Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1931 Vol. 90 N. 3

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
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PIANTADOSI NOW ROBBINS
PROFESSIONAL MANAGER
Arthur Piantadosi, one of the best-known
figures in music business, was recently ap-
pointed professional manager of the Robbins
Music Corp.
Piantadosi succeeds Elmore
White, who is no longer associated with that
firm.
Arthur Piantadosi entered the music business
in 1912 in the capacity of act man for
Shapiro, Bernstein. Soon after he became
MUSIC
sales, but last year it is doubtful if any one
number passed the million-mark.
When it is all said and done, however, the
business basically is the same business as it
was a half century ago or more. There are
new faces in the publishing houses and new
names on the title pages, but the new ideas
are few and far between and, as a matter
of fact, this is not to be taken as any special
criticism of the popular song writers of to-
day, for human emotions have remained
about the same since the beginning of time
and their living depends on appealing to
those emotions. What is said to be one of
the first songs to be written with English
words is "Drink to Me Only With Thine
Eyes," which is still extremely popular
despite the fact that the sentiment is more
logical to-day in the United States than it
was in England several hundred years ago,
yet many of the popular love songs of the
day have the singer giving the same kind
of hooey to his lady-love, although in other
words. Where does the newness come in?
MUSIC PUBLISHERS
WORK TO CHECK EVILS
ARTHUR PIANTADOSI
assistant manager to Joe Goodwin, who was
then professional manager for that organiza-
tion.
In 1919 he joined the firm of Al Pianta-
dosi, acting as general manager, returning
two years later to Shapiro, Bernstein, as pro-
fessional manager.
In 1929 he started the firm of George &
Arthur Piantadosi Music Co. This was a
Warner Brothers subsidiary and the firm's
catalog was later absorbed by Remick.
Shortly after this he became director of the
music department of Vitaphone, remaining
in that office until last September, when he
joined the Robbins Music Corp. as assistant
to Elmore White, whom he has succeeded.
WHEN ALL'S SAID AND DONE
POPULAR MUSIC'S THE SAME
(Continued from Page 7)
to "Kitty From Kansas City," another song
old enough to vote.
Perhaps the popular song from the mer-
chandising angle is not so strong just now
as it has been at various times in its history.
Its greatest vogue was during the period
when such music was retailed at 10 cents
or even less, and a song with any hit qual-
ities at all could crowd the two-million-mark
in point of sales. Increased costs naturally
struck the music publishing field as they did
every other line of industry, which meant
that the price of popular music advanced to
from 25 to 35 cents a copy. In the long run,
this worked out fairly well for the trade in
view of the increased margin of profit thus
made available, but it did cut down unit
sales figures. During the past couple of
years there have been only two or three songs
that approached the two-million-mark in
The members of the Music Publishers'
Protective Association have held several
meetings recently for the purpose of discus-
sing ways and means for checking the grow-
ing practice of paying orchestra leaders for
the exploitation of songs of the popular
variety. Although the regulations of the
Association prohibit the payment of fees in
any form for the plugging of songs, the
new evil has crept up nevertheless, and has
become serious enough to warrant considera-
tion.
It was the general opinion of the music
publishers at the meetings that not only
should the payment of orchestra leaders for
the promotion of music be brought to a stop,
but that consideration is to be given to the
possibilities of having the orchestras pay for
the use of copyrighted numbers. Naturally,
there was much doubt as to the practicability
of the latter suggestion.
At the meetings several other evils that
have crept into the publishers' field as the re-
sult of unsatisfactory business conditions were
discussed with the view to discovering some
remedv.
WILL ROGERS COMMENTS
ON "PEANUT VENDOR"
In his daily comment in the New York Times
and some 500 other papers recently, Will
Rogers had the following to say regarding the
Marks hit "The Peanut Vendor." "One thing
about this 'Peanut Vendor,' it's popular, but
you don't know how it goes till you hear it.
Nobody can whistle it, that's what makes it
the greatest bit of music during our time."
J. J. Robbins to Visit Coast
T. J. Robbins, head of the Robbins Music
Corp., left New York February 20 for a trip
which will take him to important cities be-
tween New York and Los Angeles. He spent
a week in Chicago, and thence departed for
Los Angeles to confer with studio executives.
Mr. Robbins expects to be gone about five
weeks and upon his return will prepare him-
self for another European trip which he will
undertake early next Spring.
TRADE
REVIEW,
M a r c h , 1931
PRESSER BUYS OUT
OLIVER DITSON CO.
