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THE:
52
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
the cut-rate evil cannot be far-seated. As things
at present stand, if a song has the good fortune
to be interpolated in a musical production then
its price, both wholesale and retail, is kept up.
If, on the other hand, a song is given to all and
sundry to sing, squawk, or murder, then it is des-
ignated as "popular" music, and is sold for a
EDWARD LYMAN BILL • Editor and Proprietor "song."
The Genesis of the Case.
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
If every song that left the presses was a pre-
J . HAYDEN-CLARENDON, Editor
ordained "hit" then, of course, the cut-rate evil
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue. New York
could never have existed. Unfortunately, how-
SUBSCRIPTION, (Including postage), United States and
ever, not one song in fifty—and the estimate is
Mexico, $2.00 per year; Canada, $3.50; all other coun-
conservative—pays the actual expense of its pro-
tries, $4.00.
duction, which, of course, includes its advertising,
Telephones—Numbers 4677 and 467S G r a m e r e y
and the hundred and one expenses attached to its
Connecting all Departments
publication. The natural consequence is that
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 2 1 , 1908 every publishing house has what is known as un-
salable stock continually accumulating on its
shelves until recently regarded as valueless.
Then it was that a great mind, or minds (for the
blame or praise has never been squarely placed),
figured out a means of getting rid of this stock
at a price far in advance of the market value of
spoiled paper. The scheme, of course, was to sell
At length it seems the retailers of sheet music so many copies of a recognized "hit" at a ridicu-
throughout the country are awakening to the lously low figure, conditionally that the purchaser
value of the suggestion made months ago in The would also take at the same rate a number of
Review, to form local protective associations, songs and instrumental numbers which to all in-
against such cut-rate and price abuses which, tents and purposes were as dead as the hind leg
through their own stupidity and inaction, have of a mummyfied Chinaman.
Bait and Rebate.
seriously threatened their very livelihood. Rome
What a bait for the astute publisher to set! And
was not built in a day, and it was not to be sup-
what a bait for a ten-cent store fish to bite at!
posed that a general protective association could
Certainly no one can blame the publisher for
be formed on the spur of the moment. True,
similar methods are adopted in almost every
there is no evidence of any general association
yet, but it is good news to hear that Chicago and other walk of mercantile life. Certainly the ten-
cent stores are not to blame for they saw—or
Ohio music retailers and jobbers are putting their
shoulders to the wheel in an endeavor to improve thought they saw—another opening for their
sheet music conditions, and to mutually stand to- ever-expanding field. The cut-rate fish willingly
gether locally in the interests of the fraternity bit at the fresh looking bait and was caught,
badly caught, as many of the ten-cent and de-
as a whole.
partment stores no doubt found to their cost dur-
The Lion and the Mouse.
It has often been a source of wonderment to ing their last stock taking. To the onlooker it
is a really good joke, but unfortunately the re-
the writer how the retailers of the country could
under-esitimate their enormous strength, when tailers of the country took the proposition seri-
pitted against a few publishers, who are them- ously, and started on an impossible and heart-
selves just beginning to realize what they were breaking competition. The legitimate music sell-
er wanted only what was in demand, the "hits"
doing when they entered upon a campaign of
price cutting. Maybe the publisher deserves a and not the junk, and naturally the publishers
great deal of censure, but how much more cen- refused to supply "hits" a t junk prices. And
sure is the music retailer entitled to when by now, after weary months of caterwauling, the re-
deed, if not by word, he has consistently encour- tailer is awakening to the fact that all along he
aged the cut-rate publishing houses by featuring has had the whip hand, that all along he has been
their goods when he has had all the opportunity the backbone of the sheet music business, and
that all along he could have dictated his own
in the world of pushing salable goods which could
not be found in any of the cut-rate stores. The fact, terms if he had had the courage and backbone to
do so. It is a great awakening and although
that what is known as "production" music still
keeps at an even price shows conclusively that somewhat late in the day it is a welcome awaken-
COMMENTS B Y -
ing. The publishers have unloaded their "gold
bricks" and now smile the smile of the cat that ate
the canary. And the legitimate retailer! Well,
the writer invites him to pay a visit to the music
junk room of the first ten-cent store he comes
across, and he will then understand that whoever
the joke is on, it is certainly not on him.
