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52
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Conditions Among the Sheet
Music Merchants of Philadelphia
Maurice Richmond, of the Richmond Music Supply Corp., New York, Tells of the Conditions
Existing Among the Retail Merchants There—Written Exclusively for The Review
PHILADELPHIA, PA., February 21— Phila-
delphia, the Quaker town, the third largest
city in the United States, with a population
close to 2,000,000 inhabitants, a city of homes
and churches is just
two hours' ride on the
famous "Pennsy" line
f r o m "Old Father
Knickerbocker." Mu-
sically speaking, Phila-
delphia has great ap-
preciation, we might
say extremely so. Back
in Colonial days it
was the center of mu-
sic where the lovers of
music built the first
Maurice Richmond hall o f music in that
city. Back in 1860, the famous Adelina Patti
sang in "Barber of Seville" in the old Academy
of Music. The true appreciation of music in
"Philly" is also demonstrated through the fa-
mous old Liberty Bell. This inspiration of
music worked overtime to the extent that it
cracked, nevertheless, it still retains its clear
tone, though partly husky, so to speak.
Theodore Presser Co.
The Theodore Presser Co., nearly two years
ago, celebrated its fortieth anniversary. This
was an important event, not only to the local
community but to the general trade, profes-
sional musician, student and teacher as well.
This institution is engineered by Mr. Presser
himself, who is in immediate touch with his
business every day, a very democratic man of
many philanthropies. Mr. Presser is also well
known through that wonderful gift of having
built a home for the music teachers as well as
scholarships given to young musicians, likewise
the Presser Foundation.
The head of the retail department is Johnnie
Blaetz. He is also the head of the list of the
traveling men for this concern, one of those
peppy sort of individuals, always alert and
watchful and extremely courteous to all he
comes in contact with. The trade department,
which looks after the general correspondence
and detail, is headed by John Kane, who has
engineered his work very successfully. Henry
B. MacCoy handles the general mail and does
it in the real military fashion. Those of us
who have the least idea of what that task con-
sists of are not envious of our genial friend,
Henry B. There are three other boys who are
obliged to study the maps and railroads of mu-
sic centres throughout the country, Dan Shields,
Milton Wood and the latest addition, Billy
Shaw. Two of the real old-timers in the indus-
try are within the walls of this house: George
H. Benzon in the retail department, J. B. Over-
beck in the wholesale department. Mr. Over-
beck began as a boy with the John Church Co.
in Cincinnati. Another individual worthy of
mention is J. H. Waack, over thirty-five years
in the industry. He had his beginning with the
"Rohlfing House" of Milwaukee, when it was
in its prosperous days. Howard Harner is also
another old veteran, yet young in years, and
had his beginning with the house of "Yost."
John Wanamaker
The House of Wanamaker is without a doubt
the most important institution in Philadelphia.
It is an emporium of every conceivable line of
merchandise produced throughout the world,
with a large music department ably managed
by William H. Boner. This music section had
its start with Mr. Boner's dad, William Boner,
thirty years ago. Very little escapes Mr.
Boner's personal attention. Every line of pub-
lications is carried complete, with the exception
of band and orchestra music. A great deal of
space is devoted in displaying the standard lines
of vocal music and books, octavo publications,
and a large and varied assortment of what is
termed "show music."
It is really remarkable what a pleasant home
and a cheerful life companion can do for one.
That has been well exemplified with Mr. Boner.
He surely has a pleasant way about him, is
evidently very happy and claims a good deal of
it is due to the fact that his wife is a good
cook, and that King George of England doesn't
get any better eggs for breakfast than he does,
and nice crisp bacon always goes with them.
M. D. Swisher
When you think of Philadelphia you think of
Swisher, undoubtedly because he is the largest
single consumer in his line in the city, being a
jobber and wholesaler of the so-called popular
music and books, player rolls, phonograph rec-
ords and sundries. I can truthfully say that
M. D. Swisher is the "daddy of them all" so
far as jobbers are concerned, with forty years
of uninterrupted service to the trade, occupying
a five-story building, his own property, devoted
entirely to his own business. While Mr.
Swisher is past sixty, he is still termed and
really is a young man. He has been very suc-
cessful in his line, is a great favorite, and pos-
sesses the type of personal magnetism that is
so essential to success. But the rolling up of
the silver dollar is not entirely Mr. Swisher's
goal, for he takes an active part in many welfare
organizations. He spends his Winters at Miami
Beach, Fla., and there his popularity is most
extraordinary and extreme. Even the little tots
on the beach are greeted with his pleasant
smile. His summers are spent ' at Wildwood
Crest, N. J., but regardless of this fact, he is
in constant touch with his business. Miss Delia
E. Gregory, head bookkeeper, has been asso-
ciated with this firm for fourteen years and is
the type of feminine individual that always dis-
plays hospitality. She must have been born
with a smile.
The managing director everyone knows as
"Ed" Swisher, the nephew of M. D. Swisher.
