Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By V. D. Walsh
The Music Trade of Los Angeles, One
of the Country's Greatest Musical Cities
SONGS THAT SELL
Maurice Richmond, Head of the Richmond Music Supply Corp., New York, Invades the South-
ern California Metropolis and Finds Things Busy There—Third Article
' I * H E popular music publishers in the industry
have confidence in Los Angeles and have
many high-class men on the job popularizing
their songs in this territory. The house of
Irving Berlin, Inc., is
represented by Charlie
Melson, termed the
miniature Paul White-
man. Leo Feist, Inc.,
lias Harry Coe, nick-
named the "Irisher."
M. Witmark's r e p e -
s e n t a t i v e is Mort
Nathan, "always work-
in', n e v e r
waitin'."
Agcr, Yellen & Horn-
stein's c a t a l o g
is
looked after by Bobby
Gross, a pocket edition
of Al Jolson. Shapiro,
Maurice Richmond
Bernstein & Co. are
taken care of by Harry Hume, who gets results
by clowning. Waterson's man is Benny Free-
man, always trying to make good. Sherman,
Clay & Co. have Harvey Orr, good to look at
and a nice fellow to deal with. Harms, Inc., is
represented by a sweet boy, Abe Sugarman, the
baby of the music business on the Coast. Vila
Moret, Inc., has Billy Hall, who always gets
there without a fall. Milton Weil gives his
"Worth Weil" songs to Earl Taylor to look
after. The Remick house has chosen the "Dea-
con," Walter Dupre. Lindsay McPhaeil rep-
resents L. B. Curtis and says his songs cannot
fail.
Neville Marple Co.
Bright and early one morning I interviewed
Harry Neville at the Wiley B. Allen Co.'s new
home at 720 South Broadway. The store was
just about ready for the formal opening. The
interior is decorated in gray with cream-colored
trimming. The entire store is splendidly laid
out and will no doubt prove one of the most
attractive music houses on South Broadway.
Neville was extremely busy getting his music
department in shape. It occupies a great deal
of space on the main floor and a large room
downstairs for octavo and orchestra music. The
Neville Marple Co. operates many stores in this
section, or rather in what is called the metro-
politan district of Greater Los Angeles. They
have the music departments in all the Platt
stores, the largest one being downtown at 620
South Broadway. The others are located at
Vernon avenue, Western avenue, Vermont ave-
nue, Hollywood and Long Beach, not over-
looking the old Schirmer stand at 630 South Hill
street.
Harry Neville claims that the net markings
have helped the business a great deal, giving
the firm a better margin to work on. He says
that it is the only salvation for the dealer, and
openly remarked that the publishers who are
sponsoring the net markings are the firms that
receive his heartiest co-operation.
Unfortunately I was unable to visit with the
other member of the firm, Herbert Marple. He
spends a good deal of time covering the circuit
and I did not see him while I was in the city.
The Neville-Marple department at 630 South
Hill street is looked after by Colonel DeMotte,
the old veteran of the music business on the
Pacific Coast. He still enjoys his daily work
without a pause and doesn't shirk. The old
gent is a corker and an old-time New
Yorker. While old, he is really young and
claims that a man in good health is young al
sixty, but a man in poor health is old at thirty.
Age is an accomplishment when accompanied
by the strength to do and the will to work.
Mort Beck
Waterson, Berlin & Snydcr's high-geared
traveling representative was calling on the
trade when I was here. I ran into him at the
Southern California Co. and he stated that the
fox-trot song "Dinah" is a big hit throughout
the country. "Smile a Little Bit" is selling good,
and "Everything Is Gonna Be All Right," be-
sides being so, is the name of their new hit.
The means of publicity for this firm are its
radio crews—seven in number—working the en-
tire country. It lays more stress on the broad-
casting than the old-time professional work
soliciting the vaudeville singing acts. While
Mort only covered the high spots, he said he
was well received and that business was very
satisfactory.
