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MAY
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
14, 1921
Fourth Annual Convention
of the
Music Industries Chamber of Commerce
Chicago, 111., May 9 and 12, 1921
{Reported by B. B. Wilson, Associate Editor,
The Music Trade Reviezv)
CHICAGO, III., May 9.—The 1921 convention of
the music industries, in every respect the largest
and best-organized gathering ever held in the
history of the music trade, was formally opened
at the Hotel Drake here to-day by the first ses-
sion of the Music Industries Chamber of Com-
merce, which was attended by nearly 500 dele-
gates, representing all divisions of the industry
and coming from all sections of the country.
. The advent of the conventions had been well
heralded in and about Chicago, with the result
that there was a great deal of interest shown
iu the event by the city officials and the citi-
zens generally. At the opening session William
Hale Thompson, Mayor of Chicago, visited the
convention hall and welcomed the music men
to the city. In his welcoming address Mayor
Thompson told of the size and commercial im-
portance of Chicago, of what the city officials
were doing to meet the problems of recon-
struction, and particularly the work being done
to alleviate unemployment. He called particu-
lar attention to the Pageant of Progress to be
held here for the purpose of boosting Chicago's
industries. In describing the pageant he said
there would be three and one-half miles of
exhibits on the Municipal Pier and extended a
hearty invitation to the music trade interests
to participate in the celebration. The Mayor
was 'accorded a hearty reception by the dele-
gates.
Another speaker at the opening was John D.
Robertson, Health Commissioner of Chicago,
who talked on the relationship of music to health
and told how music was being used by his de-
partment to benefit the sick, particularly those
patients at the Municipal Tuberculosis Sani-
tarium. He praised the therapeutic value of
music highly and in the course of his talk came
cut strongly in opposition to jazz.
The Mayor and the Health Commissioner ar-
rived at the convention hall shortly after Presi-
dent Richard B. Aldcroftt, of the Chamber, had
started to read his official report, and President
Aldcroftt graciously gave the visiting officials
the floor. Following the speeches by the Mayor
and the Health Commissioner President Ald-
croftt concluded the reading of his report, which
aroused a great deal of interest and commenda-
tion and which was, in full, as follows:
PRESIDENT ALDCROFTT'S REPORT
In calling together the members of our indus-
try in this, the fourth annual convention, I wish,
on behalf of your directors, to thank you sin-
cerely for your loyal support, your steady and
cordial co-operation and for the high measure of
encouragement you have all given to them and
to the executive staff of the Chamber during the
past year.
I wish also—and with no small measure of the
appreciation of the work which has been accom-
plished—to congratulate the members of the
Chamber upon the invaluable results of that work
and upon the indisputable success we have at-
tained as a trade organization. I believe that I
should also say that I have a great deal of pleas-
ure in presenting to you, briefly, a summary of
the achievements of the Chamber and certain
recommendations for the future, and in asking
you to judge for yourselves of the wisdom of
carrying forward the tasks and solving the prob-
lems which lie before us.
At the convention of the Chamber in February,
1920, I was under the necessity of pointing out
to you the disorganized and incoherent condition
of the Chamber as a trade association and I felt
impelled at that time to make certain recom-
mendations for a reorganization which were be-
lieved imperative if the Chamber were to survive
and continue as a live, active and efficient body,
of real service and value to the industry, espe-
cially in this period of readjustment in business,
where problems of vital importance were press-
ing us for action and solution.
The Situation a Year Ago
If you will visualize for a moment the situa-
tion in the Chamber prior to the last convention,
you will clearly recall the weak and indistinct
picture which it presented.
First, let me remind you of its inadequacy of
Richard B. Aldcroftt
membership. The effective membership, in so far
as its financial and moral support was concerned,
was confined almost exclusively to the Piano
Manufacturers' Association and the Music Mer-
chants' Association—with both of those associa-
tions indulging in a certain rivalry of competition
as to the measure of support to be given re-
spectively.
The Supply Association—once ambitious and
always willing to take an interest—had become
dormant. The Band Instrument, Organ Build-
ers' and Publishers' Associations had little reali-
zation of their connection with the other mem-
bers of the music industry. The vast phonograph
industry as such was entirely unrepresented in
the Chamber, although for years it has been the
largest single factor in the distribution of music
and in bringing the knowledge 'of music itself
directly to our population.
The constituent associations of the Chamber,
as a result, looked upon it as though the Cham-
ber itself were an outside organization rather than
the parent and main body representing the entire
industry. The Chamber thus became somewhat
intangible and far removed from the minds of the
majority of the trade, resulting in a constantly
increasing emphasis upon the efficiency and im-
portance of the associations composing it. That
the future and efficiency of the Chamber were in
doubt if such a condition continued was as cer-
tain as it was inevitable.
The causes of this situation in the Chamber
were simple and are easily explained. Pri-
marily, I think we had built the structure of
organization a little ahead of time—as many
wise builders have done—and if that be true, and
although we were actually living in our house,
we had not actually and properly furnished it
for our occupancy.
We had not, for example, any established policy
or policies. They were left chiefly in the hands
of the administrative officers and the work in
general was conducted on the basis of expediency
rather than of settled or well-defined policy.
The operations of the Chamber were conducted
by bureaus unrelated either by interest in the
work as a whole or located physically together.
The Better Business Bureau was in Milwaukee
and the Bureau for the Advancement of Music
was in New York.
The Legal Bureau was operated on a some-
what isolated and detached basis and without
continuous or supervising direction by any per-
son or committee. Its work and activities were
only and merely known in times of danger to
the industry, such as the tax emergency.
There resulted from this condition some dupli-
cation of work, no co-ordination of work what-
ever and little or no co-operation between the
bureaus. There was no administrative control
save on particular occasions or in emergencies;
and consequently there was no continuous ef-
fective supervision by the directors and no ad-
ministrative supervision of the work of the
bureaus, because there was no administration
head in the real sense of that term.
In the matter of its finances the Chamber was
in a peculiarly hazardous and unbusinesslike sit-
uation. We had no budget, no adequate control
over incurring obligations and little knowledge at
any time of the extent and character of the obli-
gations incurred; no adequate accounting system;
no real office organization; nor any proper and
dignified setting and surroundings for the kind
of trade organization we had planned to have.
The result of all that I have related was that
the Chamber did not operate as an effective trade
machine, but as a group of unrelated parts.
Our problem, then, at the time of the last con-
vention, was one primarily of reorganization, and
this would obviously comprise these items:
(a) Conduct of the Chamber's affairs in accord-
ance with well-defined policies properly carried
out under the supervision of qualified representa-
tives of all branches of the industry, (b) Co-
ordination of all departments and activities, (c)
Establishment of proper business methods,
(d) Organization of all unorganized branches of
the industry, (c) Education of the individual
members of the trade in the objects, activities
and achievements of the Chamber.
What Has Been Accomplished
You will see, gentlemen, that the present ad-
ministration was charged with a responsibility the
importance of which was not to be minimized,
and I will leave you to judge whether your direc-
tors have borne it in such a way as to merit your
serious consideration and continued support. Let
us now see what actually has been done.
{Continued on page 11)