Music Trade Review

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42
THE:
MUSIC
TRADE:
REIVIEIW
tents and purposes the proprietor of a chain of
ten-cent music stores. The ten-cent music situa-
tion, however, has come to stay, as the writer of
the letter truthfully remarked. It is part of the
general situation, and, accordingly, has to be reck-
oned with. The publishers of popular music, fur-
thermore, are without exception doing business
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor with the ten-cent stores. Such "doings" as the
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
music dealer concerned has been through are of
general interest, therefore, and were related for
R.W.SIMMONS, Editor Music Section
that reason.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madlswi Avenue. New York
Actual and Not Merely Desirable Facts.
SUBSCRIPTION. (Including portage), United States and
The publishers of standard and classical music,
Mexico, |2.00 per year; Canada, ft.GO; all ether coun-
of course, are happily beyond the bounds of worry
tries, $4.00.
over these details, but in order that the publish-
Telephones—Numbers 4677 and 4678 Grunercy ing and retail fields may be covered thoroughly it
Connecting aJl Departments
is well that intimate details of both publishing and
retailing the popular line be given when obtain-
NEW YORK, AUGUST 27, 1910
able. No apology is needed nor intended for giv-
ing publicity to such tricks as were exposed in
All matter of every nature intended
the music dealer's letter. Facts must be dealt with
for this department should be addressed
as they exist, not as they should be ethically. The
The Editor Music Section Music Trade
popular field is so extensive that even the ten-cent
Review, 1 Madison Avenue, New York.
side of it is occupied by many thousands of per-
sons—millions, perhaps, if the buyers of low-price
music be counted. Our hope is that the regular
dealers may profit by knowledge of the evils that
beset the ten-cent stores where such establish-
ments deal in issues that are not meant primarily
for retail at ten pennies per copy. The revela-
tions of the exasperating and sometimes under-
handed complications that beset the cut-rate estab-
Some rather bitter protests against the views lishments should make the legitimate dealers more
and actions of the music dealer whose letter we contented with their lot and less inclined to view
published last week have been received by The with alarm the increasing competition from places
Review. Sales managers of several of the largest where only a "dime per copy" is paid.
publishing firms in the city seem to be particularly
How to "Cut" Prices Cheerfully.
peeved by the revelations of the methods adopted
Mention of cut rates reminds the writer of an
by the dealer in question to protect his business illustration now being afforded as to there being
and obtain the best rates obtainable for sheet divers way of cutting prices. In the Flatiron
music. Exceptions have been taken, also, to what building, for instance, just across Madison Square
the objectors deemed the throwing of the burden from The Review's office, there is now going on a
of proof on them. They have gained the impres- "cut-price" sale. It is also the "removal sale" in
sion that the giving of space to the letter and the the music store that has been conducted for some
making of editorial comment thereon in these col- six years in that location with the sign, "N. Wein-
umns meant that we stood as sponsor, however stein," in the window. As is well known, A. H.
feebly, for the sentiments expressed and the tac- Goetting, the big music jobber of Springfield, has
tics used. This was probably inevitable, and in conducted the store for some months past. In the
order that there may be no further mistaken ideas Broadway show windows of the store is an ex-
entertained on the subject, we reiterate the state- cellent display of about nil of the popular hits of
ment made in this journal last Saturday—that the
music dealer in question is not to be ranked with
the regular dealers for whose benefit and informa-
tion The Review is published. He is to all in-
COMMENTS B Y - „
the present moment. These are displayed as the
bargains, and their price is 15 cents each. The cut
rate, in other words, is a reduction from 25 cents
to 15 cents. It matters not that a block west, in
Sixth avenue, the same numbers may be purchased
for 10 cents per copy. The "bargain price" of 15
cents stands undismayed in the Broadway win-
dows. If this does not show once more the orig-
inal folly of cutting the prices on popular music,
then experience and logic are mere wasted time
and mental energy. Weinstein himself, by the way,
acquired a comfortable independence by selling
sheet music at 25 and 30 cents per copy. Any
hesitating buyer who remarked that by going down
Twenty-third street he could get a certain number
for 10 cents, whereas Weinstein charged 25 for it,
was told to take the trip down Twenty-third street
and get what he wanted. The price in Weinstein's
store was fixed. Other stores, notably that of
Chas. H. Ditson & Co., in Thirty-fourth street,
maintain the proper prices unruffled by near-by
cut-rate competition. Even Remick's "song shop"
in Broadway, near Thirty-sixth street, has an aver-
age price of 20 cents. It is an old story, of course,
and nothing is to be gained at this late day by
crying over wasted cream, but as the old times
recur to mind as one of the old-time stores passes
away, one cannot prevent memory bringing a pang
of vain regret.
