack at Northeast Harbor, Maine, on Sunday morn-
ing, July 17.
"We need hardly add that Mr. Theodore E. Stein-
way, in the conduct and administration of his high
office, will uphold the traditions and ideals which
have actuated the policies of our house from its very
inception. Yours sincerely,
"STEINWAY & SONS."
STEINERT GRAND PIANO FOR
OLDEST CHURCH IN AMERICA
Dedication Ceremonies in Parish House, July 21,
Was Notable Event.
M. Steinert & Sons, Boston, has just sold a hand-
some Steinert grand pianoforte to be placed in the
parish house of the oldest religious community in
America, the First Parish Church of Plymouth,
Mass., founded by the Pilgrims who came over in
the Mayflower in December, 1620.
Thousands of
tourists visit this shrine of Congregationalism every
year.
The piano was dedicated in the church at a con-
cert given for the parish by James Ferguson, tenor,
of New York City, on July 24.
PIANO CLUB LUNCHEON.
Monday of this week was a quiet day at the Chi-
cago Piano Club luncheon with the usual attendance
quota of two "Baker's dozens." The vice-president,
who presided, said that President Laughead would
probably be back in the chair next Monday. G. R.
Brownell, back from a motoring trip in the northern
lakes, which has entranced him and kept him out of
touch with his friends at home, was on hand "browner
than a bat."
F. P. BASSETT ON TOUR.
F. P. Bassett, secretary and treasurer of the M.
Schulz Co., 711 Milwaukee avenue, Chicago, set aside
business for awhile when he took leave of the Chi-
cago office this week for a visit to the east. Mr. Bas-
set, accompanied by his three boys, two of whom are
in eastern military academies, will spend the greater
part of the time at seashore resorts.
$2 The Year
HOW TO AVOID
THE REPOSSESSIONS
Way Is Suggested in Study of Percentages of
That Disagreeable Procedure, Following
the Sales of Various Instruments in the
Music Dealers' Stock.
FALSE SELLING METHODS
These Found in Wrong Advertising Appeal as Well
as in Failure to Feature Instruments
That Stay Sold.
By H. EDGAR FRENCH,
President Jesse French & Sons Piano Co., New
Castle, Ind.
As a means towards effecting a cure, a doctor de-
pends upon a diagnosis which shows effects. In most
cases the causes of the patient's illness are obvious.
The question: "What's the matter with the piano
business?" is a common one and suggests a rather
general admission that there is something wrong
with it. "What's the matter with the piano men's
perception?" might be a form of question leading
more quickly to their discovery of the real causes of
repossessions, those unpleasant and unprofitable oc-
currences in the piano trade. Why are there repos-
sessions, and why does the percentage vary in the
different varieties of instruments? The repossession
facts and the causes are interesting and filled with
suggestions to the piano man.
The Analysis.
Recently in checking up sales expenses and general
sales indications for the year 1926, the writer found
the following to be the case as exemplified by the
year's figures of a large retail concern. The firm sold
approximately $25,000 worth of grand pianos during
the year 1926 and a little more than one per cent (not
even one and one-half per cent) of that amount cov-
ered the repossessions on grand pianos for the entire
year. A total of $60,000 of new upright piano busi-
ness had less than ten per cent of this amount
charged against repossessions of uprights. The firm,
however, had $40,000 of player sales and of this
amount, fifteen per cent came into the repossession
account. While in the talking machine department
with $100,000 of sales, thirty per cent of these sales
were charged back as repossessions.
Lesson in Figures.
These are actual figures and it is said, "A word to
the wise is sufficient." If any piano man will 1 total
his figures and find a situation such as this existing,
i. e., one per cent of grand sales, ten per cent of up-
right sales, fifteen per cent of player sales and thirty
per cent of phonograph sales—(in dollars) to be re-
possessed, it is hard to understand how he could do
anything else but get behind his sales of straight
uprights and grands and push them ahead of every-
thing else, in fact, push them almost to the exclusion
of other business.
Obvious Wise Course.
This is rather harsh, perhaps, but as this is the
existing condition why not face it in the most plaus-
ible manner and push that which delivers a profit and
allows it to remain rather than push a business that
has a back-fire in the form of an overwhelming per-
centage of repossessions. Used merchandise is always
a drug on the market, requiring special sales and
special effort to move it, not to mention the percent-
age of prospects to whom this merchandise must be
sold who are really prospects for new merchandise.
Furthermore, the cost of placing pianos in the hands
of people who will not pay for them is fast becom-
ing alarming and too much care cannot be exercised
in selling that which stays sold. Try pushing grands
and straight pianos for a while and see how the re-
possessions decrease!
The following artists called at the Ampico Studios,
New York City, last week and recorded: E. Robert
Schmitz, Frank J. Black.
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