Presto

MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1884
Established
1881
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
10 Cents a Copy
1 Year
$1.25
10 Months. . . $1.00
6 Months. . 75 cents
CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 1, 1929
Issued Semi-Monthly
First and Third Saturdays
MUSIC TRADE GATHERS FOR CONVENTIONS
Representatives of All Branches of Piano, Radio and Allied Lines Converging at Chicago
for a Great Week—Speeches, Dining, Entertainments, Exhibits.
PIANO MEN'S CONVENTION
National Association of Music Merchants' Pro-
gram, Convention Week of June 3, 1929, Hotel Drake,
Chicago:
Monday, June 3.
9:30 A. M.— Registrations.
10:00 A. M.—Meeting of the Board of Control, Na-
Association of Music Merchants.
12:30 A. M.—Piano Club and Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce Luncheon.
Tuesday, June 4.
9:30 A. M.—Joint meeting with Radio Industry in
the ballroom of the Drake Hotel
President Irion presiding and opening
meeting.
William Hedges, President National
Association of Broadcasters.
Michael Ert, President Federated Ra-
dio Trades' Assoc'ation.
Maj. Herbert H. Frost, President Ra-
dio Manufacturers' Association.
Kenneth C. Clark, National Bureau
for the Advancement of Music.
Prof. J. E. Maddy, Chairman of the In-
strumental Affairs Committee of the
Music Supervisors' National Confer-
ence, also Chairman of Music Teach-
ers' National Assoc'ation. Professor
of Music Extension Work, Univer-
sity of Michigan.
Alvin D. Keech, "How Music Mer-
chandizing Problems Are Handled
in Great Britain "
Representative of National Piano Man-
ufacturers' Association.
Jay Grinnell of Detroit, Mich., Direc-
tor National Association of Music
Merchants, who will tell how vari-
ous promotional activities may be
translated into sales.
12:30
Luncheon sponsored by Chicago Piano
& Organ Association.
Wednesday, June 5.
9:30 A. M.—Music Merchants' Meeting, President
Roberts, presiding.
Address by Wm. J. Bogan, Superin-
tendent of Board of Education, City
of Chicago, "Music in the Public
Schools."
Address by Homer J. Buckley, "What
Must I Do to Stay in Business and
Meet the New Competition?"
Address by L. A. Crittenton, "The
Sunny Side of Selling."
Open Forum led by Parham Werlein,
Vive-President, National Associa-
tion of Music Merchants.
Gene Redewill will probably be first
speaker in Open Forum, taking up
subject of the player piano as an
accompanying instrument.
Thursday, June 6.
9:30 A. M.—Regular Business Session, Merchants'
Association, President Roberts pre-
siding.
Election of officers.
Selection next convention city.
6:30 P. M.—Music Merchants' banquet.
The artists: Nina Morgana, coloratura
soprano. Metropolitan Opera Com-
pany, appearing through courtesy of
the Atwater Kent Mfg. Co.
Rudolph Ganz, Conductor - Pianist,
Vice-President Chicago M u s i c a l
College, appearing as piano soloist.
The speaker: Charles Milton New-
comb, M. A., renowned lecturer.
Subject, "The P s y c h o l o g y of
Laughter."
Getting Down to Business.
Quite a number of the men of thought and action in
the eastern territory are arriving to attend the Chi-
cago convention. They will help diagnose and pre-
scribe remedies for the languishing patient—the
piano business.
The thing is to be done by those who are not to
be daunted by immediate difficulties, or deterred by
the novelty of adventure, by poverty of imagination,
or inability to adapt themselves to unfamiliar cir-
cumstances. In the Life of Robinson Crusoe how
striking is the passage in the book where the hero is
said to have built a monstrous boat at a distance
from the sea, without knowing by what means he was
to convey it to the water. Men of action, like those
who will be at the convention, often build a boat
without any further consideration and when difficul-
ties have been urged against it, they answer the re-
actionaries by saying to themselves, "Let us build
the boat first, and then we'll warrant we'll find some
way to launch it."
These men will create no new expectations that are
hopeless, nor whine, nor make an avowal of duties
undischarged. They will not be found suggesting
accusations or confabulating with accusers, nor in-
dulg : ng in sharp-edged controversy over the smallest
details. They are the sort who believe that a thing-
done by halves is worse done than if not done at all
Exchanging abuse of one another will be no part of
their programme.
They expect to deal gently with those who are
looking forward to an obscure and ominous future by
boosting them out of the rut. Those who are falling
into a condition of inert submission to rivalry are
expected to take shame when they see how full of
strenuous pertinacity the others are and how they
wade into difficulties that seem insurmountable. They
must quit doing things that are hard to justify and
easy to condemn. They must quit acting as if captur-
ing trade is to be regarded as a subordinate and in-
cidental contingency.
