93.

pp. 174-176

CLET001970

Milan, 27 October 1890

Memorandum to the Paris branch  

1. The reasons you adopt regarding the fact that it has been only 2 years of establishment are plausible. I thoroughly understand the difficulty of attracting a French clientele of professional musicians and amateurs, which relies upon the ability of the manager. We willingly sacrifice many hundreds of francs every year to obtain pieces by noted composers. For the most part they are tied to their own national publishers: this allows them to demand more money from us when we seek them out, and often they reward us with leftovers the other publishers did not want. Those same difficulties existed for our affiliate in London , whose manager was able to overcome them with creativity and patience. One must therefore treat French composers with the greatest courtesy and give them whatever music might possibly interest them without charge. Our catalogue will certainly stand to gain from this policy, but the retail shops will benefit more than the public, who instead require the preparation of elegant publicity flyers announcing the newest publications, etc.

2. The losses sustained by this affiliate are smaller this year, it is true. I invite you to examine the financial statement, which I include here. It is clear, in any case, that expenses are rather high. I am always ready to provide a good position for the manager of an affiliate, but the conditions awarded to Sig. Pisa are extraordinary and their weight upon the budget is considerable. Originally the profit-sharing of sales was more rational – that is, it began after the deduction for fixed costs. If this is still the case, these fixed costs of Fr. 10,000 are nonetheless far inferior to fact – such that, based on actual expenses, the result is a loss for the company, with a sizable profit for the manager. Sales could be, rather than 45,032 francs, twice as much, and this revenue could easily be consumed in expenses… while the manager is always sure to receive a profit of 4 or 5 thousand francs. As you can see, this makes no administrative sense, and while the principle may be good, its application is dangerous for the Company.

3. The collection of rights and similar affairs is done, it is true, by this affiliate, but this is not income that depends upon the affiliate for its existence: we would be owed these rights in any case, even without having an affiliate in Paris – and any agent could provide this service in exchange for an equitably proportioned compensation, without our risking an annual expense of approximately 25,000 francs.

   With regard to personnel, in light of current political circumstances it certainly seems most opportune these days to have a French clerk. No doubt the person hired by Sig. Pisa is a perfectly fine individual, but it is a fact that this clerk knows little or nothing about our publications. I have learned that more than one person inquiring about our publications has met with this response: Connais pas [I have no idea]. I do not pretend that a salesperson should be able to immediately remember each and every one of our many publications; but does he attend to this matter diligently?... Has he a good memory?... Going through the stacks of music, reading and re-reading our supplements, announcements of new publications, etc. etc. are indispensible for exercising one’s memory and for providing useful and accurate service to the public – service which is easier now, when the movement of sales is still relatively limited. The supervision and sales assistance of Signor Pisa are beneficial, they are necessary and indispensible; but a good and trustworthy salesperson could provide Signor Pisa with a bit more free time that he could use to expand the clientele, to become acquainted with composers, to travel to the provinces, etc. etc.

   A friend of mine who passed by there told me that the store is not terribly clean – that the windows and cabinet glass are dirty, etc. etc. Is this true?... it would be unfortunate, especially given how the Parisians keep their stores so clean both inside and out.

   These general observations do not mean that the Company has lost any confidence in the manager of the Paris affiliate: they are a response to observations that were made and an expression of recommendations, and not of any doubt in the ability of Signor Pisa, thanks to whom it is hoped there will also be some small profit in the next budget. If so, it will not only be welcome news for the Shareholders, but also the most convincing proof of the Manager’s merits and the benefits of maintaining an affiliate in Paris.

GR