Music Trade Review

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The Music Trade Review
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WALTER DONALDSON
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AUGUST 14, 1926
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Latest FOXTROT Sematiovi
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FEIST'
The Orchestra Leader-Composer and
His Relations With the Publishers
Position of Former Too Often Utilized to Bring Pressure to Bear Upon the Latter in Order to
Have His Compositions Published—The Situation This Condition Creates
DRESSURE is constantly being brought to
bear on music publishers to accept for pub-
lication songs written by orchestra leaders or
members of their musical combinations. This
is not confined to orchestra leaders of New
York and Chicago but includes hundreds of
numbers written by the heads of smaller musical
combinations throughout the country.
Some of these compositions, of course,
achieve success but a good many others are
produced as "just another fox-trot."
Even
numbers contributed from the leading musical
combinations generally must be re-vamped be-
fore they are possible as commercial proposi-
tions. Sometimes the music is passable although
even here the real musicians on the publisher's
staff must make necessary changes. Lyrically,
however, the first presentations are often most
amateurish. This is due to the fact that even
where the number has some musical value the
tendency to keep all of the royalties in the or-
chestra family makes the lyrics below standard.
If the orchestra writers would call in a real
lyric writer they would achieve a better song
combination.
Some of the orchestras that are playing in
prominent gathering places and are also doing
some radio broadcasting produce songs right
and left and place them with different publish-
ing houses. Such numbers are not selected for
their value but rather on a hit-and-miss basis,
hoping that one or two may attain success.
In the meantime the writers accept a nominal
advance which they consider a quick profit in
case the number does not become successful.
Now it is true that a publisher is justified
from time to time in taking songs from mem-
bers of orchestras. Many of these fellows are
real musicians and there is no reason why there
should not come from such sources a few good
popular selections. Where the merit of the
number is unquestioned there should be no
obstacle to a publisher accepting it. But a good
many of the numbers placed in publishers'
hands have several other angles. Among these
is the weakness of the song writers who in
order to have their numbers played by or-
chestras cut some members of a musical or-
ganization in on the royalties and allow such
names to appear as co-authors. When the or-
chestra leader plays the number nightly but
will also try to include it in his talking machine
record work the chances of his being declared
in as a co-author are more promising.
The situation has now reached the point
where the number of compositions coming from
orchestra sources or in association with orches-
tras is exceeding the supply contributed by lyric
4 Donaldson Delight/
Fox Trot Ballad You'll Want
To Hear A^ain and
/
and music writers who make this work their
vocation. There is a consequent deterioration in
the quality. This is also one of the main rea-
sons why from time to time there are more
numbers than the market can really legitimately
absorb. As this over-supply became one of
the big problems of last year there is a feeling
that the problem should be straightened out
before it again reaches an acute stage.
Besides the dance orchestra, and the musical
combinations playing for records, the publishers
must also entertain the offerings that come
from the orchestras of photoplay houses. This,
together with the normal contributions from
publishing staffs and freelance song writers,
makes for over-production.
From the publishers' standpoint there is no
doubt that the majority of houses would like
to see the burden lightened. With so many
forces at present favoring the orchestra writers
the publishers as individuals cannot afford to
appear arbitrary. Furthermore they want qual-
ity offerings of any orchestras.
Some of the orchestra leaders have become
quite spoiled through the manner in which they
have been solicited for song plugs and from
the money that has accrued to them from being
recognized as co-authors Several of them have
reached the "prima donna" stage and are hard
to handle on anything in which they have not
an individual interest. If nothing else straightens
out the difficulty, this "high hat" attitude may
be the means of concentrating attention on the
situation.
The legitimate song writers were writing suc-
cessful fox-trots before the advent of the pres-
ent-day dance orchestra. It is the modern fox-
trot that brought on the success of to-day's
musical combinations. At least it is the main
factor for attracting the youth of the country
to the orchestra field. It was the prevalence
of the fox-trot and the continuance of meri-
torious dance numbers by legitimate writers
that gave the present-day orchestra its place in
the sun. Incidentally it was the consistent
writing of alluring and magnetic dance music
that opened up a larger and larger dance field.
To the modern fox-trot, and most of theso
written by song writers who devoted their time
exclusively to the writing of compositions with
wide appeal, can be credited the present-day
large salaries that musical combinations receive.
If the merit of the present-day musical offer-
ings are not kept on a fairly high plane, the
ascendency and popularity of the modern or-
chestra may spend itself. It may do so anyhow
because the fox-trot that made such organiza-
tions so popular may be supplanted by an en-
SONG "\\WM h
•
tirely different type of music. If this proves
true it will probably be a type that the average
writer who turns out a fox-trot will not be able
to produce with such ease.
Fred Stewart Rejoins
the E. B. Marks Go.
Will Cover Important Centers East of the
Mississippi River for Music Publishing Firm
Fred Stewart, who was associated with the
Edward B. Marks Music Co. from 1902-1918, has
rejoined that organization. Mr. Stewart is well
known in the musical merchandise and sheet
music fields. His father, S. S. Stewart, was
known throughout the country as "The Banjo
King."
After leaving the Marks concern Mr. Stewart
was associated with the New York Talking
Machine Co., well-known Victor jobber. Later
he entered the retail field as manager of the
Arthora Victrola & Radio Store in Stamford,
Conn.
Mr. Stewart will leave on his first trip to
the trade covering the important centers east
o.f the Mississippi River shortly after the middle
of August.
Featured by Richman
"When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob Bob
Bobbin' Along," one of the newer numbers in
the catalog of Irving Berlin, Inc., is used by
Harry Richman as a feature number in this
season's "George White's Scandals." It is also
School, Lodge and
Assembly Marches
March Victorious
(Mabel Metzger-Wright)
Pacific Patrol
(Mabel Metzger-Wright)
Reliance March
(Clifford)
Victorious Eagle
(Rosey)
American Beauty March
(Williams)
Knights of Columbus March
(Clifford)
Valiant Volunteers
(Mabel Metzger-Wright)
Order Through Jobber or Direct
Hinds, Hayden & Eldredge, Inc.
Publishers
New York City