Johnston's Harmony Shoppe
At 544 Broadway Mrs. Johnston operates a
unique music store where they have all the hits
all the time. The greatest part of the business
in this store is done on the popular hits of
the day, the light type of instruction books and
orchestrations. Mrs. Johnston has been in busi-
ness eighteen years. One cold Winter many
years ago at Hamilton, Ont., the Johnston fam-
ily thought they would make one straight bee-
line for southern California and landed in Los
Angeles. She spent nine years in one location
in the music business at 415 South Main street,
later at 408 South Broadway and two years ago
she moved to her present address. The store
is approximately twelve feet by forty-eight feet.
The display is very attractive, divided into panels
of orange and green. Many copies are dis-
played in these panels, in what can well be
termed an intelligent layout. Irving Berlin's
"Always" and "Neapolitan Nights," published
by Sam Fox, were the featured numbers in the
windows while I was in the city.
Aside from herself Mrs. Johnston has five
girls in the store, and with the excellent service
they give they are making lots of friends in this
location. The publication entitled "Longin',"
lyric and melody by Hal Jerome and Gloria
Gray, has been a feature with a big musical
act in which Mr. Johnston's son, Fred Johnston,
is a principal. The act is working all the big-
time vaudeville houses throughout the country.
Being a good student of psychology, Mrs.
Johnston knows how to approach the customers
of her store, particularly those who are oc-
casionally grouchy and hard to please. Cus-
tomers sometimes come to a place of business
disgruntled through some situation at home or
are perhaps dissatisfied about something that
happened on the way, so that they take it out on
the salesperson. Everyone has his day when he
wants to fight, but Mrs. Johnston makes her
point clear this way: "We are all selling some-
thing and the salesperson who can conquer the
cross-grained customer and send him about his
business smiling is a super-salesperson."
W. A. Quincke & Co.
W. A. Quincke makes his headquarters in Los
Angeles, in the publishing field of light, easy
leaching material, also specializing in many
At Peace With the World (Irving Berlin) —
New
Always (Irving Berlin)
Remember (Irving Berlin)
—
Don't Wait Too Long: (Irving Berlin)
Venetian Isles (Irving Berlin)
I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (If I Knew
I'd Find You)
Gimme a Little Kiss (Will Ya—Huh?)
Say It Again
—
In the Middle of the Night
To-night's My Night With Baby
Poor Papa (Has Got Nuthin' At All)
I Found a Roundabout Way to Heaven
When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob.
Bobbin' Along
—
Roses Remind Me of You
Put Your Arms Where They Belong
But I Do (You Know I Do)
Blue Bonnet—You Make Me Feel Blue
Then I'll Be Happy
I Never Knew
That Certain Party
—
—
I Wonder Where My Baby Is To-night
Yearning
If You Miss Me as I Miss You
What! No Women?
Pining for You
What Am I Supposed to Do?
The Wind Blew Thru His Whiskers
I Wish't I Was in Peoria
Yes, Sir! That's My Baby
The Roses Brought Me You
Oh, How I Miss You To-night
—
BOOKS THAT SELL
X
—
New Universal Dance Folio
No. 11
Edition Extraordinary—Just Out
Peterson's Ukulele Method
World's Favorite Songs
Tiddle De Ukes
Strum It With Crunlit
Irving Berlin's Song Gems
From the Musical Comedy Sensation
"THE COCOANUTS"
A Little Bungalow
Florida By the Sea
We Should Care
The Monkey Doodle Doo
Lucky Boy
IRVING BERLIN, Inc.
1607 Broadway, New York
vocal publications. His song, "Mexicali Rose,"
has been on the market for a few years and is
selling better than ever. While I tried to locate
Mr. Quincke personally at his office a number
of times, he evidently was busy calling on the
local trade or perhaps in some real estate deal,
for it was not my fortune to sec him.
Fred Smith
Well do I remember Freddy Smith, 'way back-
twenty years ago, in Chicago—round face, good
looking, plenty of sunshine within and without.
The C. J. Bond business then was as good as
gold bonds and it is just as good to-day. I've
never really found out the reason why Fred
moved to Los Angeles, but it must have been