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JANUARY 3, 1925
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By V. D. Walsh
Boston Has High Ranking in the Sheet
Music Industry of the United States
SONGS THAT SELL
Maurice B. Richmond, of the Richmond Musical Supply Corp., New York, Tells of Conditions
in the Publishing and Retail Fields in That City—Written Exclusively for The Review
JANUARY 1, 1925. The City of Greater
** Boston, the fourth largest city in the United
States, has a population of almost two million
people. This is the city that originated the
"Tea Party." Boston is often called the "Hub
of the Universe," the "Yank Town," the "Bean
Town" and "College Town." Culture galore!
There is Back Bay, Tremont Street with its
Mall, and Commonwealth avenue with its
wealth.
I have many reasons to be proud of Boston.
First, it is my home town. Then, again, it is
the birthplace of such men as Samuel Adams,
the father of American independence; John
Adams, the second President of the United
States; John Hancock, the first man to sign
the American Declaration of Independence;
Benjamin Franklin, the apostle of grit and
frugality, who said "For age and want save
while you may, no morning sun lasts the whole
day."
There is the popular "Pie Alley," with its
famous eating places. Nowadays you can get
a full meal for all of 10 cents. Back in the
eighties half that price was considered exor-
bitant. The menu consists of a big dish of
Boston baked beans with brown bread, a sailor's
cup of coffee and a liberal helping of Boston
cream pie.
Those were the happy days. When I was a
Boston newsboy, one of the proud Boston news-
boys' organization, my pal was Morris Gest,
who is now one of the world's foremost the-
atrical producers. He participated regularly, as
I did, of those 5-cent meals—every day in the
week, including Sunday.
While passing through the suburbs of Boston
I noticed a music store which displayed the
following candid sign: "Don't ask for credit.
Our books are on the top floor and the elevator
is broken."
Oliver Ditson Co.
There is hardly an individual in the music
industry, whether he be in North .America or
any other part of the world, who does not ap-
preciate and realize the true importance of the
Oliver Ditson Co. Oliver Ditson was born in
Boston on October 20, 1811. His grandfather,
Samuel Ditson, was a solder during the Revolu-
tion. At the age of thirty-four Oliver Ditson
started in the music business at 110 Washing-
ton street. There he began to publish and copy-
DEAI
ONE
there's m /v/esistibl
g in tills tiwe-
t'll *gatyou' tk
you keayi
All Alone (New), by Irving Berlin
Oh, Mabel (New)
Charley, My Boy
What'll I Do?
Driftwood
When I was the Dandy and You Were
the Belle
Morning(Won't You Ever Come Round?)
1 Can't Get the One I Want
Seventeen (New)
Show Me the Way (New)
Take Me (New)
Get Yourself a Broom (New)
I Couldn't Get to It in Time (New)
right music in his own name. In 1857 he erected
his own building at 277 Washington street.
In 1860 Mr. "Ditson established John Church,
then a young man who had been with him since
boyhood, in the city of Cincinnati, O. The busi-
ness was sold to Mr. Church.in 1871 and is now
the well-known John Church Co.
In 1864 Oliver Ditson visualized the present-
day Chicago. George Lyon, of Lyon & Healy,
Inc., was at that time working for the John C.
Haynes Co., which was part of the Oliver Dit-
son Co. Mr. Ditson set up the firm of Lyon &
Healy in Chicago, with P. J. Healy and George
W. Lyon, two of his employes.
BOOKS THAT SELL
Later on Mr. Ditson established the Chas. H.
Ditson Co., of New York. Chas. H. is the son
TIDDLE DE UKES — Comic Songs fo»
of Oliver Ditson. In 1875 Mr. Ditson opened
the Ukulele
the well-known house of J. A. Ditson & Co. in
Universal
Dance Folio No. 8
X
Philadelphia.
Special 1925 Edition
In 1901 the Oliver Ditson Co. removed to a
Peterson's Ukulele Method
large building at 451 Washington street, Bos-
—
World's Favorite Songs
ton. In 1917 it moved to its present quarters,
179 Tremont street, a twelve-story building de-
voted exclusively to music.
4th MUSIC BOX REVUE, 1925
Mr. Ditson passed away December 21, 1888.
In the Shade of a Sheltering Tree
The year following the firm was incorporated
under the trade name it now bears.
-— Tell Her in the Springtime
The Oliver Ditson Co., of Boston, is the main
Listening
office of the various Ditson concerns. The
The Call of the South
Chas. H. Ditson Co., of New York, is a branch
Tokio Blues
of the Boston concern. Chas. H. Ditson, who
Rock-a-bye Baby
is at the head of the Ditson companies, makes
his home in New York.
The half hour I spent recently with Clarence
DIXIE TO BROADWAY
A. Woodman, the general manager and director
of the Oliver Ditson Co., was most interesting.
Mandy, Make Up Your Mind
Mr. Woodman is very happy over the business
Dixie Dreams
situation and is very optimistic toward the out-
I'm a Little Blackbird
look for 1925.
The Oliver Ditson catalog is famous for its
many copyrights. It contains such standard
Hits from TOPSY and EVA
songs as "At Dawning," by Cadman; "Forgot-
ten," by Cowells; "A Dream," by Bartlett, and
Rememb'ring
scores of others just as popular but too numer-
I Never Had a Mammy
ous to mention. "The Musicians Library," with
eighty-nine volumes; the "Music Students Lihrary,"
IRVING BERLIN, Inc.
with thirty-five volumes; "The Ditson Edition,'
with 367 volumes; "Favorite Songs of, Famous
1607 Broadway, New York
Singers," sixteen volumes; "Tapper's Graded
Piano Course," twenty numbers; "The Music music and otherwise, all part of this great cata-
Student's Piano Course," and hundreds of val- log. There are very few students who play
uable copyrighted piano publications, sheet
(Continued on page 40)
Bring Bfck 'Bios?
Baby Days
A Dixie Lullaby
Fox T r o t
ttOO
DOO
Absolutely
Different /
NoVelty
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