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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
39
In tKe World of Music Publishing
MUSIC PUBLISHERS HUSTLING.
HOWLEY=DRESSER REPORT FILED.
Preparing for and Expect a Busy Season This
Fall and Winter—Some Popular Songs.
An Exhaustive Document Covering in Detail
the Stock of the Bankrupt Firm.
If the present is generally conceded to be the
quietest period of the year, publishers are not
idling their time away or sailing yachts or clois-
tered in cool mountain retreats; but are actively
engaged in perfecting their plans for the coming
season, which they continue to predict will be
a good one if not a bumper. The tone of trade
is exceedingly healthy with houses having the
"sinews of war," while, however, those on the
ragged edge are superlatively enthusiastic, but
running wholly to wind when working capital is
in question. Meanwhile how they manage to keep
Hie wolf from the door is a matter for conjecture.
In about a month, perhaps less, publishers ex-
pect to be up in doing, and many important is-
sues will be announced, not only of popular airs,
but in the standard lines. Houses making a spe-
cialty of the latter class of music feel satisfied
the outlook is excellent, and inquiries from deal-
ers everywhere lead them to believe an unusually
active season is ahead. Producers of the lighter
publications, more prone to discount the future
than their colleagues in the serious category, are
positive trade will be great during the fall and
winter, and even the calculating jobber is not
at all backward when market conditions are dis-
cussed. The jobber says current business is not
stagnant by any manner of means, and displays
goodly bunches of orders as proof positive of his
assertions. Speaking impartially, he names the
following as the best sellers to date:
"All Aboard for Dreamland," "Blue Bells,"
"Good-bye, Little Girl, Good-bye," "Seminole,"
"How I Love You, Mamie,' " On A Good Old Trol-
ley Ride," "Meet Me in St.. Louis, Louis," "Good-
Bye, My Lady Love," "The Gondolier," "Any
Rags," "Just a Gleam of Heaven in Her Eyes,"
"Mississippi Mamie," "Egypt," "Teasing," "In the
Days of Old," "Big Indian Chief," "The Sweet-
est Girl in Dixie," "My San Domingo Maid," "I've
Got a Feelin' for You/' "Cordelia Malone," "Ain't
It Funny What a Difference a Few Hours
Make," "Fishing," "The Ghost That Never
Walked," "It Was Summer Time in Dixieland,"
"Kokomo," "Under the Goo Goo Tree" and "Al-
ways in the Way."
Friday last the appraisers of the property of
Howley-Dresser Co. filed their report. It covers
ninety pages of legal cap, and the items enum-
erate the titles and descriptions of the entire
printed stock of music of which the full total
nominal value is put down at $18,020, and the
actual value, 25 per cent, less, or $13,510. This
entire stock, including some small lots of music
paper, was purchased by F. W. Helmick, man-
ager of the Enterprise Music Supply Co., for ac-
count of A. H. Goetting, the heaviest creditor, for
$2,775. This sale was confirmed by Judge
Thomas, of United States District Court, New
xork, on the 22d. The order signed by the same
judge, relating to a hearing concerning the sale
of the property, was subsequently vacated.
In the matter of the bill of sale executed in
favor of James G. Curtis, theatrical manager, and
also the alleged transfers of certain other songs
to the Charles Francis Press, are now in litiga-
tion, and will probably be sent to a referee to
define their validity. Pending the settlement the
election of a trustee will be deferred, probably a
fortnight, when the plates, copyrights, etc., the
most valuable assets of the bankrupts, will be
disposed of under judicial order.
MUSICAL PIRACY IN ENGLAND.
A Public Meeting Held to Protest Against the
Indifference of Parliament—Great Damage
Done Legitimate Interests by This Robbery.
The masters of English music, composers and
publishers alike, are up in arms against the "Pi-
rates of Tup'pence" songs, who, owing to the lax-
ity of British law on the subject, not only print
cheap editions of the latest copyrighted numbers,
but hawk them openly on the streets of London.
A bill intended to correct this abuse was recently
"held up" in Parliament by a canny Scotch mem-
ber from Mid-Lanark, who championed "cheap
music for the masses," even if it must be stolen.
At a meeting of the Musical Defence League, pre-
sided over by the Duke of Argyll, there were
present such eminent musicians as Sir C. Hubert
Parry, Sir Edward Elgar, composer of "The
Dream of Gerontius"; Stephen Adams, whose
NEW MUSIC PUBLISHING HOUSES.