TO STOP PRICE-CUTTING.
Organization of Chicago Sheet Music Men to
be Effected This Week—Will Probably
Form Nucleus for National Association.
(Special to The Review.)
Chicago, Nov. 16, 1908.
A movement has been started in Chicago which
it is believed will prove to be the nucleus of a
national organization, which if the belief of the
projectors is realized, will have the effect of
maintaining prices on popular music and at least
materially curb the aggressiveness of the 10 cent
stores. There will be a meeting of large Chicago
jobbers and popular music publishers at the of-
fice of the Chicago house of A. H. Goetting, 250
Wabash avenue, next Saturday morning, when it
is expected that a local organization will be
formed and officers elected. Preliminary plans
were made at a meeting held last week at the
above location and at which were present F. J.
A. Forster, of the F. J. A. Forster Co.; Harry
Werthan, western representative for Jerome H.
Remick & Co.; Joseph Hickey of the McKinley
Music Co., and R. D. Fuchs, manager of the
Chicago house of A. H. Goetting. While it is
not impossible that other problems affecting the
welfare of the sheet music trade may be taken
up, the cut-rate problem is the thing that has
furnished the motive for this get-together move-
ment. It is needless to say that the whole efforts
of the organization will be to work to the advan-
tage of not only the jobbers, but the dealers
who have been perhaps the worst sufferers
through the demoralization from which the trade
has so long suffered. Steps to remedy these con-
ditions have become necessary, according to the
parties interested in this movement, if any profit
is to be left in the business and it is hoped that
the idea will be given hearty support by all
those who have the best interests of the trade.
Important despatches from Berlin contain the
information that the International Copyright
Conference has unanimously adopted the new
text of the Berne Convention. The terms have
not yet been made public. The American dele-
gates recommend that the United States adopt
the Convention. Elsewhere in this issue a fuller
account of this conference will be found.
THE MOST POPULAR. PIANO PIECES
We are the Publishers of
"HAVANA"
Leslie Stuart's Latest Opera
"THE GIRLS OF GOTTENBERG"
(Now in its third month in New York)
AND
"MISS HOOK OF HOLLAND"
West 17th Street
Chappell & Co., Ltd., 37 NEW
YORK
A collection of 35 standard
piano pieces arranged and in
some instances simplified by
the famous American com-
poser and musician, George
Rosey, intended especially for
the use of second and third
year piano students, and for
the use of amateurs who wish
to have good piano music
which they can play without
any great degree of technical
ability. The contents include
a wide variety of composi-
tions and is of such a nature
as to appeal to every lover
of piano music. Regular price,
75c.
Price to the trade,
%c. per copy; 25 copies or more at 35c; 100 copies or
more at 22%c.
Published by HINDS, NOBLE & ELDREDGE
31-35
T. B. Harms & Francis, Day
& Hunter
W e s t
1 5 t h
Street,
N e w Y o r k
ANOTHER CHAS. K. HARRIS SONG
MUSICAL COMEDY
HARRY LAUDER'S
A Novelty That Will Sell. The Most
Original Ballad Ever Written.
SONG HITS
Successful Songs in
Sold by your music jobber or direct from
the publisher
1
The Girls of Gottenberg
1431 BROADWAY, NEW YORK
READY!
All the musical numbers of that charm-
ing comic opera by PIXLEY & LUDERS
ii
Marcelle
C i t y
With LOUISE GUNNING
At the Casino Theatre, New York
'*A IVIan,
A Maid,
A Moon,
A Boat."
"FLUFFY RUFFLES"
NOW
CHAS. K. HARRIS, 31
MEYER COHEN, Manager.
31st St.
YORK
" EVERY NUMBER A SUCCESS "
is the unanimous opinion of press and public
BE
P R E P A R E D
S T O C K UP A T ONCE
M. WITMARK & SONS
NEW YORK
CHICAGO
PARIS
LONDON