New-York tribune., 1922-05-07

Yet a fellow ike that can sell more records
and interest more people in nlugic than =
dozen long-haired dreamers
Il tried out some professional music oinIx
in my store says shrevd retailer, but
they don't make good. Had to let one 60 here
last Saturday. That bird knew counterpoint
and orchestration backward aud forward, but
he didn't know people When folks came In
here and asked him if he had such ard such
piece he would begin right Off to rave about
It and hand EN- the doggondest string Of tech
meal terms you ever heard. BY the time he
came out of his trance the customers would b..
two blocks away. There is such thing as
knowing TOO much
But not If you know how to use that knovI-
edge. The general sales manager Of ono Of he
large companies is unblushingly highbrov
tic confessed to me that be EMPLOYS an eytr.
secretary to read up for him on the latest dis
coyerles in psychology in order that hc NAV
apply the data to the interesting of millions
OF people in music. He hands this information
III practical form down to the dealers, dis
guised as sales talk. If some Of the dealers
who accent and make good use of these ideas
realize how he WAS slyly bighbrowirr them
they'd be mad rs hornets As it is thew make
money in sweet ignorance of the game he's
putting over on them. An executive of another
company is still more brazen. He comes right
out and says that rhonograph dealer who
isn't musical ConnoiSseur doesn't know his
business
10 prove his contention he and an assistant
went into phonograph store about a year ago
and inquired; What hiehbrow records have
you that you cant get people to buy"
oh, lots of en- said tho dealer. "Im
stuck with over hundred different numbers
that my customers don't care for
Well, lets what we can do said the
man from headqua rters
Tactfully and unpedsntically these men IN
troduccd the non-selling higlbrow records to
customers who came IN to buy popular offer
lngs, with the result that in a weeks time the
dead ones were not only disposed Of but the
astonished dealer was ordering more He him
self had been caught by their musical appeal
Say he said. "that 'Sarabande' is pippin
I'm going TO take copy of that home to the
missus."
funny thing happened in this same store
young errand boy, who had just listened to
the two experts explaining the records, one
day tried the game himself while they were
out at lunch and sold more than $50 worth
of classical music to some ono who had dropped
in to try the latest fox trot To-day every
clerk in that shop is "a suave encyclonadia
and Chopin and Tchaikow.ky sell like hot
cakes
Phonograph storeheepers in general are
awakening to their opportunities and responsj-
bllltles The selling Of records is coming TO
he not Joo, but real vocation. At least one
company IS conducting (under the supervision
or the executive mentioned abovel regular
school Of music for retail clerks. Here they
are taught the history Of the art, the names
and something of the lives Of all the great
composers, an understanding of musical
terms, an intelligent appreciation of sood
slngng-for example, the characteristic of q
coloratura soprano-and the tone qualities Of
the various instruments Of the orchestra. so
that they can tell the sound Of a flute from
that of clarinet and how to pronounce Iral-
IAN and the other music languages.
When the young men and women thus
trained go back to their home towns (some Of
them come all the way from South America
the influence they exert is far reaching. I'm
like school masters and professors, they pass
on their knowledge direct to the adult public
and they cannot afford to be dull or tidactjc
10 attempt to lecture or otherwise pompously
eddy o customer is to lose him. The trick is
worked by seemingly casual suggestion
A farmer comes in asking for Sousa's
marches. The clerk plays q couple Of old re-
tables for hnl-"stars and Stripes" 'Liberty
Bell etc-then puts in another disk and goes
out of the listening booth. When the selection
is half finished he pops in again and starts to
take the record off, explaining, Pardon me.
but this isn't Sousa march, although sousa
and his band play it
Never mind" says the sousa fan, SIT isn't
bad at that. just leave it on
As you wish" Again he goes out
Say says the customer when the clerk
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