Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
AUGUST 19, 1922
45
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
CONDUCTED BY V. D. WALSH
EXPLOITATION THE BIGGEST FACTOR OF EXPENSE
IN THE POPULAR MUSIC PUBLISHING BUSINESS
SONGS THAT SELL
The Cost of Making a Song "Popular" and Therefore a Good Seller Is So Great That Music
Publishers Cannot Issue Music to Retail at 10 or 15 Cents and Remain in Business
Irving Berlin's Latest,
Greatest Song Hit
Despite the discussions as to why popular mu- carded. This costs money. It costs money for
sic is not sold at a price to make it retail at 10 the publisher to find out if he has a song worth
or 15 cents a copy, no one seems to have taken publishing. The very small percentage of songs
into consideration the one big element that makes tried out in this manner that ever see the light of
popular music "popular." This is the exploita- day, or, in other words, ever get published in
tion of the song. If all the expense a big pub- "regular copy" form is really surprising. Actual-
lisher has in connection with a song were the ly dozens of them are worked on and discarded
cost of printing and the royalties paid to the in the course of a year as not being "commercial"
KIcky-Koo
Kicky-Koo
writers he could sell music at 7 or 8 cents a copy songs; that is, songs that will sell.
and make money. A sheet of music is the most
Now, assuming that the preliminary work has
difficult kind of merchandising proposition, be- been encouraging and it has been decided to "go
cause the intrinsic value of the paper and print- after" the song and work on it to "make" it a
ing amounts to only a few cents, but you must hit, what happens?
It's Shoestes 1 Need
make this article so desirable that a customer
What the Professional Department Does
will willingly pay 30 cents for it.
Additional quantities of professional copies,
Now, what makes a song worth 30 cents? vocal orchestrations, dance orchestrations, band
Simply the exploitation put behind it by the big arrangements, slides and "special material," con-
publisher. Probably not oftener than once in a sisting of extra choruses, patter, catch lines, etc.,
year will a publisher get what is called a "natural" to interest the performers, are then printed and
From Zlegfeld's Follies of 1922
hit—by that is meant a song that catches on supplied to the various offices of the publish-
immediately without any great effort or expense ers throughout the country. A word about these
on the part of the publisher. All the other song branch professional offices is not amiss here,
(Blues)
"hits" have to be "made." Now, take into con- because they add to the expense of "making"
sideration the cost of "making." In an article songs popular. The big publishers maintain
some months ago we pointed out that a publish- them in the principal cities from coast to coast,
er has to do the following things before he pub- starting in the East at Boston, then New York,
lishes his song in marketable form: Make the Philadelphia, Baltimore, Atlanta, New Orleans,
Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Buffalo, De-
piano arrangement, calling for the services of
an expert arranger, usually a very high-priced troit, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Kansas
man, as manuscripts are rarely if ever handed City, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seat-
in to the publisher in a form that can be pub- tle, etc.
lished—usually all they get is a "lead sheet and
These offices employ from three to twenty
lyric." The arranger must put it in a suitable men, according to locations, and their purposes
key and arrange the fingering to come within are twofold, the first being to rehearse acts and
Our New Sensational Waltz
the range of the ability of the average buyer of get them "up" in the songs being exploited. They
Song Hit
sheet music.
not only call upon and solicit acts playing their
(More and More I Need You)
Then come the "professional" copies, vocal respective pities, but they also "follow up" acts
orchestrations in three or four different keys, the that have been interested in the songs by the
special versions for singles, doubles, quartets, home office, usually in New York or Chicago.
extra catch lines, extra choruses, slides, dance For instance, an act playing New York has been
orchestrations, etc., etc.—all this work for the successfully solicited by the "act man," but has
purpose of trying it out with vaudeville per- had time for only one or two rehearsals while
1607 Broadway, New York
formers and dance orchestra leaders to see if the in New York and is not thoroughly "up" on the
public likes it. If it shows signs of being popu- song and needs further rehearsals. Maybe the
lar then it is published as a "regular" copy in the act plays Philadelphia the next week, the New or Pittsburgh or Huffalo. If so, then the Phil-
form in which the public buys it. But—and York office advises the Philadelphia office and it adelphia office passes the word along to the
here's the rub—if the performers and public do continues the rehearsals there; possibly it needs next stopping place and the act gets a further re-
not take to it all of this work and material is dis- further rehearsals and is traveling to Baltimore
{Continued on page 46)
Some Sunny Day
— Just a Little Love Song
You tor Me—Me for You
Don't Bring Me Posies
Send Back My Honey Man
No Wonder I'm Lonesome
Come Along
Early in the Morning
Truly
Night
My Cradle Melody
Abie's Lullaby
Rose of Bombay
While the Years Roll By
IRVING BERLIN, Inc.
ASongThat Sells. Suryflayedand AdvertisedJfomQoash°Coast
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Two Other Big Sellers
Suppose The Rose Were You * Dangerous Blues
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the Safe ofThese Numbers ~{fNot, Why Not ? The Demand Is Thzrz.
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