Minding the Pennies, but Not the Pounds.
To this form of suffering we are all thoroughly
callous now, of course, and it is to be feared that
soon we shall become content with the fact that the
music publishing business is the one conspicuous
example of the unpopularity of sound business
sense. In most commercial quarters this element
is fairly welcome. Music publishers cannot be ac-
cused of not wanting all the money they can get,
but they seem to prefer a thousand pennies to
forty quarters or ten greenbacks. They want a
certain amount, but they insist it shall be doled
out to them in tiny sums. Such is the general
proposition. The peculiar thing about it all is that
the public, which buys the music and yields the
profits, never asked for the favor of paying less
than it had been accustomed to pay.
With the opening dates of a number of musical
shows announced, we will soon hear from the pub-
lishers of production music.
SOME OF OUR REAL HITS
11
UNDER THE YUM YUM TREE "
" I ' L L LEND YOU EVERYTHING
I'VE GOT EXCEPT MY WIFE
" M Y SOUTHERN R O S E "
"KEEP YOUR FOOT ON THE SOFT PEDAL
Vocal and '
THE CUBANOLA GLIDE • i ' / Instrumental'
MESSRS. CHAPPELL & CO., Ltd.
are the publishers of
THE REIGNING MUSICAL SUCCESS
THE ARCADIANS
Music by Talbot and Monckton
(Produced by Mr. Charles Frohman)
HARRY VON TILZER MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY
FRANZ LEHAR'S NEW OPERA
AD D R S S
N E W Y O^K L O M F^ E T O
THE MAN WITH THREE WIVES
( 2 5 West 4 3 d Street, New York City
(To be produced shortly by Messrs. Shubert)
IVAN CARYLL AND LIONEL MONCKTON'S
SUCCESSFUL MUSICAL PLAY
OUR MISS GIBBS
(To be produced shortly by Mr. Charles Frohman)
LONDON'S LATEST CRAZE
THE BALKAN PRINCESS
A Musical Play by Paul A. Rubens
(To be produced by Mr. W. A. Brady)
CHAPPELL & CO., Ltd.
37 W. 17th St.
NEW YORK
THEODORE MORSE'S NEW HITS !
"Good-bye, Betty B r o w n " (Our New March Hit)
" H E ' S A COLLEGE B O Y " (A Great Big Seller)
Standard Sellers:
"MOLLY LEE"
"KITTY GRAY"
" B L U E F E A T H E R " (Song and Intermezzo)
"Phoebe Jane"
"If This Ring Told You All It Knows"
"Just a Little Ring from You"
" Dear Old Girl"
Theodore Morse Music Co.
1367 Broadway, New York
c SHEET MUSIC
DEPARTMENT
This collection of 29
pieces for Violin, is re-
garded by violin teachers
and students as being uni-
versally popular. While
it is an admirable solo
collection for any violin-
ist, it has been made spe-
cially inviting to those
whose musical attainments
are moderate, by the fact
that the 'violin part is
written entirely in the 1st
position. The entire col-
lection is carefully bowed
and fingered. Violin with
Piano accompaniment, 75
cents. Violin, 'Cello and
1'iano, $1. Violin, Flute
and Piano, $1. Violin,
Flute, 'Cello and Piano,
Published by
$1.25.
HINDS, NOBLE & ELDREDGE, 31-35 West 15th Street. New York
WILL ATTRACT MORE CUSTOMERS TO YOUR STORE THAN
ANY OTHER MEDIUM YOU COULD EMPLOY
Writs for catalogue and particulars as to how to
make a sheet music department a money-maker
Address nearest office
McKINLEY MUSIC CO., 185 Harrison St., Chicago, III.
NO. 80 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, N. Y.