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154
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
MAY
30, 1925
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By V. D. Walsh
Music Publishers and the Sheet Music
Dealers to Meet in New York, June 8-10
Publishers to Meet at the Belmont on June 9—Dealers' Twelfth Annual Meeting to Be at the
Hotel McAlpin June 8, 9 and 10—Number of Important Topics to Be Discussed
V H E National Association of Sheet Music
Dealers, which will hold its twelfth annual
convention at the Hotel McAlpin, New York
City, on June 8, 9 and 10, will in addition to the
program as announced in this department last
week take up a series of other matters, most of
which, however, will be presented from the
floor.
From all indications the coming gathering
will be one of the best attended in the history
of the organization. The association has many
accomplishments to its credit but the develop-
ment and progress of the past year have prob-
ably been the most remarkable since the incep-
tion of this enterprising body of music mer-
chants.
Among the papers that arc to be read at
the coming gathering will be one by Paul A.
Schmitt, of Minneapolis, Minn., "On new mail
and parcel post rates." Wm. Gamble, of the
Gamble-Hinged Music Co., will propose the
immediate inauguration of a credit rating and
collection bureau with a proviso for the han-
dling of delinquent accounts through the sec-
retary of the association. Holmes R. Maddock
will address the gathering on "Business Meth-
ods"; S. Ernest Philpitt will talk on "Advertis-
ing" and J. Edgar Robinson will speak on "Pop-
ular Music."
Many other subjects are being allotted by J.
Grant Ege, president of the Association, and
the program and its supplementary proceedings
are being arranged with a view of confining the
entire convention period to constructive issues.
Music Publishers Association
The thirty-first annual gathering of the Music
Publishers Association of the United States will
be held on June 9 at the Hotel Belmont, New
York City. It is understood that M. E. Tomp-
kins, who has assumed the burdens of the
office of secretary since the death of the late
E. T. Paull, will be prevailed upon to continue
these activities for at least the ensuing year.
Walter Fischer, head of Carl Fischer, Inc., is
to be inducted into the office of president
despite his annual protest. This is said to be
final.
The annual banquet of the Publishers Asso-
ciation will be held on Tuesday evening. A
well-known copyright expert from Washington,
D. C, is programmed as speaker of the eve-
ning.
Probably the most important question to be
taken up by the publishers is a proposed
change in the articles and by-laws "which were
adequate for all purposes at the inception of
the Association but which today fall short of
meeting its needs and requirements."
Maurice Richmond Seeks Free Samples
of Tampa Cigars Down Where They Grow
Head of the Richmond Music Supply Corp., of New York, Casts His Eagle Eye Over the City
of Tampa, Where They Are Made—As Well as Visiting the Music Trade
AMPA, FLA., May 23.—It was on the
T shores
of Tampa Bay that the well-known
pirate, Gasparrella, a first cousin to "Sassparella,"
and his bloodthirsty crew buried chests of
booty after raids down
the coast.
To - day
Tampa is one of the
most rapidly develop-
ing cities of the South,
one of many industries.
Although Tampa pro-
duces 500,000,000 cigars
annually, it is a well
recognized manufactur-
ing city for other mer-
chandise. The climate
is superb, just glorious,
Maurice Richmond
with the same mild,
balmy temperature the year 'round. The straw-
berries you get from your fancy grocer or at
Child's restaurant during January and February
are mostly from Tampa, or what is called Hills-
boro County. The people never worry about
warm clothing or Jack Frost, nor is wood or
coal on the daily budget even in the Winter.
It also has its true Latin quarters Y-bor (Ebo)
City and West Tampa, where the people are
almost entirely of Spanish descent. This is
where most of the cigar factories are located.
It is remarkable to note how much of their
time these people devote to the better forms of
music. Gr^nd opera and comic opera are
sung in Spanish by thoroughly trained singers.
During the entire year, almost weekly, these
operatic performances are given and attended
by enthusiastic capacity audiences regardless of
nationality
of those who attend
them.
The Gourlie Music Co., of which A. C. Gour-
lie is proprietor, is located at 309 Zack street.
This busy little shop, while not very spacious,
surely does display a real busy atmosphere. I
called at least half a dozen times before I lo-
cated Mr. Gourlie for he was either on a job
selling a piano or on some other sales mission.
