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
Vogue of Musical Productions Shows
the Public's Interest in Popular Music
SONGS THAT SELL
Thirty Musical Productions Successfully Playing to New York Audiences, to Say
Nothing of Similar Productions Now Playing on the Road and in Large Cities
\ I 7 E hear at times that the popular music
* * business is not up to what are considered
normal dimensions. Of course, there is some
basis for such statements although they are
probably exaggerated. Despite the general in-
dication that sales are not as large as they were
some seasons back, they continue to be suffi-
cient to make the publisher prosperous. Many
are inclined to believe that while individual
numbers may not grow to the huge sales totals
of some seasons ago, this loss is made up by a
wider sale on a longer list of numbers.
If there are any who do not believe that the
popular business is not only active and profit-
able, a list of the musical comedies now play-
ing in New York should disabuse their minds.
This list, involving practically thirty musical
shows, has nothing, of course, to do with past
seasons' successes, many of which are appear-
ing regularly with one or more companies in
various parts of the United States and Canada.
In what are termed the good old days songs
from musical shows did not have much of a
sale until the show appeared in the territory,
and thus created a desire for the outstanding
numbers of the score. Therefore, in that
period to say that there were some thirty mu-
sical shows playing to capacity houses in New
York City carried no message for the merchant
in other parts of the country. All of this is
changed now and the shows appearing in New
York create a sale for the songs from that
production fairly quickly in many other parts
of the country. This is due to several facts.
One of them is that the moment a song or
songs from a production are recognized as suc-
cesses all of the talking machine record com-
panies and player roll manufacturers imme-
diately release them, thus giving them national
prominence through trade outlets. Generally,
too, the best numbers from many of the mu-
sical shows are placed in orchestrated form
and distributed to the leading orchestras for
instrumental use in every section of the coun-
try. In addition to this, some of the musical
productions encourage the performance for a
short time of their musical compositions by
specially selected broadcasting stations. Through
these activities present-day musical comedy
songs get wide publicity and exploitation and
create a sale for themselves in every section of
the country.
The prices for seats in musical shows in New
York City range nowadays from $3.30 to $6.60.
In order to be supported at such prices such
productions must be inviting and entertaining.
Being musical shows the songs of the produc-
tion must carry a very heavy part of this burden
in order to attract attention. Therefore, when
one states that there are thirty musical shows
in the city of New York now playing to ca-
pacity houses it gives assurance that all of these
productions have at least one outstanding song
and probably three or four supplementary num-
bers of meritorious character. Thus with thirty
shows you reasonably can state that there arc
ninety song successes. This in itself is quite a
catalog and in a measure is sufficient proof that
popular songs still have a wide sale. It is further
proof, too, that while the individual number
may not reach tremendous sales heights, the
sales are probably heavier than in previous days
but more widely distributed. When one considers
that, in addition to these ninety songs, there
are still many musical comedy successes of yes-
teryear continuing to entertain the playgoing
public in many other sections of the country,
we quickly get a very fair-sized demand dis-
tributed over a wide range.
On top of all this we, of course, have the cur-
rent popular successes. This leads one to be-
lieve that the popular music business is still very
active and that while purchases of individual
numbers may not be so large the entire catalogs
of publishing houses feel prosperous due to the
sales demand over more lengthy catalogs.
To say that there are thirty shows playing in
New York is only a reference to those which
are looked upon as successes. Besides these
thirty playing to capacity audiences week after
week, there are shows constantly coming and
going. Those that stay are of proven merit
and a little above ordinary caliber. A list of
the present season's successes may prove inter-
esting:
"Countess Maritza," "Song of the
Flame," "The Girl Friend," "Rufus Lemaire's
Affairs," "Peggy-Ann," "Honeymoon Lane,"
"Rose-Marie," Fred Stone in "Criss-Cross,"
"Queen High," "George White's Scandals," "No
No Nanette," "Miss Happiness," Marilyn Miller
in "Sunny," "Greenwich Village Follies," "Oh,
Please!" "Earl Carroll's Vanities," "The Ram-
blers," "Americana," "Big Boy" (Al Jolson),
"Student Prince," "Gay Paree," "Sweet Lady,"
"Twinkle Twinkle," "The Nightingale," "Katja,"
"Ziegfeld Revue," "Dearest Enemy," "Madon-
na," "Yes, Yes, Yvette," "Vagabond King,"
"Castles in the Air," "Oh, Kay" and "The
Desert Song."
American Composers Win
Compositions by two American composers
were chosen last week in London for perform-
ance at the international festival in Frankfort
next September. The composers are Henry F.
Gilbert, of Cambridge, Mass., and Aaron Cop-
land, of New York, the Associated Press an-
nounces.
The award was made public here by Alfred
Human, president of the American section of
the International Society for Contemporary
Music, on receipt of a cablegram from Louis
Gruenberg, New York composer and member
of the international music jury.
Gilbert's composition is an orchestra scoie of
"Dance in Place Congo." Copland's is "Music
for the Theatre," for a small orchestra.
"Gigolo" Now a Fox-Trot
"Gigolo" the new novelty fox-trot published
by M. Witmark & Sons, and written by John
Milton Hagen and Marian Gillespie, is being
31
Blue Skies (New) (Irving Berlin)
Because I Love You (Irving Berlin)
(I'm Tellin' the Birds—Tellln' the Been)
How I Love You
Put Your Arms Where They Belong:
•lust n Little Longer (Irving Berlin)
1 Never See Maggie Alone
Here or There as Long as I'm With You
My Baby Knows How
How Many Times (Irving Berlin)
Rags
Some Day
I'm on My Way Home (Irving Berlin)
When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob,
Bobbin' Along
Wait'll We're Married
Carolina Mine
That's What I Call a Pal
Song of Shanghai
Yankee Rose
I Never Knew What the Moonlight Could Do
That's a Good Girl (Irving Berlin)
At Peace With the World
Oh! How She Could Play a Ukulele
Susie's Feller
When I'm in Your Arms
Elsie Shultz-en-Heim
So Will 1
I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (If I Knew
I'd Find You)
I'd Love to Meet That Old Sweetheart of
Mine
Remember
Always
Let's Make Up
In the Middle of the Night
Roses Remind Me of You
Tonight's My Night With Baby
Pretty Cinderella
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BOOKS THAT SELL
X
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New Universal Dance Folio No. 13
Special Edition for 1927
Peterson's Ukulele Method
World's Favorite Songs
Tiddle De Ukes
Strum It With Crumlt
Irving Berlin's Song Gems
From the Musical Comedy Sensation
"THE COCOANUTS"
Tlng-aling the Bell'Il Ring
Why Do You Want to Know Why?
Florida By the Sea
The Monkey Doodle Doo
Lucky Boy
We Should Care
IRVING BERLIN, Inc.
1607 Broadway, New York
programmed frequently by many orchestras.
Seemingly it is an unusual dance selection and
calls for repeated encores.
Edward B. Marks on Cruise
Edward B. Marks, head of the Edward B.
Marks Music Co., sailed early this month on
the S. S. Reliance for a tour of the West Indies,
accompanied by Mrs. Marks and Mr. & Mrs.
Sol Stern. Mr. Marks besides looking forward
to a trip of relaxation and pleasure will visit
many trade centers covering 4,000 miles.