"Holy City" is pirated in eighteen editions; Les-
Two new music publishing firms have just lie Stuart, of "Florodora" fame; Edward German,
made their bow in the trade. They are Falter friend and collaborator of the late Sir Arthur
Bros., who have located at 47 West 28th street, Sullivan; Fred. E. Weatherly, author of "Nancy
with a number of very clever publications to Lee" and some of the best nautical songs in the
their credit, and the Decker Music Co., of New- English language; F. Paolo Tosti, whose "Good-
port, R. I., which has been organized by Walter bye" is known the world around; Lionel Monc-
Scott Decker, with ample financial backing.
ton, Paul Rubens, Ivan Caryll, Sidney Jones, Ran-
POPULAR
UMMER
ONGS..
ORDER
Follow the Crowd on a
Sunday
By GERARD,
MORRISON A ARMSTRONG.
Down on the
Merry- Go - Round
By HAL KENT £ LYN UDALL, Comnoaora of
One Girl," and "Juat aa the Sun."
ONCE
"Juat
Kate Kearney
By FAY A OLIVER, wrltera of "Goodnight,
Beloved,
Goodnight."
M. Wit mark & Sons
NEW YORK
CHICAGO
LONDON
ILLUMINATED TITLE PAGES FREE
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE IN QUANTITIES
Do you Handle " WITMARK" PUBLIC A TiONS ?
degger, the Booseys, Mmes. Liza Lehman and
Guy d'Hardelot—all to protest against musical
piracy and formulate a moving appeal to Parlia-
ment. One important point was brought out by
the chairman, who said in his opening address:
"After very many years arrangements were
made by which in the United States copyright
was secured, and to British composers; but if
the Americans find that their works are being
pirated here and cannot be safeguarded, they may
be expected to withdraw that protection which
British composers have hitherto enjoyed in the
United States. While the Witmarks' London
representative was able to assure the League that
such retaliation was not likely, it is interest-
ing and instructive to note that whereas, in for-
mer times, British publishers had good cause to
complain of American 'pirates,' the situation is
now reversed, and the shoe 'pinches' the other
foot. However, the traditional British sense of
'fair play,' particularly where their own compos-
ers are getting the worst of it, may be relied
upon to arrange the affair eventually, without
any discord in the present Agio-American entente
cordiale in regard to copyrights generally."
But unless Parliament can be persuaded to
pass the bill at this session, which is hardly like-
ly, owing to the limited time and press of other
even more important matters, the Strand vendors
of "All the latest songs for tup'pence"—five cents
—will enjoy a long open season, in spite of the
prosecution of the Musical Copyright Association.
Last month alone 228,753 copies of pirated songs
and 51 sets of plates were seized by this associ-
ation of English publishers, but still the musical
buccaneers continue to steal every successful new
song.
D1TSON PUBLICATIONS IN DEMAND.
Mr. Woodman Inaugurating an Active Cam-
paign of Publicity.
[Special to The Heylew.]
Boston, Mass., July 25, 1904.
Satisfaction with the present and future trade
conditions was apparent in the department man-
aged by Mr. Woodman—the books and sheet mu-
sic and the publications of the Oliver Ditson Co.
—where The ReneV called this week: "Perfect-
ly satisfied with our July and June business. Of
course, it isn't as big as February's, but we don't
expect it to be. It is better than last July, by long
odds." Mr. Woodman is busy preparing adver-
tisements for some new publications, paying par-
ticular attention to making the fact plain that all
these publications can be obtained from dealers
everywhere. This has a tendency to help the gen-
eral music dealer immensely, as customers will
come to him instead of sending direct to the
main house.
IMPORTANT TO PUBLISHERS.
The United States District Court for the South-
ern District of New York, held, in the matter of
McBride et al., that a contract between a pub-
lisher and an author, whereby the former under-
takes to publish and market literary productions
of the latter, is a personal engagement involving
trust and confidence, and cannot be assigned or
delegated to another by the trustee in bankrupt-
cy of the publisher without the author's consent,
and that this rule obtains even though the pub-
lisher is a corporation.
The entire catalogue and business of Cobb &
Edwards, 41 West 28th street, New York, was
purchased last week by M. Wit mark & Sons.
Both Cobb and Edwards will in future write ex-
clusively for the Witmark house. They have a
number of hits under way, which are destined to
add to their fame.