Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1924 Vol. 79 N. 11

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
62
SEPTEMBER 13, 1924
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By V. D. Walsh
Caring for the Demand in the Various
Departments of the General Music Store
Diversity of Stocks Requires Careful Attention So That One Department May Not Be Slighted
at the Expense of Another—The P osition of Sheet Music Therein
T N this period, when many dealers operate
'•' stores with the idea of adopting the slogan
"Everything in Music," they confront problems
the solving of which either makes or mars their
success as merchants. Dealers who make a
feature of sheet music, as a general rule, first
add musical merchandise and small instruments
as an addition to their stocks. The reason for
this is that such goods are a factor in creating
a sale for sheet music and books, and the many
small adjuncts necessary to keep such instru-
ments in condition and up to the minute bring
a constant trail of customers into the establish-
ment. The sheet music dealer has calls for such
goods and he stocks the merchandise to fill the
demand and to give his customers service as
well as to absorb profits which would go into
competitive channels.
If the dealer wants to branch further into
the realm of a successful music merchant, he
next stocks talking machines, records and often
player rolls. This step is taken because, again,
there are many small items for which there is a
demand,, bringing people into the store, and
because the units of sale are not so large as to
create difficult financing. This is not true in
every case, but it does generally represent the
smaller merchant's idea in endeavoring to get
ahead and make his shop a prominent one.
Many sheet music merchants first handle
pianos before taking on smaller lines. The
piano as a teaching factor and as a creator of
sales for sheet music is, of course, the most im-
portant of all instruments. • Nowadays we have
radio in addition to all other musical items han-
dled by the merchant who wants to have every-
thing in music, and this adds to the problems
which must be faced by such a music establish-
ment.
The problem that confronts all such dealers,
and one which they are not readily solving, is
the question of amply caring for the demands
of customers in these various departments with-
out slighting the sales activities and service in
what might be termed opposition departments.
None of these different varieties of musical
goods fundamentally oppose each other. They
all seemingly create their own demands. Each
has a clientele which, for the particular mo-
ment, is interested in that phase of musical
activity.
The demand filled, this clientele,
WHO
doubtless, is in the market for other allied prod-
ucts. Herein, however, lies the weakness of
the "Everything in Music" store, which, in order
to be economically operated, must have a lim-
ited sales force and competition for the sales
force's time. There naturally are periods each
day when one particular department may be
more rushed than another and some sections of
this store and its stock will then be slighted.
Even in some of the highly efficient chain shops
that to-day handle radio with all other musical
items there are periods during the course of
the day's business when some of the depart-
ments are practically eliminated as factors.
Such weaknesses in these combination musi-
cal establishments can only be solved by the
attention that is given to designing properly the
interior of the establishment in order to separate
the different sections of the store, efficiently
handle the various groups of buyers and elim-
inate confusion. If the trade is large enough
some one person should be responsible for each
department. The lesser sales force can, as the
demand rises or falls in the various depart-
ments, respond where they are most needed.
This will serve to keep an active factor in
charge and responsible for the sales of the mer-
chandise in a particular section.
In smaller establishments, such arrangements
may not be possible but a similar situation
must be faced and thought and attention toward
solving the problem is necessary. To-day, pop-
ular sheet music and player rolls are being
slighted, so much so that thousands of sales in
these two items go unmade until the demand
for the particular prints wanes. To a lesser ex-
tent talking machine records are suffering
through the same condition.
Fortunately for standard music its position is
not being weakened by any such factors. There
never was an overabundance of sources of dis-
tribution for standard music and these limited
distribution points to a great extent arc oper-
ated by the proprietors of the establishments.
Most of them love the music business and have
a particular weakness for sheet music, musical
literature and books, and this, in these trying
times, is the bulwark and insurance that pro-
tects the distribution of standard music.
To-day, if anything, there are too many dis-
(Continucd on page 63)
WANTS
SONGS THAT SELL
What'll I 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 I 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)
Universal Dance Folio No. 7
X Special
Edition
Peterson's Ukulele Method
World's Favorite Songs
—
Lundin's Tenor Banjo Method
•
—
—
Song Gems from 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
A,
A PLAINTIVE FOX TROT BALLAD You will take rtoht to your heart
c
u A i
irki cr**T
Sung by AL. JOLSON
X
Xou carit do wron^y,
j vAdsjuw(FjEt$r sou
O
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 13, 1924
Where The
%bash Flo
The Lyric is a 6em, avA it's
Fox Trot Melody ynakes it
a d©lidkt to Dancers
Playing Them/
63
DOODLE
DOO DOO
THE SONG AND DANCE HIT
It's lively rhythm awd catcliij
dovus made It instantl" popular.
o
Can't Go Wrong With
When lights
LITTLE SONGt
Are
Law*
jlte Most CharutinS
SING A ,,
A SUNSHINE FOX TROT
JreBlue, Here's "Wiat To Do-
Yourself A Little Soup/
Waltz Hit of the YeaV
MOONLIGHT
MEMORIES'
A NEV WALTZ MIT BY VINCENT R O S E ,
WRITE.R O r % LINGERAWHIL£* WITH LYRICS
BY DOROTHY TERRISS, NWO WROTE *THREE ,
OfcbDCK IN THE MORNING* AND WONDERFUL ONE*
You." All of these numbers are fox-trots and, Gene Rodemich Music
in addition, popular in song form. The pub-
{Continued from page 62)
lishers have sold a large volume of these orches-
Publishing Corp. Formed
trated
copies
and
this
will
insure
them
being
tribution points for popular sheet music, player
rolls and talking machine records. There would played frequently. As they meet the needs of Gene Rodemich, Orchestra Leader, and Larry
Conley, Composer, Members of New Firm
not be too many if they were all properly han- the thousands of dance enthusiasts the orches-
With St. Louis and New York Offices
dled, had adequate stocks and were prepared trated copies create their own sales. The fact
that
Waterson,
Berlin
&
Snyder
have
created
to give service to the purchasers of such prod-
ucts. But, instead, there are too many hodge- a demand and sales is welcome news to the The Gene Rodemich Music Publishing Corp.
