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THE
36
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
JUNE 2, 1923
CONDUCTED BY V. D. WALSH
MOMENTOUS PROBLEMS BEFORE THE DEALERS' MEETING
Distribution of Popular Numbers to Occupy Most of the Attention of the Coming Gathering in
Chicago—Legitimate Dealers Paying More Attention Than Ever to Popular Music
By far the most important question that is
to come before the National Association of
Sheet Music Dealers at its annual gathering in
Chicago the week of June 4 is announced under
the head of "Business Methods" in the pro-
gram as outlined by the officers of the Asso-
ciation; viz.: "How to Keep Popular Music
Business in Music Stores."
The other questions that will be taken up
there relate to the more permanent aspects of
the sheet music business. Popular music, after
all, is transient and fluctuates in volume ac-
cording to the popularity of the issues. But
when properly handled and presented to the
customer it is one of the most profitable and
active adjuncts to the legitimate sheet music
dealer's business.
It is true that, since popular music is retailed
at 25 and 30 cents, the dealer has absorbed
much of the sale formerly made by syndicate
stores. But there has been a tendency, how-
ever, in some localities to create song shops
and to stock popular music in talking machine
record and other retail establishments which
heretofore were not interested in sheet music
of any kind. Some of them carry popular prints
as an attraction and, in a number of cases, a
sufficient amount of standard material to desig-
nate a music department as part of their store.
A Real Attraction
Those who have encouraged the additional
distribution outside of the legitimate sheet mu-
sic dealer have taken the attitude that all too
many of the standard dealers look at popular
music as a necessary evil, do not carry it with
an aim to exploit its sales and only stock it as
a matter of service to their customers. This, it
is said by those who hold the above view, is all
wrong, from a profit-making standpoint and
from a service angle. They hold that popular
music is a considerable attraction and brings
many people into the store who would not
T^OPULAlTsTANDARDS IN DEMAND I
RED - SE AI*
" SERIES -
CAPITOL MARCH
CONNECTICUT MAR.CH
Write tot o u t
Complete Catalog
(Popular 6Standard)
otherwise drop in, or at least not as frequently
as with a display of current sellers.
The National Association has taken cogni-
zance of this problem and consideration is to be
given to holding these sales for the legitimate
sheet music dealer and adding to them, if pos-
sible. No doubt, expressions will be heard from
the various angles of the problem and all the
factors will be taken into consideration.
Many music stores throughout the country,
of the highest caliber, have demonstrated that
popular music is profitable and has other val-
ues. Such stores as H. A. Weymann & Son,
Inc., Volkwcin Bros., Lyon & Healy, Inc., W.
J. Dyer & Bro., Grinnell Bros., Jenkins', and
Sherman, Clay & Co. establishments exploit the
sales of popular music in the highest-class mer-
chandising fashion. To a lesser extent other
progressive merchants are following such a plan
and, with all the sheet music retail establish-
ments carrying out similar aims, the outside
forces now absorbing a substantial volume of
such sales will be eliminated. It would not
take much to discourage the syndicate stores
from selling popular music. They constantly
enlarge or reduce their departments to vary
with the volume of sales. A substantial lessen-
ing of demand would justify and force, from
their viewpoint, the closing of such depart-
ments. A combined campaign by all the sheet
music dealers of the country for a period of
six months would do much to eliminate outside
competition.
SONGS THAT SELL
You Know You Belong
to Somebody Else
(So Why Don't You Leave Me Alone ?)
Down Among the Sleepy
Hills ol Tennessee (new)
Dearest
— You Tell Her—I Stutter
(You're the Nearest to My Heart)
When You Walked Oat Someone Else
Walked Right In
(new)
Indiana Moon (new)
PIckleS (new)
That Old Gang of Mine (new)
L o v e (My Heart Is Calling You) (new)
Ala Moana (new)
I Wish I Could Cry Over Someone (new)
—
H o m e (new)
Some Day You'll Cry Over Someone
Homesick
Nuthln' But
By the Shallmar
Open YOBT Arms, My Alabamy
Ivy (Cling to Me)
Some Little Someone
Some Sunny Day
Come on Home
Just a Little Love Song
Yankee Doodle Blues
—
Nothing to Do With It
The sale of popular music has nothing to do
with the volume of the sales of standard selec-
tions. The standard field is constantly making
strides, enlarging its activities and assisting ma-
terially in the real musical development of the
Universal Dance Folio for 1923
country. The legitimate sheet music dealer,
therefore, by giving prominence to popular
prints in no wise lowers his prestige or profits.
IRVING BERLIN'S NEW
He brings people into his store who have been
sold on the popular song idea and are prime
prospects for further development.
A large percentage of legitimate sheet mu-
Crinoline Days
sic dealers do a heavy business in small musical
Lady of the Evening
instruments and musical merchandise of all
Porcelain Maid
kinds. A good portion of such sales and the
Pack Up Your Sins
development of that angle of the business is
and Go To The Devil
made through the propaganda of popular music.
Will She Come From the East?
For instance, the popularity of the saxophone
The Little Red Lacquer Cage
alone must be credited wholly to the sway of
popular music. To a lesser extent, the new
Bring On the Pepper
enthusiasm for the clarinet, and certainly a
large percentage of the demand for ukuleles,
banjos, mandolins, etc., comes from a similar
1607 Broadway, New York
source. Popular music, therefore, in itself is
the pioneer of all musical propaganda. It is
the initial wedge and, while the other factors
I. E. SKLARE_VISmNG EAST
are the greatest contributors to the develop-
ment of music appreciation from an artistic Manager of Portland Remick Shop on Long
standpoint, the importance of the primary fac-
Visit to Eastern Publishing Centers and the
tor should not be overlooked, but should, in-
Dealers' Annual Convention in Chicago
deed, be given the deepest consideration by the
music merchant.
PORTLAND, ORE., May 25.—I. E. Sklare, manager
of the Portland branch of the Remick Song &
Gift Shop, has left Portland for an extensive
NEW PIANO INSTRUCTION BOOK
trip East. While away he will visit New York
A new instruction book by Zez Confrey en- and will try and time his arrival in Chicago
titled "A Course in Novelty Piano Playing," so as to take in a part of the National Pros-
will shortly be issued by Jack Mills, Inc. The perity Convention. Mr. Sklare, in speaking of
book is to contain sixty pages and will include the new numbers recently received, said that
testimonials from world-famous pianists, a the Remick number "Beside the Babbling
hitherto unpublished syncopated waltz by Con- Brook" was running a close second to "Caro-
frey, as well as some of his modern conceptions lina in the Morning," which has been one of the
of old favorites.
biggest hits in Portland.
Music Box Revue
IRVING BERLIN, Inc.