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THE
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
J . HAYDEN-CLARENDON, E d i t o r
PoMisbed Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York
SUBSCRIPTION, (Including postage), United States and
.Mexico, $2.W per year; Canada, $3.50 ; all other coun-
tries. $4.00.
Telephones—Numbers 4677 and 467S Gramercy
Connecting all Departments
NEW YORK, JULY 18, 1908
COMMENTS B Y - „
MUSIC TRADE! REVIEW
popular publishers to allow them the privilege
of advertising on the back covers of their sheet
music. It should be said in justice to the pro-
moters of this scheme that the sample advertise-
ments which they are showing are all highly
artistic, many being the work of our best-known
illustrators. But this is beside the question. For
the privilege of using the back page of the music
as an advertising medium the promoting company
are offering the publishers $2,500 for every million
copies sold, or at the rate of one cent for every
two and a half copies. It is reasonable to sup-
pose that every sheet of music is either played
over or examined by some thirty persons, and
therefore for each cent that the generous-hearted
advertiser expends he reaches seventy-five per-
sons, many of whom are prospective customers
for his product, for the excellent reason that
music is bought only by those who possess pianos,
and the fact that a man or woman possesses a
piano is in itself prima facie evidence that he or
slie is not entirely indigent. But this again is
beside the question.
What
Is the
acted as treasurer of the Helf & Hager Co. Now
the entire stock of the corporation stands in the
name of J. Fred Helf and Fred Hager, for Mr.
Fiedler has been paid a lump sum for his inter-
ests, which he recently turned over to the two
enterprising young men who have had so
meteoric a career in the music publishing world.
Another Swindler Convicted.
It is with no small amount of satisfaction that
we announce the conviction of Eugene B. Watt,
one of" a band of swindleis working a bogus
music publishing scheme, which was treated at
some length in this column. Judge Hough, of the
United States Circuit Court, with that customary
leniency for which he is celebrated, consented to
the striking out of the conspiracy counts in the
indictment against the prisoner, who in truth
seems to have been a stool pigeon for more
brainy offenders. There are a few more convic-
tions about due, and it is the earnest, hope of the
writer that they will not err on the side of
leniency.
SONGS THAT ARE SELLING.
Question?
The above preamble may not be altogether in-
Prom time immemorial, sheet music, either of
structive, but it is certainly necessary. First,
the popular or classic variety, has harl a certain last and all the lime the mission of The Review
is 1o perform its qitola in upholding the sheet
standing in the world of merchandise which even
latter-day department and ten-cent-store methods music trade on a dignified and clean plane. No
have been unable to wrest from it. Whatever matter at what price sheet music has been sold
rock-bottom retail price music may have reached in the past or may be sold in the future, the
therefore, its standard of excellence, so far at public, when it pays for a song, counts upon
least as production is concerned, has in no way buying a song and not a medium for advertising.
deteriorated. In fact, all records go to show In our opinion a scheme of this description is
that to-day, however bad the music itself may ruinous and would sound the death knell of the
be, the printing and engraving of it is more music trade. Unfortunately a certain section of the
costly and more artistic than ever. It is also public has been educated down to the belief that
an undeniable fact that though sheet music has sheet music is a more or less valueless com-
of late years sold in enormous quantities, it has modity. What greater argument—a fortiori to
up to the present time kept itself free from the this belief—could be advanced than the accept-
degenerating influence of advertising such prod- ance by any publisher of such an advertising
ucts as "No-smellee" or some equally unodorous scheme as that propounded, which would in-
commodity. True, the manufacturers of certain stantly place sheet music on the level of a
staple articles have from time to time printed butcher's circular.
weird music for free distribution to advertise
They Pay the "Fiedler" and Call the Tune.
one or more of their wares, but it has already
A rumor which has been current in the pub-
been proved by actual experiment that such lishing world for some time past has now be-
music when printed was difficult to dispose of
come a matter of record, for during the past
to any advantage, even though it was distributed week Helf & Hager succeeded in gaining entire
gratis.
control of the publishing house which is known
from one end of the Continent to the other as
A Few Facts Beside the Question.
In the face of all this, a New York advertis- "Hitland." It was William Fiedler, a well-known
and wealthy real estate man, who until recently
ing concern is endeavoring to induce a number of
c
An Interesting Chat With J. Fred Helf Regard-
ing the Sales cf Songs—Mr. Hager's Vaca-
tion—New Season's Offerings.
In a recent interview with our "Man on the
Street," J. Fred Helf, of the firm of Helf &
Hager, gave some interesting facts regarding late
sales of sheet music. "We are doing very well
at all of our retail stores just now," said Mr.
Helf, "for needless to say the improvement in
business over that of last month is marked. At
our Atlantic City store my own songs, 'Tipper-
ary' and 'Somebody That You Know and I
Know, Too,' are selling wonderfully well. In
spite of your gloomy prophecies, 'Are You Sin-
cere?' (Remick & Co.) is selling steadily and looks
like a 'hit,' while 'Smarty' and 'Take Me Out to
the Ball Game' (York Publishing Co.), are well
up in the popular stage. 'Summertime," Harry
Vcn Tilzer's great song, is, of course, doing splen-
didly, while 'Just Someone,' Will R. Anderson's
pretty little number (Witmark & Sons) seems
to have caught the summer fancy. In our New
York store the numbers from 'The Three Twins'
and 'Mary's Lamb' are very much in demand, as
indeed were those of 'The Gay Musician' until
it temporarily closed its run in this city. Al-
though Mr. Hager is away for a week or two on
a fishing trip, it is very doubtful whether I
M«KINLtYIO MUSIC
The very best ballad on the
market is not as good as
Francis, Day & Hunter
1364 Broadway, New York
Have you yet interested yourself in
my First Music Folio
"Famous Medleys
If you have
not, it's worth
your while. Send
for sample copy, post-
paid, 17 cents, together
with special introductory rate.
The Most Famous Pnb. Co.
24 E. 21st Street
NEW YORK CITY
Write To-Day for Samples and Special Offer
McKINLEY MUSIC CO. WM. McKINLEY, Pres.
158 Harrison St., Chicago
74 5th Avc, N. Y.
YES ! WE ARE STILL ISSUING NEW FOLIOS
THE LATEST IS
" The Most Popular Selections
"If Those Lips
Could Only Speak'
It has already taken England by storm.
It will do the same in America.
Costs You 3 Cents
FROM THE
Most Popular Operas"
(Arranged for Piano)
M
THE MOST COMPLETE OPERATIC
FOLIO EVER PUBLISHED "
Write for Special Introductory Rates
Hinds,Noble & Eldredge, a S S
OCR NEW ISSDE PROPOSITION
is of great interest to every live Dealer. We
Bill our Monthly New Issues at 5 Cents per
copy. Subscribe now. The following are
some of our best sellers:
-MOONBEAMS AND DREAMS OF YOU"—"A LITTLE
COZY FLAT"—"MONTEREY"—-NIGHT AND DAY"
—"WHILE YOU ARE MINE"—"MORNING CY"
"FOREST KING" March.
Write us To-day
"Just Someone"
WOULD BE THE BIG
SELLER! THIS PROPH-
ECY HAS COME TRUE.
IF THE DEMAND HAS
NOT REACHED YOU,
IT WILL! ORDER NOW
AND BE PREPARED.
M. WITMARK ® SONS
VICTOR KREMER CO.
152 Lake Street
OME TIME AGO WE
TOLD YOU
CHICAGO
144 West 37ih St.. NEW YORK CITV