He has been in the music line for eighteen
years and features the Chickering, Ampico,
Haynes-Franklin and Ivers & Pond pianos, the
Sonora phonograph line, various makes of
records, a small assortment of popular music
based on the recent phonograph releases and a
selected stock of a few instruction books.
Mr. Gourlie is very optimistic about Florida.
He claims that nothing but real prosperity is in
store for him as well as for the rest of the
music merchants in the State. Music, accord-
ing to Mr. Gourlie, plays a very important part
in the lives of the people, particularly in
Tampa. There is a Friday Morning Musical
Society, Community Players, a big chorus of
mixed voices (more than 120 participants) and
many other musical organizations. Aside from
this work, Mr. Gourlie is doing a great deal
in the pipe organ field, having recently taken
a contract for the First Baptist Church for the
installation of a $25,000 Midmer-Losh pipe or-
gan. His business is well organized. Mr.
Gourlie can easily be described as a thought-
ful, courageous and pleasant individual. He
claims that the climate of Florida helps a great
deal toward making the people light-hearted.
It is also a well-known fact that a light heart
lives the longest and a merry heart goes all
day. Florida sunshine is the best doctor for
spreading cheerfulness among its people.
M. L. Price Music Co., Inc.
M. L. Price is the president of this company,
J. Valero, vice-president, and Frank Heinrich,
treasurer. It occupies a fine establishment at
Tampa and Zack streets, with an additional
store, two doors above, which it uses as a piano
salesroom. This company features the Kran^
ich & Bach, Hobart M. Cable and Wurlitzei
pianos, t lie Conn line of band instruments,
Leedy drums and a large selection of imported
violins and sundries. The sheet music depart-
ment, while small in size, carries and features
the entire Schirmer Library edition, the famous
Century and about every conceivable line of
any commercial value in the standard lines of
sheet music, books and studies. It is the State
jobber for the Conn band instruments and
Leedy drums.
Mr. Price surely treated me very nicely. He
cashed my check, although this was my first
meeting with him and my only introduction
was my business card. He is the leader of the
Shriners' local band, a member of the Kiwanis,
the Board of Trade in this city and interested
in many other local organizations. During my
stay in Tampa, which was for a period of sev-
eral days due to the fascination and charm of
the climate, I called on Mr. Price a number of
times. During each call I found him and his
establishment exceptionally busy. He believes
that nature has done a lot for Florida and its
people. Nevertheless, Florida is no place for
the man who tries to let Nature do it all, any
more than any other part of the country. In
other words, to get results you must stick to
the mast for a steady long and strong pull to
keep the business afloat. That, Mr. Price be-
lieves, is necessary at all times and he has found
it to be so from practical experience in his own
business. It is quite evident that he has an
excellent working crew.'
The authority or encyclopedia of the sheet
music department of this concern is C. M.
Baker. He is some "care-taker," the way he
takes care of the business for his department.
He hails from the Green Mountain State, the
land of maple sugar and honey—that is why
his disposition is so sunny.
Mr. Price also made a wise selection in ap-
pointing Fordie Kendle one of his specialists
on the saxophone. "Fordie" knows all the boys
around town, the wind-jammers of the wind
instruments, and is an expert saxophonist him-
self. Summing up the entire Price outfit, they
surely display plenty of harmony in peppy
tempo at Tampa.
Arthur Smith Music Co.
The Arthur Smith Music Co. is at 1107 Frank-
lin street and advertises the fact that it is agent
for the Brunswick phonographs, Radiolas,' Bald-
win pianos and phonograph records. It em-
phasizes the fact that its piano is the official
one used by the Chicago Civic Opera Company.
The sheet music department is of a conserva-
tive type, carrying live merchandise only, prin-
cipally popular and a few standards as well as
methods and studies.
Little did I know that Mr. Smith was located
in this city until one fine morning while in
Tampa, 1 took a long walk to Ybor (Ebo) City,
the Latin quarter. 1 was confronted with Mr.
Smith's sign on the window. He is another of
the persons who spotted me as the guilty one
writing articles for The Review. He had been
reading them religiously every week. While
Mr. Smith guessed right in that I was that
person, he had me in the wrong pew. He plead-
ed guilty to ignorance of my activities in the
music line. I promised I wouldn't hold it