Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1924 Vol. 79 N. 10

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
SEPTEMBER 6,
1924
THE MUSIC TRADE
37
REVIEW
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By V. D. Walsh
How Direct Demonstrations Can Be Made
Pay Direct Profits to Music Dealers
E. C. Mills, Chairman of the Board, Music Publishers' Protective Association, Points Out They
Are a Direct Means of Greater Sales, But Must Be Under Control of the Dealer
T N the Music Trade Review, issue of August
*• 23, under the caption "Paid Demonstrations
Properly Handled Are a Direct Means of In-
creasing Sales," appears an article commenting
upon the abandonment by the "popular" pub-
lishers of their one-time policy of sending
demonstrators, singly and in crews, around the
country to demonstrate their songs at the music
counters of dealers.
The article is sound and accurate in its
premises, and beyond any question of doubt a
great and noticeable stimulus to the business
of any sheet music department occurs imme-
diately the store arranges for singing and play-
ing demonstrations, more or less continuously
throughout the day.
In fact, such a demonstration is to a music
store what the "ballyhoo" is to a circus. It
attracts custom for all departments-of the store;
brings people in to listen who remain to buy,
often not only in the sheet music department,
but in the piano, phonograph and other musical
instrument departments.
The sound of singing and piano playing in a
store will bring many passers-by to a dead halt
on the sidewalk in front of that store; they
pause, stroll in to listen, to buy, and very likely,
if properly, promptly and courteously served,
to become permanent patrons of the store.
During noon or luncheon hours especially do
crowds gather around such demonstrations; if
the department is placed toward the rear of
the store the listeners are drawn past the dis-
plays of other musical instruments, contact is
established between the merchant's selling staff
and the public, and he is "dumb" indeed if he
does not profit substantially thereby.
I know of no other business, running year in
and year out, for which there is available such
an excellent opportunity of "cashing in" on
passing crowds, and the great value of this
medium is daily evidenced by the use made of
it by the large chain and syndicate stores which
would not think of abandoning their singing
and playing demonstrations.
But, unless
demonstrating is properly supervised and in-
telligently done, it may work an even greater
harm than good.
First, it is essential to choose the demon-
strating staff with care. At the piano is needed
a quick and versatile reader and a convincing
player. At the counter, singing and selling, a
winning voice and magnetic personality, as well
as a quick thinker, must be had. Two pleasant,
smiling, good-natured persons, working in har-
mony, adapting their offerings to the mood of
the crowd, passing from song to song in reason-
ably quick succession, giving all of the current
popular compositions an equal "break," with an
assistant clerk, able now and then to "chime in,"
perhaps, with a little close harmony as occasion
offers, passing music of the number being sung
up and down the counter where the listeners
can pick it up, scan and buy it, rolling, wrapping
and selling to the merry undertone of the cash
register's bell, will pay mighty big dividends
on what they cost the dealer.
Second, the demonstrating staff must be
trained to sell the entire counter; not to empha-
size in their demonstrations the publications of
any one publisher, but the whole counter; with
the emphasis, if any, upon music which has
been purchased but seems to be moving slowly.
Third, keep the tone of the demonstrations
up to a high standard; discourage any inclina-
tion upon the part of listeners to make the
counter a rendezvous for clandestine meetings
and that sort of stuff; don't permit the singers
to be "shouters"; on the contrary, "make 'em
listen"; as well as preserving a better tone for
the activity this will save the singers' voices—
a six or seven hour day of singing is mighty
hard on them.
Fourth, don't expect the publishers to pay for
your demonstrators. Of course, this will look
as though we were trying to save the publishers
money. On the contrary, it is the dealers'money
we save. If the publishers furnish the demon-
strators, or pay any part of their cost, those
that do so will expect their particular songs
to be "plugged." If particular songs or catalogs
are plugged and not the entire counter, the
dealer's turnover will be limited to that catalog,
and soon he will find himself with a lot of dead
stock on hand. Too, he will soon find that in
competition, publishers will be subsidizing his
employes and the end is chaos, confusion and
loss.
