Music Trade Review

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50
THE
No Pre-Holiday Slump
Found in Popular Field
Demand for Popular Prints Keeping Up in Very
Satisfactory Manner—A Change in the Usual
Situation
So far in December the popular music busi-
ness has shown no pre-holiday slump. In for-
mer years at about this period there was a ten-
dency to curtail purchases due to a lessening
in demand on the part of the public.
Considering the merit of current successes it
is more than likely that the Christmas season
will be weathered by popular publishers with-
out any substantial decrease in sales. The cur-
tailment in former seasons was not based upon
the lack of enthusiasm on the part of music
puchasers, but was due to their devoting all of
their time in other directions, mostly Christmas
purchases.
If the appeal of popular songs is strong'
enough, as they certainly are this season, there
should be no reason why the tendency to avoid
the music store should not be overcome. A
little more activity, more intense campaigning,
should do the trick.
Late last Summer when all the popular pub-
lishers started their early Fall campaigns, both
the sheet music and popular record business
showed a sales spurt that has continued on a
rising scale. This was just another proof which
has often been admitted by popular publishers
that if the lure of the song is strong enough
music purchasers can be attracted to the sales
counters even in the hottest Summer weather.
Sales this year should go over the holiday pe-
riod on a normal Fall scale. The successes
in the various outstanding catalogs practically
assure this activity. No popular publisher to-
day can afford to let down for a minute in his
exploitation program. In the first place he is
under just so much expense whether business is
at its height or on the wane. Offices must
be kept open and salaries and expenses paid.
The second factor is that under the present
methods of publishing and selling songs and due
to a restricted sales total in comparison with
those of several years ago, it is necessary to get
the most out of each number that shows any
activity.
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
DECEMBER 19, 1925
No popular publisher will recognize a Christ-
mas period as a deterrent to sales. He has too "Lullaby Lane" a New
much at stake and there is certainly no reason
Kind of Mother Song
for any lessened activity when so many songs
have shown that they are of sales caliber in New Witmark Number by Leo Wood and
good proportion.
Harry de Costa an Original Treatment of
an Old Theme
"Know the Series" Contest
Takes an Immediate Hold
Mother songs come and "o, and some few
of them go on forever. As a perennial theme
for popular songs the mother motif wears well.
Large Number of Entries Made in Unique Con- All the same, it is not an easy one to handle.
test Sponsored by M. Witmark & Sons
It can be and often is overdone. Two boys,
who have had considerable success in the mak-
Music dealers and a host of their sales clerks ing of songs that catch the passing fancy, Leo
have been quick to appreciate the novelty and Wood and Harry de Costa, seem to have hit on
unquestionable attractiveness of the now fam- an idea for a new mother song that they have
ous "Know the Series" cash prize contest inau- been successful in working out to a really happy
gurated by M. Witmark & Sons in the interest actuality. Its title is "Lullaby Lane" and it is
of the Witmark Black and White Series. a Witmark number. Lullabies and lanes and
Batches of letters from intending contestants mothers have all figured pretty numerously in
have arrived daily, all indicating a lively inter- popular song catalogs ever since there were any,
est in the scheme so ingeniously worked out by but the writers of "Lullaby Lane" have mixed
the promoters of this unusual publicity stunt, these ingredients in a master fashion. The re-
and some of these communications are of a sult is a corking good song, with a melody that
character to show the sales clerk to be fully as sticks and gets there with one hearing, and a
shrewd and alert as any smart salesman who real bit of sentiment in the lyric that is happily
ever took to the road. The requests for enroll- far removed from the sickly variety. It is a
ment blanks continue to come in in a steady simple story of a heart that reminisces about
stream and there seems good reason for believ- the dear old times years agone when mother
ing that most of the people directly interested sang her lad to sleep. There are a lot of us
in the actual selling of the many fine numbers who would like to wander down this lullaby
of the Witmark Black and White Series are lane again if it was not so far awaj The next
now busily figuring out the fascinating prob- best thing to that is to hear and s'w^, this song.
lems offered by the contest.
It leaves a sweet taste. Lots of vaudeville acts
The closing date for entries, that is to say, are rightly falling for it and all of them report
the final submission of the solutions to the it a big go. The publishers have been quick to
problems presented, is February 15, and the an- note that "Lullaby Lane" took immediate hold.
nouncement of the prize winners will be made
just as soon after that as the mass of answers
New Gem Dance Folio
can be properly checked up. The dealer in
whose store the lucky first prize winner is em-
Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., Inc., has just an-
ployed will be presented with some valuable nounced its mid-season book No. 2 "Gem Dance
publicity and a nation-wide campaign featuring Folio" for 1926. The contents contain some of
his business.
the best successes of the year, including ", c 'ave
The general verdict of the contestants now Your Sorrow for Tomorrow," "Collegiate,"
intensively engaged in "filling in the blanks" "Oh Boy, What a Girl" and "Paddlin' Made-
seems to be that for real novelty and practical lin' Home."
value in the acquisition of useful sales knowl-
edge, the "Know the Series" contest is unique.
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
Resides that, all agree enthusiastically that it is The Review. In it advertisements are inserted
lots of fun.
free of charge for men who desire positions.
M. B. Marks on Trip
Your Teachers Will Appreciate the
50 New Numbers Now Ready
(With New Catalogs) for 1926!
Carefully Edited, Correctly Graded.
Perfectly Printed on the Best Paper.
Low
Cost, Dig Profits!
AT THE HEAD OF ITS CLASS!
World Famous
McKINLEY
MUSIC
FIFTEEN CENT
GROWS
and GROWS a n d GROWS!
MR. DEALER: Are You 1 Handling tlie Ea»y
SHUng "Bl» Profit" Ivlne ? A Choice Stock of
1207 Assorted Music, Vocal, Piano, Piano
Duets, Violin And Piano, Saxophone and
Piano, etc., Installed at Very Low Cost.
All of the Best Reprints and More Big
Spiling: Copyrights Than Any Other Low-
Frlced Edition!
Liberal Sales Plan.
Write for Samples.
McKInley Music Co.
15O1-151T East 33m St. - Chicago
Max B. Marks, for over a score of years head
of the business department of his brother's firm,
the Edward B. Marks Music Co., sailed early
this month for an extended vacation in Cuba,
Panama and Central America. Mr. Marks is
accompanied on this his first real holiday by
his wife and their son, Stephen S. Marks.
MONTROSE,
COLO.,
December
12.—The Hub
Variety Store here recently purchased the sheet
music department of the Vorbeck Store, which
is closing out. This will add considerably to
the sheet music department of the Hub Store.
BUY YOUR MUSIC FROM
BOSTON Publishers
Oliver Ditson Company
BOSTON
NEW YORK
Anticipate and lupply Erery Requirement of Muaic
Dealers
White-Smith Music Pub. Co.
PUBLISHERS. Pamrats
Don't Be Without
These Numbers
Brown Eyes, Why Are You
Blue?
Smile a Little Bit
Normandy
Dream Pal
Tomorrow Mornin'
All the Hits from
The Vagabond King
—by Rudolf Friml
Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co.
Strand Theatre BIdg.
New York
AMD EIKHLAVKSS or Music
Vain Oflices: 40-44 Winchester S t . Beaton.
Branca Houses: New York and Chicago.
ROBERT TELLER SONS & DORNER
Music Engravers and Printer*
SEND MANUSCRIPT AND IDEA OP
TITLE FOR ESTIMATE
311 West 43rd Street
New York City
OUVY PUBLISHER. OUR REFEl
o^> c^> WRITE FOR PRICES
2054W.LAKE ST. CHICAGO ILL