This tall and energetic young fellow, while
married, is very happy and possesses real sales-
manship ability. When he makes up his mind
to sell something, he can surely put it over. If
he happens to have an overstock of any publica-
tion he can clean the counter. He can sell you
"If Winter Comes", though it may be 110 in the
shade in the middle of July, and make you like
it. Did you ever see a scene in the movies
where a sign "boy wanted" appears on the
front door and a thin, freckle-faced boy takes
the sign off, brings it in the store, asks for the
proprietor, hires himself immediately, tears up
the sign and proclaims the transaction is closed?
The original author of this instance was young
Ed, who comin' home from school, visiting Un-
cle, had enough of school and wanted to go to
work.
I do want to say a few more things about
M. D. Swisher. A tall and splendid figure,
with a keen eye and a pleasant one, ever helpful
and so pleasing to talk to. He is a hundred
per cent Rotarian and a past master of that
famous manly sport, "knowing horses," for he
has had many. The old-timers still have a
vivid recollection of this individual, riding
around in his one-man runabout, as one of his
hobbies. He surely is a high-class, stately-
looking figure, stands erect, a real shining light
and so well spoken of generally in the trade.
"Ed" Swisher attributes the growth of their
business to the fact that they have no "hang-
overs"—all orders are filled the same day they
are received. This place might be termed "a
busy musical beehive." In order to see "Ed"
it is best to get around before breakfast and
then catch him on the run.
FEBRUARY 28,
1925
Charles Dumont has been twenty-eight years
in the industry and is also a valuable asset to
this concern, inasmuch as he possesses an un-
limited amount of knowledge stored away in his
upper story and expresses a desire at all times
to give co-operation to the customer who is
seeking information.
A Schirmer Visitor
Gus Powers, representing the interests of G.
Schirmer, of New York, came to town and an-
chored for a few days, as it surely does take
quite some time for the trade to check up the
many thousand items in the Schirmer catalog.
Gus, who is never a fuss, is really a congenial
sort, exceedingly popular with the trade. He
is returning from a business trip from St. Louis,
East, and Canada. He is demonstrating the
usual Schirmer policy of first and last for the
dealer. His experience, having met many im-
portant music men on this trip, discloses the
fact that the net marking on music is what the
dealer really wants, and he is hopeful that every
publisher will get in line for this Federal Trade
Commission request. One of the big selling
items in the Schirmer catalog is a collection
entitled, "Motion Picture Moods for the
Pianist and Organist," by Erno Rappe. Two
other splendid vocal solos are "The Song of
Gladness," by Speaks, and "Trees," by Rosbach.
H. A. Weymann & Son
Weymann's, at 1108 Chestnut street, use for
their slogan, "everything musical since 1864."
They are wholesalers and retailers in many
lines. The officers of this company are as fol-
lows: Harry W. Weymann, president and gen-
eral manager; Albert C. Weymann, secretary
and treasurer; H. P. Weymann, vice-president;
Herbert W. Weymann, assistant secretary.
They are manufacturers of the famous Wey-
mann line of stringed instruments bearing the
trade-mark "Keystone State"; distributors to
the trade of the entire Victor line; jobbers of
musical merchandise and musical instruments
of every description. They occupy their own
building, five stories high and 235 feet long.
Their retail business is complete, all under one
roof, specializing on the Buescher saxophones
and band instruments. They employ eighty
people, fifty at their Chestnut street house and
thirty at their factory. To the discriminating
public, this house of music is exceedingly pleas-
ing for its pleasant surroundings.
The sheet music department is under the di-
rection of Elmer A. Naylor, who is assisted by
several clerks, well trained and capable of serv-
ing the public for every requirement of music.
The department is complete, carrying the best
library editions, standard works, vocal and in-
strumental, and every other branch of the sheet
music field is represented complete. Likewise
the popular music department displays an up-to-
the-minute atmosphere with all the dance tunes
that are in the air. Mr. Naylor has given a
great deal of attention to his window displays
of popular tunes and they have been helpful to
the music publisher in working out campaigns
from time to time, as these new ditties are in-
troduced in the various theatres. This splendid
idea originated with Naylor himself. When I
walked back into the music department, "El-
mer," as I know him, very proudly showed me
a copy of a brand new ballad he wrote with a
couple of other boys, Charlie Master and Lou
Herscher, entitled "Nobody Else Can Take
Your Place." These boys also wrote "Dream
Daddy" and "Dearie, I Still Love You," both
songs of fame. This publication is receiving
a great deal of publicity through the local
broadcasting stations as well as through the
many dance halls and hotels in this city and
surrounding territory, and we sincerely hope
that Elmer and the boys will make good with
this splendid musical poem.
New York Firms' Representatives
The New York music publishers find it neces-
sary to be represented locally, many of them re-
taining offices as follows: Leo Feist, repre-
sented by Floyd Kinney; Shapiro, Bernstein &
Co., represented by W. Pierce; Waterson, Berlin
& Snyder Co., represented by Frank Waterson;