A demonstrating staff, properly organized and
intelligently supervised, will pay any dealer in
a good location who has a constant passing
{Continued on page 39)
SONGS THAT SELL
—
What'H 1 Do?
Charley, My Boy
Driftwood
Red Hot Mamma
Lazy
I Can't Get the One I Want
Oh, Baby (Don't Say No Say Maybe)
Mindin' My Business
She's Everybody's Sweetheart
Old Familiar Faces
Nobody Loves You Like 1 Do
Nobody's Child
Where Is That Old Girl of Mine?
—
—
Cover Me Up With the Sunshine of
Virginia
Indiana Moon
Morning (Won't You Ever Come 'Round)
(New)
No One Knows What It's All About
(New)
Come Back to Me (When They Throw
You Down) (New)
Superstitious Blues (New)
Dance Folio No. 7
X Universal
Special Edition
Peterson's Ukulele Method
World's Favorite Songs
Lundin'a Tenor Banjo Method
—
Song Gems Irom Irving Berlin's Third Annual
MUSIC BOX REVUE
—
An Orange Grove in California
The Waltz of Long Ago
Little Butterfly
Learn to Do the Strut
Outstanding Song Hits from
TOPSY and EVA
Rememb'ring
I Never Had a Mammy
IRVING BERLIN, Inc.
1607 Broadway, New York
WHY
LIVE
Mante
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
38
THE
DIXIES
FAVORITE
L A.
SON'
Hgk brown" Comedy
Blues RscTyot
THAI 1 LOVED
THE GAL THAT I LOVED)
A Storu Ballad
sympathetic Walt
BURNING,
KISSES'
ORIENTAL IN ATMOSPHERE
WITH A SINGULAR NEW
FO* TROT RHYTHM.
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
"Golding's Diary of
Maurice Richmond on
Musical Events" Out
Long Western Trip
Looks Forward to Unusually Healthy Fall Sea-
son for Both the Music Publishers and the
Sheet Music Dealers
New Publication of Golding Music Co., of Win-
nipeg, Can., Contains Full Information Con-
cerning That City
Maurice Richmond, of the Richmond Music
Supply Co., 131 West Forty-first street, New
York City, who recently departed on a Western
trade trip, looks for-
ward to an unusually
healthy Fall season for
music publishers and
dealers. The Richmond
Co. has made rapid
strides in the develop-
ment of its distribution
business on a national
scale and through the
enlargement of its ac-
tivities is now supply-
ing hundreds of retail-
ers with both their
Maurice Richmond
popular and standard music needs. Each month
during the Summer the company's business has
shown a 25 per cent or over increase on the
preceding month's business.
Max Mayer, the treasurer of the company,
who visited the trade during the month of July
and the larger part of August, found conditions
encouraging throughout most of the territory
covered.
Mr. Richmond seems to think that the radio
scare has now passed and that sheet music, as
well as record and roll business, would assume
normal proportions with the advent of the Fall
season. Orders from the South and Far West
showed decided improvement, which is reflected
in sheet music salts and shipments. Orders
from retailers in such territory are in substan-
tial volume, which is, after all, the best criterion
of a healthy situation.
Alfred Golding, well known from coast to
coast for his organizing and publicity activities
in the music publishing business, has achieved
another triumph in publishing "Golding's Diary
of Musical Events" which has been so enthu-
siastically received that it is now being compiled
for its third year's publication.
The detail embodied in this 120-page manual
places it in a category by' itself, for not only
does it contain an authentic diary of musical
events, summaries of local organizations, all
dates pertaining to musical clubs, societies,
choirs, etc., but also contains directories of
music teachers, complete lists of artists open
for engagements, a condensed catalog of songs,
studies and advertisements of most useful infor-
mation to the buying public.
"Golding's Diary of Musical Events" is cop\-
righted by Golding's Music Co., Winnipeg, Can.,
and is but one of several innovations intro-
duced into the West by this progressive house.
