Music Trade Review

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THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
VOLUME OF TRADE SURPRISING.
"THE MAN ON THE STREET."
Good Sellers Are Numerous—Getting Together
of Publishers a Move in the Right Direction
—Copyright Legislation Still a Topic of In-
terest—The
Situation
Discussed
by a
Prominent Publisher.
Substitution Discussed—Getting Songs Into
Shape—T. B. Harms Co. to Remove—New
Music—Higher Law of Copyright—Aronson's
Latest
Occupation—"The
White
Hen"
Sco'res—A Decision of Interest.
Every branch of the publishing business is
busy, sales increasing weekly. The volume of
trade is surprising, the "popular" houses scor-
ing heavily on almost their entire catalogue, with
the exception of the "dead ducks," and these
run into large numbers. As.yet no single "hit"
dominates the field, but the good sellers are
numerous, and far above the average in quality
of melody. The jobbers are making a large turn-
over and report a brisk and active trade. While
publishers as a body constantly berate the jobber,
at the same time the leading houses appreciate
him at his full value, and as an adjunct in the
distribution of music who can be illy spared.
The getting together of the publishers in New
York and Boston is a good omen, and will doubt-
less prove beneficial in more than one sense. To
be sure, the main purpose of the weekly meetings
is the discussion of copyright legislation, the
progress of which has been liberally reported and
commented upon by The Review in the several
departments of the trade in interest. The pub-
lishers are pinning their faith on the Kittredge
or Senate bill, and urging its passage. Their
opponents are favoring the Currier or House
measure, and lauding the Mallory minority re-
port. The weekly conferences are stimulating
and keeping alive the agitation, though it would
not be a bad idea if a sprinkling of composers
were occasionally invited to those "love feasts."
Commenting on trade affairs at large, an ac-
tive, progressive publisher remarked to The Re-
view as follows: "Business is heavy and strong,
with every indication of its keeping up indefi-
nitely. The publishers of popular music are
making large sales, with the houses engaged in
production of the higher or better goods doing
equally as well. The latter's list of standard and
educational music has been materially length-
ened, and as the handling of this class of goods
is not only profitable, but very satisfactory, deal-
ers are more generally making it a feature of
their stock. There is very little price-cutting
with publishers in this category, though com-
petition is rather keen. Collections are better
and prospects very bright."
Vesta Victoria's New Hit
POOR
JOHN!
By the writers of
"WAITING AT THE CHURCH"
FRANCIS, DAY & HUNTER
15 West 30th Street
NEW YORK
OUR "NEW ISSUE"
PROPOSITION
1* of Interest to all dealers—we furnish
yon with any quantity ol our new
thematic catalogues without charge.
We publish "The Good Old U S. A.,"
"Just a Little Rocking Chair and You,"
"Keep On the Sunny Side," and other
big hits.
Let us get in touch with yon—write us.
March 1 the T. B. Harms Co. will vacate the
premises occupied by them for several years at
126 West 44th street, New York, and remove to
Publishers are frequently confronted with the 1433 Broadway, where the entire second floor has
substitute nuisance when a piece of music is a been taken. This will afford this well-known
good seller, and especially with popular songs. company, one of the oldest in the trade, better
Rival houses watch each other's publications like facilities and more suitable quarters for their
hawks, and when a melody is noted as moving increasing business. Max Dreyfus, the general
briskly, "something just as good" is placed on manager, is to be congratulated.
the market by a competitor, and to the unsus-
Edward B. Marks, music publisher, 104 West
pecting buyer it is represented as the real thing.
It has happened that the fake is better than Thirty-eighth street, announces he will pay $500
the original and supplants it entirely; but the and ask no questions for the return of a package
practice is a nuisance, to express it mildly, and of manuscripts stolen from his country house at
worse. But it appears to be a part of the busi- Great Neck, L. I., on Tuesday night week. Mr.