podge assortments of such popular goods. The retailer who is encouraging the retail distribu- has just been formed with New York head-
quarters at 150 West Forty-sixth street and
tendency in too many establishments is to sell tion of orchestrations.
St. Louis offices in the Grand Central Theatre
just what is demanded and no more. If it is one
Building.
copy of sheet music, one player roll and one "Sunrise and You" Is
Gene Rodemich, noted orchestral leader and
record, that seemingly satisfies too many such
Featured by Orville Harold nationally known Brunswick record artist, heads
departments, no effort being made to describe
the newly formed corporation, which will en-
or show other goods. In many such establish-
ments customers wait upon themselves. While Arthur A. Penn's Ballad Sung by Well-known gage in the business of publishing dance music
Tenor in Vaudeville—Number Also Popular and sheet publications. Larry Conley, well-
all of this is better than no distribution at all,
known composer and music man, will be gen-
With Concert Audiences
it makes a generally unhealthy situation when
eral manager.
present-day stocks with demands from numer-
The concern is starting operations with a
Arthur A. Penn's ballad, "Sunrise and You,"
ous channels are considered.
Such conditions are again adding to the im- is not only popular with many concert singers, promising catalog, having acquired two poten-
portance of the legitimate sheet music dealer but has achieved the distinction of being a fre- tial "hit" numbers in "Honolu," a beautiful
whose stocks generally of any lines he has de- quently requested number from concert audi- Hawaiian fox-trot melody, and "Shanghai
cided to handle are sufficient to meet the needs ences. The latest artist to associate his name Shuffle," a tuneful, dancy, oriental fox-trot
of his community, and, lacking particular items, with the success of this number is Orville fantasy. Gene Rodemich and Larry Conley are
is prepared to deliver them almost over night. Harold, who is one of the big headliners in the the writers of these.
Extensive advertising and publicity campaigns
There was a time when the popular music opening of the Fall season of Keith's Hippo-
rack appeared as an important factor in adding drome, New York City. Mr. Harold also used will comprise much of the initial activities of
to sales volume. This situation is rapidly chang- "Sunrise and You" during his recent concert the Rodemich organization. It is planned to
ing and the legitimate sheet music dealer, seem- tour with his daughter. The above song, one go into the proposition on an elaborate scale,
ingly, is the only place where one can go and of the outstanding numbers of Witmark's Black inasmuch as it is generally believed that the
be sure of finding a fair amount of things in and White Edition, is to be featured by Mr. concern has some excellent material with which
popular or other music that should be in stock. Harold during all of his Fall appearances and to start the ball rolling.
Congratulatory telegrams and letters have
Present-day stores with talking machine rec- will be supplemented by several other numbers
ords, player rolls, radio, popular sheet music, from the same catalog, including "Gypsy Love been pouring into the Rodemich offices since
kodaks, skates and other sport goods, tend dur- Song," "Am Falling in Love With Someone" the announcement of the firm's incorporation.
ing the height of the Fall and holiday season and "Sweet Mystery of Life," all compositions These have encouraged the company's officials.
to make such music establishments a veritable by the late Victor Herbert.
madhouse. Through this, some distribution
Feist Production Numbers
points are bound to suffer. It will not, however,
Still Another for Paris
be the legitimate sheet music dealer.
Leo Feist, Inc., besides having all the music
So great is the demand for American jazz of the "Kid Boots" show, now playing an ex-
music in Paris that another Yankee orches- tended engagement in New York, has two of
Waterson, Berlin & Snyder
tra under the management of Paul Specht has the outstanding numbers in this season's Zieg-
Arrange Fall Campaign been booked to play a long engagement at the feld "Follies," namely, "Adoring You" and "All
Hotel Claridge, of Paris. Some time ago it Pepped Up." Its "Little Jessie James" show
"Put a Ray of Sunshine," "Dream Maker of Was reported that all American jazz bands were will have several road companies, and, in addi-
Japan," "Please," "On the Blue Lagoon With to be deported from France but, in this in- tion, a number one show is playing in Boston
stance, the French labor authorities issued the to crowded houses. The "Jessie James" shows
You" and Others to Be Widely Exploited
necessary permits for the Specht organization will also feature "Suppose I Had Never Met
You," which is proving a big waltz success.
Waterson, Berlin & Snyder have arranged a to enter.
widespread Fall campaign on the following
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
Sheet music is the thing which draws the
songs: "Put a Ray of Sunshine," "Dream
Maker of Japan," "Please," "On the Blue La- greatest number of people to the retail music The Review. In it advertisements are inserted
goon With You" and "In a Rendezvous With store at all times.
free of charge for men who desire positions.
Caring for the Demand
Don't take our word for the quality and ready salability of the
Most Popular Music Books
CONVINCE YOURSELF !
Hinds, Hayden & Eldredge, Inc., Publishers, New York City

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