Presto

PRESTO-TIMES
The American Music Trade Weekly
Published Every Saturday at 417 South Dearborn
Street, Chicago, Illinois.
C. A. DANIELL and FRANK D. ABBOTT -
• Editor*
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 234
Private Phones to all Departments. Cable Address (Com-
mercial Cable Co.'s Code), "PRESTO," Chloago.
Entered as second -class matter Jan. 29, 1896, at the
Post Office, Chicago, Illinois, under Act of March 3, 1879.
ar; 6 6 months, $1; Foreign, 94.
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ter should be in not later than eleven o'clock on the
same day. Advertising copy should be in hand before
Tuesday, five p. m., to insure preferred position. Full
page display copy should be in hand by Monday noon
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Wednesday noon.
Address all communications for the editorial or business
departments to PRESTO PUBLISHING CO., 417 South
Oe*rborn Street, Chicago. III.
ties that train the men down to a correct
standard of fitness.
During the busy ten months the piano man
thinks considerably. Rut if there is not worry
with the thinking, the mental occupation does
not prevent the accumulation of unnecessary
flesh, that the assimilation of good diet and
insufficiency of exercise makes unavoidable.
This, too, is the season when the close-to-
nature piano salesman in the country ends
each day, tired, dusty, hot, sometimes happy
and sometimes unhappy and discouraged. For
this is the time when the highways are at
their best and smoothest and communication
with the out-of-the-way prospect is possible.
There is so much joy in the life for some that
it may be classed under the vacation head.
A country piano man visiting in Chicago this
week wondered why the strenuous and inter-
esting life of the rural piano salesman was
never mentioned by the newspapers as a sum-
mer occupation for the city man with disor-
dered nerves. Wheat harvesting in Kansas,
Nebraska and the Dakotas is prescribed as a
sedative and log rafting on the big rivers and
berry-picking in the fruit belts are given as
helpful aids in neurotic diseases, but no expert
has yet announced the toxic virtues of upright
piano selling in the rural sections.
Possibly it was an oversight, for the work
of the rural piano hustler will completely cure
the worst case of nerves—if it doesn't kill the
victim the first week. But the occupation is
plainly helpful to the condition of nervous de-
bility supposed to be dependent upon impair-
ment of the spinal cord, because the stiff back-
bone is a necessity and the work superinduces
that as well as the stiff upper lip. True it is
hot work, but it results in cold cash. Apart
from the profits—and the possibilities for such
are great—the life has its healthful and
esthetic charms.
Instead of the prospect with city limits, one
has the perspective of all out-of-door*;. To
the city man on the rural piano lay, it seems
that the whole world is his sphere of activity.
Instead of the prison of walls and the barriers
of brick and mortar, about him is breadth and
space, freshness and color, the blue of the sky
and the quieting tones of nature in grass and
foliage.
Instead of the clangor of street car {/oners
the warning honk of auto horns, the clatter of
city traffic, one hears the merry tinkle of the
cow bell and the musical song of birds and
harmonious buzz of insect. The primness of
the city dweller's electric push button is re-
placed by the inviting hospitality of the farm
house latchstring. In short it is the poetry of
piano life and there's monev in it.
August 20, 1927.
production are lost in the distribution of its
product.
Such an exigency in the musical merchan-
dise phase of the industry directs attention to
the merits of standardization in production
and the simplification of the line as a safe-
guard against smaller net profit. Simplifica-
tion is favored by groups of musical merchan-
dise manufacturers and it goes hand in hand
with standardization. The trade associations
have become active in efforts, too. It has
been definitely proven in numerous instances
that "simplification" reduces both the costs of
production and distribution. It has likewise
been definitely proven that "diversification"
adds to both production and selling costs. To
add another number to the line might be all
right if they, at the same time, dropped or dis-
carded some slow-moving or seldom-v anted
line number. The practice of striving for
greater volume by adding new lines, mean-
while hanging on to all the old ones, soon
makes the whole line top-heavy, and inven-
tory rapidly piles up with items that do not
turn over. Profits that wou'd otherwise have
been made on the live lines are absorbed in
the costs of carrying the dead ones in stock.
