Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
JULY 26,
1924
47
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By V. D. Walsh
Price as a Factor in the Public's
Demand for Sheet Music Publications
Wide Appeal of Number of Much More Vital Importance in Building Up Sales for a Song Than
the Price at Which It Is Sold—Low Prices and Syndicate Store Distribution
elty variety, a lower price would probably not
increase the sales in a substantial amount unless
small advertisements in some of the leading the price was made so low that there would be
New York newspapers, the copy of which has no care used by the consumer in making pur-
always been of an educational character, newsy, chases. A large increase in sales at too low a
timely, or historical. Naturally, some reference wholesale and retail price would not add to the
is made to Macy merchandise. In a recent ad- health of the songwriter, the music publisher,
vertisement of this series the following caption or the dealer.
appeared: "Was Everything Cheaper? No, Not
Most of the pleas made for the reduction of
Songs." It called attention to the fact that, in price of popular prints are based upon the experi-
1868 when the last Democratic Convention was ence and the sales figures attained by such
held in New York, for the songs of that period issues during the pre-war days when the F. W.
such as, "Live in My Heart and Pay No Rent", Woolworth Co. operated over 600 music depart-
"Tassels on Her Boots," and "Champagne ments and several other hundred syndicate
Charlie", thirty-five cents was the bargain retail stores did likewise with ten cents as the maxi-
price. The balance of the copy mentioned, mum figure for the retail sale of piano music.
"There's Yes, Yes, in Your Eyes", "Don't Mind
All of those who seemingly are interested in
the Rain", and "Lazy", and called attention to seeing a reduction in the price of sheet music
the fact that these popular hits of the day could do not agitate a return of a ten cent retail price.
be purchased for much less.
Most of the suggestions are made for a fifteen
Occasionally we hear it said that thirty and cent figure with a high enough wholesale price
thirty-five cents is too much for a popular song. to keep music out of ten cent stores. There are
In some instances this is no doubt true, but if also a few of the opinion that music at twenty
the number has not a wide appeal its lessened cents retail, or five copies for a dollar, would
popularity is reflected in sales. The better type encourage purchasers.
of numbers sell readily at the prices for which
Songs that are not worth present retail prices
they are published to be sold and the rise and certainly would not sell heavily at a reduced
fall of the demand for the exceptional hits price through the present outlets. The syndicate
are not based upon the price, as has been proven outlets that might be interested in stocking mu-
over and over again during the past few years. sic at a lower price would not purchase novelties
If a number is mediocre and of a cheap nov- and other songs, of quick passing fancy, unless
they were also able to procure good songs with
the widest popularity, in other words, a good
proportion of the hits.
An attempt to secure wide distribution
through syndicate stores at comparatively low
figures might undermine the present business
and distribution structure for meritorious popu-
You Can Take Me Away From Dixie lar prints. Despite a decrease in demand for
popular numbers during recent months the sales
Forget Me Not
departments with the possibilities are achieving
(Means Remember Me)
somewhat the old figure in point of sales. Songs
that had too much radio and other exploitation
Bringin' Home the Bacon
campaigns must be guided with the greatest
care. There is nothing to demonstrate that the
distribution structure has fallen down.
My Dream Moon
At this time it might be well to call to the
attention of the trade the fact that the Wool-
Waiting for the Rainbow
worth syndicate in the British Isles has closed
its music departments. These stores did a big
June
business in popular music. It is true that sales
were made at very low prices, at close margins
Broken Dreams
for both the dealer and publisher and with a
low royalty to the writers. The price, however,
Lovers Lane Is a Lonesome Trail was so low that a commercially inclined pub-
lisher of a weekly magazine thought it would
I'm Falling in Love With a Shadow be clever to make the price to the consumer
still lower. In order to do this he made an
arrangement with music publishers' representa-
Just a Lullaby
tives for the use of several songs each week.
Then
in his magazine, interspersed
In a Wonderful World of Our Own between he included
the reading matter and advertising
pages, three popular songs. This magazine was
Someone Else
sold on the newsstands of England, in the hotels
(Took Your Place in My Heart)
and subways and other places where there were
large and hurrying crowds, at six pence. The
outcome of this outside competition was to
curtail the demand for popular prints in the
Woolworth and other stores with the result that
of Canada, Limited
they became unprofitable. With the exclusion
HEAD OFFICE—WINNIPEG, Canada
of the music departments it is understood the
New York - Chicago - Vancouver - Toronto decision was made that sheet music was never
to be returned to those sales counters.
SONGS THAT SELL
What'll I Do? (New)
—
Lazy (New)
Oh, Baby (Don't Say No—Say Maybe)
& CO., of New York City, have
R • for H. MACY
some period been running a series of
HEARST HITS
HEARST MUSIC PUBLISHERS
Mindin' My Bus'ness
Cover Me Up With the Sunshine of
Virginia
She's Everybody's Sweetheart
—
What's Today Got to Do With Tomorrow?
I Can't Get the One I Want
Charley, My Boy
Where Is That Old Girl of Mine?
—
If the Rest of the World Don't Want You
Nobody Loves You Like I Do
Old Familiar Faces
That Old Gang of Mine
Indiana Moon
Driftwood
Nobody's Child
Yawning
X Universal Dance Folio No. 7
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
Some American publishers were caught with-
out prior knowledge in the weekly publication
venture through the fact that their contracts
with their English representatives did not cover
the printing of folios, books and similar mate-
rial. Those few were inadvertently a factor in
killing off distribution there through the Wool-
worth syndicate.
In this country it is said that if the price were
made fifteen cents Woolworth would soon have
it down to ten. It may be that the Woolworth
chain would not want it now. Certainly it is
doing a larger business to-day than it has ever
done before and it is hardly possible for it
greatly to increase its sales by handling sheet
music as an attraction.
The real problem to be measured in consider-
ing reductions is profit. A larger volume of
business without increased dividends would not
be a good move. The other problem is what
would be the lowest price, both wholesale and
retail. As has been proven in the past, someone
will always sell a little lower in both wholesaling
and retailing.