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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
several extensive selling trips since the middle
of August, but I must acknowledge to being dis-
While Business Is Excellent With Publishers appointed at recent conditions. At first the buy-
and Wholesalers, the Music Is Not Moving ing was splendid, but lately there is a disposition
Out of Dealers' Hands as It Should—In to cut the orders and curtail on expenditures. A
Other Words the Opening of the Retail Sea- lot of music—the best sellers and hits also—
have failed to move. From this I judge the sea-
son Has Been a Little Later Than Usual—
son is late in opening, though there is every evi-
The Situation Carefully Summed Up.
dence that it will be a good one nevertheless.
While wholesalers and publishers whose cata- Collections are slow, and I am inclined to think
logs are of sufficient variety and importance have this has had its effect."
been having a strong trade, the music is reported
"THE MAN ONJTHE STREET."
as not moving out of the dealers' hands as quickly
as it should. In other words the opening of re-
tail business has been deferred for some reason Directors of American Music Stores Co. Meet—
Harry Von Tilzer in Vaudeville—Musical
or other, according to the report of travelers
Taste Differs—Other Comments of Interest.
coming in off the road. Several of the best
known and most experienced of this hustling
At the directors' meeting of the American
corps, who have made trips of some length, either
Music Stores, in New York, Tuesday afternoon,
out of New York, Chicago, Boston, Cincinnati and
matters of more than ordinary importance were
other distributing points, were rather disappoint-
taken up and discussed long and earnestly. The
ed to find the dealers with most of the stock
interview in last week's Review with Jerome H.
still on their hands. The buying had been on
Remick, the owner of Jerome H. Remick & Co.,
rather a liberal scale when the first call was
was handled without gloves, and the comments
made, shortly after what was generally considered
were not altogether complimentary to the gen-
to be the end of the summer season, and feeling
tleman who had no hesitancy in stating what was
in the trade was optimistic. The music jobbers
on his mind in unequivocal language. There
felt no hesitancy in placing good size orders, and
is no question as to Mr. Remick's commanding
even the smaller dealers bought in hundred lots,
position in the trade, not only as the proprietor
believing business was about to start up briskly
of a large publishing business and an extensive
and continue. The road salesmen, however, have
printing plant, but he is also a man of wealth,
had occasion to look the ground over again, and
with heavy lumber and real estate interests in
they were grievously disappointed when these
Michigan. His attitude as a publisher is spoken
facts were encountered.
of by others as a side issue, but controlling fully
Notwithstanding this unlooked for condition thirty-six department stores Mr. Remick is to be
the leading publishers and largest wholesalers reckoned with when it comes to fixing a schedule
are by no means downcast. They are positive of minimum selling prices or any other trade
that the dealers are now beginning to dispose of agreement—bruited or entered upon.
their goods, slowly so far; but the movement has
gained strong enough headway to indicate there
Monday afternoon Harry von Tilzer, the song
will yet be a very satisfactory selling season. writer and publisher, made his debut in vaude-
Much is also heard of the great number of pro- ville at Hammerstein's Victoria Theatre, New
ductions already on or about to be presented. In York. His reported salary is a cool thousand
variety of treatment the books and lyrics are dollars weekly, but perhaps, like all things thea-
claimed to be superior from not a few of their trical, this sum is subject to the usual discount
predecessors which scored successes. The music for publication purposes. Mr. Von Tilzer has
is also declared to be of a higher grade, and still entered the vaudeville field as a business proposi-
it is not selling as it should. There is a draw- tion, sings his own songs and is featured as one
back somewhere hard to account for, when the of the headliners.
views of the experts are expressed.
Remarking on the situation as it came under
George A. Friedman, general manager of the
his observation, one of the keenest men in the American Music Stores, who has been in the Mid-
business said this week: "I have been making dle West for a couple of weeks or more, re-
REVIEW OF TRADE CONDITIONS.
Vesta Victoria's New Hit
POOR
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The disgruntled publisher said he could not
make it out why musical comedies that were
successful in Chicago should turn out such dire
"frosts" in New York. "Of course," he explained,
"the critics here are hostile, without a question
of doubt, and* the public are more easily influ-
enced than in Chicago. Possibly the New York
people are accustomed to more elaborate staging
than our friends in the Windy City. At any rate
it is inexplicable, for a number of really excel-
lent musical shows have come out of the West
and they deserved more considerate treatment on
their merits."
A Chicago scheme is to establish a "school of
rag-time piano playing" in every locality where
victims can be found to "fall" for this "splendid
proposition." Particulars are free, of course, and
possibly the "school" is on a par with the "pub-
lishers" of song poems, whose operations were
checked by the post-office authorities.
Fred E. Belcher, manager of Remick's Eastern
forces, is abroad to sign up a number of im-
portant writing and publishing contracts with
composers who seldom if ever "wander from
their own fireside."
It is about time that great scheme to consoli-
date the publishing business under a single finan-
cial management, which everyone but the san-
guine promoter regards as a "pipe dream" mate-
rialized. All manner of sport has been made of
the proposition, and when the time has arrived
to make good not a word is heard.
Alf Hayman, general manager of Charles
Frohman's productions, returned from London
recently on the Baltic, after six weeks' absence
on the continent. Mr. Hayman said that, al-
though he went abroad for a much-needed rest,
he had accomplished a great deal of business in
connection with Mr. Frohman's interests abroad.
"Paul Rubens, the composer of 'The Dairy-
maids,' told me that he would sail for New York
in about three weeks," said Mr. Hayman, "and I
understand that he has contracted to write sev-
eral songs for Mr. Frohman.
"And speaking of music," he added, "our
American composers, particularly Victor Her-
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MANDOLIN FOLIO
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2d Mandolin
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"
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"Somebody's Been Around Here Since I've Been Gone"
MAUDE RAYMOND'S Greatest Success in " T h e Gay White Way'.
"When You Steal a Kiss or Two"
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" Vordoo Man," " Fairies "
Sung by CECELIA LOFTUS in "The Lancers '•
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EVA TANGUAY'S latest whirlwind song, at Hammerstein's Victoria
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