As the variety increases, the burden on plant
facilities and the whole production personnel
increases, and sooner or later manufacturing
costs go up instead of down.
The appointment of a Special Piano Com-
mittee by the Music Supervisors' National
Conference is of great significance to the piano
The last form of Presto-Times goes to press
trade. It assures a potent aid to piano sales
at 11 a. m. Thursday. Any news transpiring
promotion, a natural sequence to increased
after that hour cannot be expected in the cur-
piano study in schools. The committee has
rent issue. Nothing received at the office that
is not strictly news of importance can have
functions similar to the Committee on Instru-
attention after 9 a. m. on Thursday. If they
mental Affairs, which has been enabled to do
concern the interests of manufacturers or
so much for the development of bands and
dealers such items will appear the week follow-
orchestras in the schools. Mr. C. M. Tremaine,
ing. Copy for advertising designed for the
director of the National Bureau for the Ad-
current issue must reach the office not later
vancement of Music, has been personally active
than Wednesday noon of each week.
in achieving that purpose which has been his
ambition for a long time. He is secretary of
A PIANO MAN'S VACATION
the Committee on Instrumental Affairs and a
This is the season when some piano men
natural selection for secretary of the new
crave the simple life in some form. Ideas of
piano committee.
the simple life are as varied as characteristics.
* * *
The simple life for some is one associated with
At the recent Leipzig Exhibition an inven-
shirt sleeves, baggy-kneed canvas trousers and
tion for improving the resonance of pianos,
a flapping brimmed hat of no shape anil little
known as the "Euphonator," was show:.. Nu-
cash value. It is a care-free existence where
merous ideas have, of course, been tried to
the stings and arrows of outrageous mos-
improve resonance in pianos, but the inven-
quitoes, gnats and yellow-jackets seem love
tions in practice did not fulfill what the in-
jabs after eleven months of harrowing experi-
ventors claimed for them. The "Euphonator"
ences with piano problems.
consists simply of an extra soundboard or
The simple life for others who take a vaca-
reflector with various holes cut in it in order
to increase the right tone. But inventions of
tion is equally simple, although not so close to
this sort have been numerous, and have in the
nature. There are piano men who are happy
main proved so unworkable or altogether use-
if permitted to golf undisturbed through the
less that the trade is somewhat skeptical about
calm but joyous days. There are others to
them.
whom the resonant honk of the automobile
LESS DIVERSIFIED LINES
* * *
horn is sweeter than the music of babbling
Exigencies in all phases of the music indus-
All
piano
advertising
is not in the printed
brooks and the dust of clay highways more try have directed attention to the merits of
word.
The
piano
dealer
has the opportunity
enthusing than the leafy clouds in Valambrosa standardization in production and simplifica-
to
use
other
very
effective
means towards
woods.
tion of the line as a safeguard against smaller
making
sales
than
those
provided
in type dis-
The pleasures piano men get out of their net profits. As prices go down under the
plays.
Every
action
of
the
piano
merchant
is
vacations are some of the profits of working stress of competition, the usual course is to
advertising
and
the
necessity
is
always
there
hard for eleven months of the year. These hammer down production costs with th^ hope
are profitable pleasures or pleasurable profits, of at least preserving the same relative mar- for the well-chosen words when he talks busi-
just as you like to call them. Piano men gin or percentage of profit per unit of sale. ness to customers or prospective customers.
usually work at the business for the pleasures However, this usually means smaller actual The piano man is first of all a merchant not
and profits there are in it. The summer holi- money profit per unit, and the problem then an advertising technician, and every hour of
day is all the more pleasurable because well becomes one of selling enough more units at the business day he snould remember that.
* * *
earned. With most of the men of the trade it the lower price to make the same annual net
Another
promotion
idea which everybody
is not a period of languorous inactivity. On profit as before. This effort to increase sales
admits
is
going
to
help
business is that for
the contrary it is a time of strenuous physical volume may so add to a company's cost of
getting
piano
class
instruction
into the public
effort out-of-doors, and is made up of activi- doing business that the savings it makes in
schools of this country.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 1927.
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