Marks' house was looted, the thieves taking sil-
ness and is tolerated with other drawbacks.
verware, bric-a-brac, and clothing and the manu-
scripts. The publisher is especially anxious to
There seems to be no end to the discovery of regain the papers, as they are the original manu-
new employments in New York, and among those scripts of the first three songs he published.
which threaten to become professions are what,
in default of any illuminating phrase, may be A few weeks back The Review referred in this
called songwrights, says the New York Sun. department to a decision of the Appellate Divis-
Every music publisher has at least one man on ion of the New York Supreme Court, first depart-
his staff who undertakes to lick into shape the ment, under the heading "The Higher Law of
work of ignorant composers when it has the Copyright." As the official text of the opinion
promise of popularity, but the songwright, like throws further light on this important matter, It
the literary advisers, is unattached. It seems is herewith reproduced: "A publisher can obtain
that a legion of persons have some slight gift of a property right in a book as an article of mer-
melody without the faintest knowledge of how to chandise entirely apart from any copyright or
put it correctly on paper with effective accom- exclusive right to the literary matter, and that
paniment. The songwright—there is at least one where a publisher took non-copyrighted music,
in New York—puts the impossible manuscript in hymns, etc., and poems and printed and bound
such shape that the publisher's reader can find and illustrated them in a particular and distinc-
out what it means. Of course, this is nothing- tive fashion, but did not copyright the illustra-
new, but the daily newspapers are constantly tions or the cover design, and the defendant
making "discoveries." Every publisher not an copied the books by photographic process, claim-
expert himself has an adviser of this kind, other- ing that when the books were put upon the mar-
wise he would be hard put to examine manu- ket they were dedicated to the public, the plain-
scripts and pass on their merits or demerits.
tiff had a right to each book considered as a
whole distinct from its various parts; and that
For some reason New York City is considered though the defendant had a right to copy each
a poor music town, with Boston vastly superior; part separately, it had no right to copy the entire
that is, for sales. This is the opinion of one who book, and that such a copy would be restrained."
should know.
It is not generally known, but Rudolph Aron-
A squad of leading publishers were lunching son, famous at one time as the manager of the
together not long ago, coming together to discuss Casino Theatre, New York, in fact, opening that
a question of common interest. The air was a celebrated house of comic opera, and since con-
trifle frosty at first, but the atmosphere became nected with a number of musical enterprises, is a
WILLIS WOODWARD & CO.
48 West 28th St., New York,
PUBLISHERS OF
•• LADY "
NEW YORK
1431 Broadway
We publish the Country Sweeper,
By Margaret Crosse.
The Ballad Success,
" WE'LL BE SWEETHEARTS TO THE END "
By Sam M. Lewis and Dave Rose.
And the New Song Success,
"Not Because Your
Hair Is Curly''
"THE DEAR OLD MOON"
By John B. Lowitz and S. N. Walton.
For a limited time the above can be had at 80% from
list price.
THR
VICTOR KREMER CO.
CHICAGO
59 Dearborn St.
May I rwin's Great Hit of this Season,
and many others
WRITE US FOR OUR SPECIAL OFFER
which is very interesting to up-to-date dealers
MUSICAL SUCCESSES OF"
THE GIRL AND THE GOVERNOR
By S. M. BRENNER and JULIAN EDWARDS
NOW ON SALE
SECURE THE SONGS MADE FAMOUS BY JEFF DeANGELIS
'1 Ani So Fair."
'Farewell, Fond Dreams,"
' I he Heart of a Sailor True."
' I Would Like a Prank Opinion."
'I'd Die of Love for You."
'That's the Kind of Noble Savage That I Am !"
SaUl the Governor."
Who Would a Bachelor Be?"
The Bullfrog and the .Nightingale."
You Kiss Like This."
'Let Gloomy Thoughts (in Hang!"
Have You Heard It Told That Way Before?"
Complete Musical Scores at All Music Stores and of the Publishers
F. B. Havllaiid Pub. Co.
125 W. 37th Street, New York
more genial when the cigars were reached, the
situation lightening materially when one of the
bunch remarked with a laugh, "We are not so
black as we are painted."
M. WITMARK & SONS
NEW YORK
CHICAGO
LONDON