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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
MILWAUKEE MUSIC HOUSES PREPARE FOR BUSY SEASON.
Music of the Better Class Now Enjoys Bulk of Demand, Declare Dealers—Feel Ten Cent Store
Competition in Cheaper Prints—C. J. Hambitzer Doubles Capacity of Store.
(Special to The Review.)
MILWAUKEE, WIS., October 4.—Milwaukee sheet
music dealers are preparing for the busiest fall
and winter season in years, due to the influences
already felt of a decided revival in general business
and more elaborate plans by musical societies, clubs,
choirs and others. Light operatic, classics and higher
grade music is displacing popular music of the
trashy type, according to dealers. This may be due
to the surfeit of cheap "pops," which are losing
their market, and a gradual change in the taste of
the average music lover, who is tired of near-vul-
gar and suggestive music which has flooded the
market of late months, and longs for more edi-
fying music.
Paul J. Mueller, assistant manager of the Will-
iam A. Kahn Music Co., said:
"We are encouraging the public to use the better
grade of music. It has always been the aim of the
Kaun house to promote the best there is in music
rather than that which makes a quick but short-
lived appeal to the popular taste, and then leaves
a bad taste in the mouth. We keep in stock only
enough of the so-called hits to meet the small de-
mand from our customers. We let the five and
ten-cent stores fill the bulk of the public's require-
ments. Our sales are simply an accommodation to
our customers who come to us for our high-class
music and may want one or two popular 'hits' to
take with them."
At the sheet music department of Gimbel Bros,
department store it was stated that the season is
opening up in splendid shape and a change is noted
in the popular taste, although there is still a tre-
mendous demand for popular music. Because of
five and ten-cent store competition, however, music
that must be sold for ten cents produces a very
small profit, and it is handled chiefly to accommo-
date buyers of the better class of music. Nearly
the same idea was expressed at the sheet music
counter of the Boston Store.
C. J. Hambitzer, who conducts an almost ex-
clusive band and orchestra music store at 417
Broadway, has recently doubled the capacity of
his store, and says the usually quiet months of
June and July were among the best of the year.
The Hambitzer store is virtually Milwaukee head-
quarters for band and orchestra leaders, the pro-
prietor himself being one of the leading directors
of the city and State, as well as a composer. Mr.
Hambitzer expresses himself in no mild terms
against the practice of publishers in advertising
editions direct to consumers at, for instance, twenty
cents and selling to the dealer at twenty-five cents.
Being both a dealer and a leader, Mr. Hambitzer
has become acquainted with all angles of the game,
and says the business for both publishers and deal-
ers would be much improved if competition within
the business were eliminated and the trade re-
organized on an equitable footing. "We are ac-
tually forced to compete with ourselves," said
Mr. Hambitzer. "The system is wrong, and until
it is righted the music selling business will not
come into its own. I am sure when the publishers
know the conditions they will remedy them."
MUSIC BELONGSJN MUSIC STORE
DENVER ASSOCIATION MEETS.
And Not in Department Store, Declares E. S.
Florentine, of San Francisco—Western Deal-
ers Prove That It Is Possible to Get Good
Prices for Popular Music.
Holds First Session of Fall and Makes Plans
to Strengthen Organization—Pleased with
National Association Progress.
(Special to The Review.)
DENVER, COL., October 2.—The first fall meeting
of the local association of music dealers for the
season 1915-16 was held Tuesday, September 14, at
the Knight-Campbell Co. offices, and was well at-
tended. We had as guests Bill Jacobs, of the
Joseph Morris Co., and E. M. Gidden, of the
White-Smith Co., both of whom made encourag-
ing remarks apropos of the occasion. A telegram
from Sam Fox was read, expressing best wishes
for our success and assuring us of his hearty co-
operation in helping to uphold the principles of
the association.
It was unanimously agreed to carry on the regu-
lar monthly meetings through the season, and to
strengthen the association so far as possible by
extending it to include small dealers throughout
the State, as well as by making further uniform
price agreements.
A discussion of the report of the doings of the
National Music Dealers' conventions in New York
and San Francisco followed, and it was felt that
considerable progress had been made.
The meeting then adjourned to enjoy smokes
and refreshments.
(Special to The Review.)
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., October 2.—"The Western
sheet music dealers are to be congratulated upon
their fair margin of profit in comparison with that
of their Eastern contemporaries," said E. S.
Florentine, manager of the Florentine Music Co.,
to The Review representative this week.
"The ever-present five, ten and fifteen-cent store,
with its sheet music department, is just as aggres-
sive here, charging fifteen cents for popular music
sold elsewhere for ten cents, and getting the higher
price without trouble.
"The dealers on the Pacific Coast have a gen-
eral scale of prices which brings them an enviable
gross profit; for instance, if a discount of Vz and
20 is allowed on a number we retail same for
forty cents net, which gives us a fair margin.
"The sheet music business should be run on a
paying basis, the same as any other line of business.
Our sheet music department pays a nice profit an-
nually. Sheet music belongs in a music store, not
in a department store, and I hope the day will come
when sheet music will be brought back to a com-
mercial basis, not an advertis'ng medium."
The Greatest of All Hippodrome Successes
"Hip-Hip-Hooray!"
Management CHARLES DILLINGHAM.
Is Full of Good Music and Assured Hits Including
My Cutie Doll"
"The Ladder of Roses"
The Good Ship Honeymoon" "The Wedding of Jack and Jill"
Instrumental Selection
Lyrics by John L. Golden.
Music by Raymond Hubbell.
Staged by R. H. Burnside.
"MY LAND, MY FLAG" (Words by Marcus C. Connelly. Music by Zoel Parenteau)
We publish it all, as well as the
"New York Hippodrome March" by John Philip Sousa
"Miss Information Jf
Management Charles Dillingham.
" Two Big Eyes"
PUBLISHED
BY
with ELSIE JANIS, at the
George M. Cohan Theatre
Lyrics by John L. Golden and Elsie Janis and Music by Jerome Kern.
"Some Sort of Somebody"
"A Little Love for Me
T. B. H A R M S & FRANCIS D A Y & H U N T E R 6 2 w * 8t 45th St •• New York