Music Trade Review

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50
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
NOVEMBER 13, 1920
CONDUCTED BY V. D. WALSH
BEST WISHES FOR LOUIS MACK
Portland, Ore., Music Man Takes Space in Bush
& Lane Store for Sheet Music
DEALERS: Please remember that
"The Barefoot Trail"
Song Success
PORTLAND, OKK., November 8.—Part of the main
floor of the Bush & Lane Piano Co.'s store on
Broadway has been rented by Louis W. Mack,
who will move this week from the McDougal
Music Co.'s store, where he has been doing
business for several years. Mr. Mack has one
of the best sheet music stores in the Northwest
and does a fine business. He proposes to carry-
musical merchandise in his new location and
has ordered a fine stock of goods from the East.
The McDougal Music Co., with which Mr. Mack
has been doing a very satisfactory business, oc-
cupying part of the store on Alder street, will
move in a short time to a large and spacious
store on Tenth street, but will need all the room
for their own business, as they are planning to
carry a much larger stock than they are carry-
ing now.
Mr. Mack is also receiving congratulations
from his hosts of friends. A little nine-pound
son was born this week and now he is the
father of two handsome boys—big brother being
less than two years old.
NEW SYNDICATE STORE PROBLEM FOR DEALERS TO FACE
"WYOMING" POPULAR IN ENGLAND
Concern Controlling Music Departments in Over One Hundred Syndicate Stores Contracts for Ex-
clusive Services of Team of Song Writers—Dealers Must Co-operate With Publishers
What is said to be one of the biggest dance
successes in England for several years is a
number entitled "Wyoming." It is a melodious
waltz and its popularity has already been recog-
nized in American publishing circles. After
some keen competition, the American publishing
rights have been secured by M. Witmark & Sons.
While the number's success has been primarily
that of a waltz, the American owners of the
copyright will also issue it as a song.
ANOTHER AMERICAN FOX=TROT HERE
"My Oriental Moon" is the title of a new
fox-trot, with words written by Alwyn Reid and
published by Boosey & Co. The number, while
written by an Englishman, is typical of the
modern American fox-trots. Its Oriental vein,
which is quite original, should add to its popu-
larity. A number of orchestras have already
signified their intention to feature this work.
SECURE RIGHTS TO ENGLISH HIT
Jos. W. Stern & Co., the well-known New
York publishing house, have acquired the Amer-
ican rights to the song and waltz success, "Love
in Lilac Time," which has been quite popular
in London.
is now on the broad highway of
SINGERS, TEACHERS AND PUBLIC PROCLAIM IT!
Supplying the demand is up to you —
Co-operation spells ORDERS—we're at your service
BOOSEY & CO.
The House of Song Fame
NEW YORK (9 East 17th Street) and TORONTO (384 Yonge Street)
In our issue of October 2nd in this depart-
ment, we reviewed sales conditions in the pub-
lishing field, particularly as they apply to the
syndicate stores and the resultant opportunities
for dealers. We pointed out many of the prob-
lems met with in distribution in the syndicate
field, calling attention of the trade to the methods
employed by some of the individual managers
of such stores, who frequently placed the hit
numbers in inconspicuous positions and featured
songs which were purchased in quantity lots at a
low wholesale rate.
It is now brought to our notice that a com-
pany has obtained the sales privileges for the
music departments of one of the syndicate stores
which operates in over a hundred cities. Simul-
taneously with this announcement the rumor is
abroad that the manager of this new sales or-
ganization has contracted with a team, of song
writers to write exclusively for his company.
If this be true, it is doubtless his intention to
feature and "plug" numbers written by the
writers in question in preference to general pub-
lished works.
This brings up a new problem or rather aggra-
vates a problem already met with in another
form. In the past, the publishers have had to
contend with the managers of departments who
featured numbers purchased at the lowest whole-
sale figure, approximately twelve and one-half
cents per copy. In this new situation, the pub-
lishers will have to contend with over one hun-
dred departments which will naturally give pref-
erence to works published by their own writers.
The question is, are the popular publishers who
have extensive song writing staffs and many
branch offices and who spend thousands of dol-
lars in advertising, going to allow such stores
to "get away with it." For, if the individual
organization in this instance carries out its con-
templated plans, it will be a case of the pub-
lishers contributing to the activity of the sales
and attracting people to the counters without
enjoying the usual co-operation in return. It
would appear that this is a situation that should
be dealt with at once.
We have repeatedly called the attention of
the legitimate sheet music dealer to the oppor-
tunities he has of controlling a larger percentage
of the sales of thirty-cent popular sheet music.
We even predicted that the further development
of syndicate distribution as carried out during
the past eighteen months would lead the pub-
lishers at a no late date to look with favor upon
the elimination of syndicate stores altogether
as a means of distribution. Of course no such
arrangement will be carried out at once, but if
the progressive publishers could get the united