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THE
48
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
prising that .several concerns air now negotiating
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Fnbliihed Every Saturday at 1 Madlsra Avenue, New Y«rk
SUBSCRIPTION, (Including postage), United State* and
Mexico, $2.00 per year; Canada, $S.6O; all ether coun-
tries, 14.00.
Telephones—Numbers 4677 and 4678 Gramercy
Connectlna «11 Departments
NEW YORK, JANUARY 29, 1910
All news matter, music or mail, in-
tended for this department should be
addressed The Editor Music Section
Music Trade Review, 1 Madison Avenue,
New York, and Not to individuals.
COMMENTS B Y -
Modern merchandising, with its keen competi-
tion and the tendency to shave prices to a figure
that to many seem near the danger line, require
the services of able men—men strong in mental
as well as financial resources in order to cope
with the situation. In no branch of the music
trade industry is this so evident as in that of
music publishing. The smaller concerns are hav-
ing a hard time of it to cope with the bigger pub-
lishing houses which have ample capital, and,
what is so essential, brainy men at the helm to
direct their affairs. It takes quite some time,
patience and money to sift out the many failures
from the few successes in the line -of songs.
Hence it is not surprising that many publishers
who start out with great expectations fall by the
wayside, or become disheartened.
The larger
organizations in the publishing field have such
a perfected system of distribution that the new-
comers, or small concerns, find it hard pulling
to make progress. In view of this it is not sur-
published, and attempts are made to popularize
them all. It is no wonder that singers of any
standing are getting to demand, and do demand,
that they be paid for featuring a given song.
Out of a mass of offerings come a few "hils."
The public gets confused, for one number after
another is tumbled out upon it in so ftipid a
It all means, of course, that under present con- succession that only a superhuman memory could
ditions those of the publishers who are troubled keep track of even all the songs that are
cannot make business pay. The conditions them- "plugged" as actual successes. The greater the
selves may vary as between one firm and another, number on the market, the less the chance of
but certainly they are too onerous. With one one worthy song for large sales. "Hits" have
house it may be that prices at which they must been comparatively scarce this season, but never-
now sell miuic are too low. With another it may theless there have been "hits." With a few suc-
be that they have no hits. In the former case cessful songs and the wider field for distribution
the trouble is due to the fact that the publishers that now obtains, music publishers have abun-
have not the business ability, or else they lacked dant opportunity for profitable operations. An
the foresight, to meet the trade situation. Others avalanche of mediocre offerings only makes the
have found the price level hard but unchange- public skeptical and causes expense to pub-
able, and have satisfactorily met it. Some of lishers. The profits are there, but only for those
the publishers are even content to have wholesale who know how to get them.
prices for music remain right where they are.
AS to the firms which lacked successful songs,
SHAPIRO FINDS BUSINESS BRISK.
dearth of business was, of course, for them in-
evitable. Music publishers must needs have Music Publisher Returns to New York after
"hits" nowadays, as never before. No "plugging"
Successful Trip to Chicago and Other Cities
nor work by headliners will make a song sell
—May Open More Retail Stores Soon.
unless it has actual merit. The offerings to the
public are too many a thousand times over for
Maurice Shapiro, the music publisher, returned
any "dead" numbers to have a chance for life. to New York last Monday after a very successful
But where there exists a combination of business business trip to Washington, Buffalo, Cincinnati,
blindness and lack of hits the quicker such Detroit and Chicago. He tells The Review that
plague spots are removed from the publishing in each of these cities he found music publish-
field the better for all concerned. Poor songs ing conditions most prosperous.
glut the market. They are of no value to anyone,
"Business is big," he said. "It seemed to be
but they do tend to keep down the average price good all along the line, and as to our own busi-
of publications, although dear at any price. ness I can say that it is bigger than it ever was
The Review regrets to see any firm "lose out," before."
but we maintain that the music publishing busi-
The question of a location for the retail music
ness itself cannot be blamed for lack of individ- store which Shapiro contemplates establishing in
ual success. If it could be, then there would be Chicago is not yet settled. There are now ten
no prosperous firms to act as selling agents or Shapiro music stores in various cities, and the
furnish the cash that is needed more than the head of the firm intimates that two or three more
hit. It is a matter of having fewer songs and will be opened in the near future. He says, how-
better ones.
ever, that he is not yet ready to announce the
Real Hits Are Scarce This Season.
locations, these not having been definitely deter-
If the number of songs published were smaller, mined.
the total expenses would be less. Then, too, there
White lights and red liquor have sent Hugh
would be time for assurance that the quality of
those published was higher. Thence would come Cannon, once a prosperous song writer, to the
more likelihood of there being some "hits" among poor-house. He was glad to seek such shelter in
those that were finally placed on the market. As Detroit this week. He is remembered for his
it is, there are perhaps ten times too many songs songs, "Ain't Dat a Shame," "Won't You Come
Home, Bill Bailey" and "Good Goo Byes."
w i t h l a r g e r b o u s e s w i t h a v i e w of t h e l a t t e r t a k -
ing o v e r t h e i r p u b l i c a t i o n s a n d a t t e n d i n g t o t h e
s p i l i n g of I h e m . I n d e e d , o n e of t h e s e d e a l s m a y ,
or "may n o ! . li;ive been c o n c l u d e d by t h e t i m e
t h e s e p a g e s reach t h e i r r e a d e r s .
Need for Fewer but Better Songs.
Teachers and students
of the piano will find in
this book an instructor
that not only will replace
the old methods by pre-
senting the elements of
music in a manner to
meet the conditions but
will do so in such a pleas-
ant way as to interest
even the most indifferent
student.
The little compositions
used as exercise* through-
out the book is a new de-
parture that will act as
an incentive to the stu-
dent by making him feel
that he is progressing.
Price, 75 cents.
We are the publishers of the
music of
"The Arcadians"
N o w the season's hit in both
London and N e w York
Chappell&Co.,Ltd.,
THESE ARE POSITIVELY
IRRESISTIBLE!
Henry Lodge's
"Temptation Rag"
which no dancer can hear and keep still
AND
" TEMPTATION "
HINDS, NOBLE & ELDREDGE. 31-35 West 15th Street. New York
the great rag song adapted by Louis Weslyn
This Season's First Real Hits
FROM
"Temptation Rag"
"The
Cubanola
Glide"
(
JEL
k k
Oh, What I Know About You
p i i l l y Southern Rose " «„,,
«„
Sung with Emphatic Success by Bonita
in all leading Vaudeville Theatres.
They tempt the Musician, the Dancer,
the Singer, the Buyer — Everybody.
HARRY VON TILZER MUSIC PUBLISHING CO.
AD
«w S YORK L o™n« TO
New York
Chicago
London
Paris
125 We«t 43d Street, Hew York City
McKINLEY
JOBBERS
SHEET MUSIC
We Guarantee Riling Your Orders Complete
the Same Day Received.at Lowest Prices.
CHICAGO
McKJNLEY MU51C Co
N E W YORK