The majority of the prominent artists located
in Winnipeg have . placed themselves under
Golding's concert direction; the house also acts
as a clearing house for musical events; has in-
stituted a register where data of all functions
can be registered free, and the unfortunate clash-
ing of events thereby eliminated.
The book is printed on coated paper in a
heavy golden-rod cover, and is a very creditable
and useful production.
Similarly this initiative is reflected in the vol-
ume of music carried in stock. Besides the
usual lines of sheet music, music books and
teachers' supplies incidental to music stores—
Golding's carry a stock of foreign and modern
music which is probably the richest in the
Dominion of Canada.
Mr. Golding made many friends while travel-
ing in the music field and the trade will be
glad to know that the venture he started in an
experimental mood has grown to such a suc-
cessful issue.
Irving Berlin Plans
Wide Fall Campaign
I
1
Two New Numbers, "Come Back to Me" and
"When I Was a Dandy and You Were a
Belle," Included
Vk A beautiful Waltz Soi$
U ^ ^'tk a welody o f '
NH^iduvitii^ sveetnes^
Irving Berlin, Inc., announces a wide cam-
paign on a number of new songs for the Fall
season. Its activities, of course, on "What'll
I Do?" are being continued, as well as its newer
exploitation activities on "Charley, My Boy."
At present two new songs have been announced
and it is understood this is to be supplemented
in the course of a week or ten days by an
enlarged program, including a new series of
popular numbers. The new numbers include
"Come Back to Me," described as a syncopated
waltz, introducing an entirely new style of dance
music. The number is by Will Donaldson and
Billy Rose. The other issue is "When I Was a
Dandy and You Were a Belle." This song
is sung by Jane Greene and Ed Wynn in the
new Ed Wynn show which is shortly coming to
New York.
Many Hits in Feist List
•
%ucant $o
Wrovsg
Vitk anv W I
XEIST'sovg
<£)l^21 LEO FEIST INC
SEPTEMBER 6, 1924
Leo Feist, Inc., which has two of the out-
standing hits of the season in "June Night" and
"Doodle, Doo Doo," is also fortunate in includ-
ing in its catalog "May Time," which has made
rapid strides towards popularity in recent weeks.
In addition to the above it has a new number
recently introduced by Al Jolson, entitled "Who
Wants a Bad Little Boy?"; two songs in the
Ziegfeld "Follies," "All Pepped Up" and "Ador-
ing You," and the following popular songs that
are showing much activity, some of which will
doubtlessly be recognized as. outstanding suc-
cesses during the coming Fall, "Where the
Dreamy Wabash Flows," "Helen Gone," "String
Beans," "Why Live a Lie?" and ''Black' and
Blue."
"Love Has a Way"
Proves Popular Success
Flammer Number, Theme Song of Mary Pick-
ford Successful Film, Sung by Frances Alda
on Victor Recording
"Love Has a Way," written by Victor Schertz-
inger, writer of "Marcheta," and which is the
musical theme of Mary Pickford's new feature,
"Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall," has proved
one of the big higher class popular successes
of the season, in both sheet music and talking
machine record form. The success of this num-
ber and the wide advertising it has received,
in conjunction with the release of Mary Pick-
ford's photoplay, has to a great extent been
credited to its instrumental value. However,
in recent weeks, it has added to its popularity
in vocal form. The Victor Talking Machine
Co. has released a vocal rendition by Frances
Alda. This is furthering the interest of the
number, which already has gained recognition
in Australia, New Zealand and many other for-
eign countries.
Two Wolfe Compositions
There are just being run off the press two
new songs, "Good Night, Little Girl," and "Lis-
tening," which the E. W. Wolfe Publishing Co.,
1702 North Broad street, Philadelphia, has been
trying out and find that they are taking wher-
ever sung. The new hits will be exploited in
a wide publicity campaign to be started Sep-
tember 10 and which will include the "broadcast-
ing of the songs from all radio stations. The

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