It is intended that the Chicago convention shall be
free of that waste of words and time which is the
invariable substitute for useful matter and progres-
sive action. It will provide an excellent opportunity
for obtaining the opinions of others, and to get such
information as they require.
They will learn that radio creates an artificial want
for the piano, which it is the piano dealer's oppor-
tunity to supply, and they will be ashamed to dis-
cover that they have been stumbl ; ng along without an
adequate idea of how to do this. Among these timid
souls are men who were not quite aware that their
personal character would suffer from such a course,
or that they were wronging the men w 7 ho were mak-
ing fine pianos for the benefit and entire satisfaction
of the public.
Time to Speak Up Now and Advert'se.
When a few months ago piano trade was at rather
low ebb there may have been wisdom in restraint and
an art in remaining silent. Thank God and changed
conditions, the time has come to purr very loud
through well-phrased ads. in the trade papers, and it
is not inapropos, at th's point, to suggest the carrv-
ing-power of Presto-Times. The men who write the
news for this paper believe there are not too many
fences in the piano fields but that most of the stone
walls that piano manufacturers envision in front of
them are mere nrrages of overwrought fancy. There
is to be no second childhood for the piano business,
nor death for it while human beings inhabit the earth.
The piano business is not over-ripe, but it has reached
a splendid maturity and from now on must continue
(Continued on page 6)
RADIO MEN'S CONVENTION
Annual R. M. A. Convention and Trade Show and
F. R. T. A. Bi-Annual Convention, R. W. A. Bi-
Annual Convention, N. A. B. Meeting, M. I. C. of C.
Annual Convention and Trade Show, Stevens, Black-
stone, Congress and Drake Hotels, Chicago, 111., June
3-7, 1929.
CONSOLIDATED PROGRAM.
Monday—Registration and Credentials.
10.00 A. M.—R. M. A. Delegates and Alternates to
Convention—R. M. A. Headquarters
Third Floor, South, Stevens Hotel.
Trade Show Registrations—
Dealers and jobbers, booth attendants,
press representatives, lower lobby at
Exhibition Hall, Stevens Hotel.
Federated Radio Trade Association
and Radio Wholesalers' Association,
lower lobby at Exhibition Hall, Ste-
vens Hotel.
Meetings—Radio Manufacturers' Association.
10:00 A. M.—Board of Directors, P. D. R. No. 1,
North, Stevens Hotel.
2:00 P. M.—Committee Meetings. (See schedule
and location of meetings, last page
of Program.)
Federated Radio Trade Assoc'ation and Radio Whole-
salers' Association.
10:00 A. M.—R. W. A. Meeting Board of Directors,
P. D. R. No. 4, North, Stevens
Hotel.
2:00 P. M.—Meeting Board of Directors, F. R. T.
A., P. D. R. No. 4, North, Stevens
Hotel.
2:00 P. M.—Committee Meetings. (See schedule
and location of meetings, last page
of Program.)
Music Industries Chamber of Commerce.
12:00 Noon —Opening Luncheon of Music Indus-
tries' Convention, Drake Hotel.
(Members of the Radio Industry
invited.)
Trade Show and Room Exhibits (Stevens, Blackstone
and Congress Hotels).
1:00 P. M. to 10:00 P. M— Trade Show Hours.
Tuesday.
10:00 A. M.—Joint open meeting, Drake Hotel. (For
all members of the Music and Radio
Industries.)
3:00 P. M.—Meeting of Radio Industry Banquet
Committee, P. D. R. No. 1, Stevens
Hotel.
Federated Radio Trade Association.
10:00 A. M—Joint open meeting, Drake Hotel.
(Members of the Radio Industry
invited.)
2:00 P. M.—Committee Meetings. (See schedule.)
Mus'c Industries Chamber of Commerce.
10:00 A. M.—Joint open meeting of all members
of the Music and Radio Industries.
12:00 Noon —Luncheon Music Industries. (Mem-
bers of the Radio Industry invited.)
Trade Show and Room Exhibits, Stevens, Black-
stone and Congress Hotels.
1:00 P. M. to 10:00 P. M.—Trade Show Hours.
Wednesday—Radio Manufacturers' Association.
10:00 A. M.—Closed membership meeting, North Ball
Room, Stevens Hotel. (Delegates
and Alternates only.) All Delegates
and Alternates must attend; $50.00
forfeiture for FAILURE of Exhib-
ors' Delegate or Alternate to attend.
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