The music publishing interest of the
Oliver Ditson Co. of Boston and New York
was sold early in February to the Theodore
Presser Co., Philadelphia, which concern pur-
chased all the stock in trade, copyrights, plates,
good will and name of the Oliver Ditson Co.
The former owners, however, retain the
very large business in musical instruments,
radios, phonographs, etc., which will be con-
ducted under the name of Ditson Distribu-
tors, Inc., at 179 Tremont street, Boston. The
Djtson retail stores both in New York and
Boston have been closed.
The Oliver Ditson Co. was the oldest
music publishing house in the United States,
the business dating back to 1783 when Eben-
ezer Battelle opened his Boston Book Store at
8 State street with a collection of "musick
books."
The Albany, N. Y., division of the Ditson
Co. engaged in the wholesaling of Victor
radio and phonograph products will be con-
tinued under the same local management by
Ditson Distributors, Inc.
VESTAL COPYRIGHT BILL
REPORTED TO SENATE
The Vestal copyright revision bill was re-
ported favorably to the Senate on February
23 by the Committee on Patents, with a num-
ber of amendments designed to clarify the
bill as passed by the House and to facilitate
its enactment before Congress adjourns. A
number of the amendments as well as sec-
tions of the bill itself have aroused much
controversy among various interests, and it
is likely .that other changes will be made.
SAM FOX REVIVES OLD-
TIME SONG SUCCESS
Inasmuch as the revival of popular songs
of a score of years or more ago seems to be
quite the rage, it is interesting to learn that
the Sam Fox Publishing Co. has arranged
for the revival of the song "You're As Pretty
As a Picture" by John F. Barth, which was
a big hit about twenty-five years ago. The
company has issued an attractive new edition
of the song.
Winkler With Remick
Dan Winkler, formerly an executive with
DeSylva, Brown & Henderson, has been ap-
pointed executive vice-president of the Rem-
ick Music Corp., of which Jerome Keit is,
president. Bobby Crawford, in general
charge of the Warner Bros, music interest,
will direct the affairs of DeSylva, Brown &
Henderson in addition to his other duties.
Flaherty With New Concern
Pat J. Flaherty, formerly general man-
ager of the Red Star Music Co., has become
vice-president and general manager of the
Charlotte-Irving Music Co., which recently
entered the publishing field.
Stanley Mills Arrives
Jack Mills, head of the well-known music
publishing house bearing his name, was pre-
sented by Mrs. Mills with a fine baby boy
on February 18. He will be called Stanley.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
MUSICAL MERCHANDISE
PLANS COMPLETE FOR NATIONAL HIGH
SCHOOL ORCHESTRA AND BAND CAMP
DLANS are now under way to make the
National High School Orchestra and Band
Camp, located at Interlochen, Mich., a "big-
ber and better" camp for the coming summer.
All the buildings are to be given another
coat of paint. It is necessary to enlarge the
Bowl, to take care of the 300 high school
students who will be there this summer, and
the library and instrument rooms were found
to foe all too small to take care of the music
which is given out and the instruments which
are used by students and music supervisors
studying at the camp. The camp now owns
forty upright pianos, "some good, some not
so good," for it was found necessary to pur-
chase them to take care of the accompaniment
work and the many students who wished to
study piano under the two competent instruc-
tors on that instrument.
Two new practice rooms, of fourteen small
rooms each (seven in each have pianos in
them), have been built, through the gift of
Mr. Clinch, of Chicago and Traverse City.
More practice rooms could well be used, but
the funds are not now forthcoming. Class-
rooms are in constant use by the many teach-
ers at the camp, and we hope to add to their
number another year.
The road leading to the camp from the
main highway is to be paved this Spring,
so the directors of the camp took advantage
of this opportunity and are planning to have
some of the sandy paths paved, which will
help a lot.
A very fine athletic director has been en-
gaged, and he promises to have every student
at camp "swimming" before he or she leaves
for home. Field and track meets will be
held; instruction given in rowing, canoeing,
tennis, and archery for those who wish it;
and a swimming pageant will be held before
camp closes—thus giving ample recreation
to all at the camp.
The hospital at the camp is to be better
equipped; with a full-time doctor and reg-
istered nurse in constant attendance to take
care of any cases that may need attention;
so parents may feel assured their children
will be given as good medical care as is
possible.
Among the new features included in the
1931 plans of the National High School
Orchestra and Band Camp will be an
Alumni Camp for the former members of the
camp and of the National Orchestra, and a
few supervisors who play, with a limited
membership of 100 in 1931. The members
will be housed in modern dormitories, twelve
students to a cottage, while their program
of activities will parallel those of the High
School Camp, though the two groups will
not mix in any of the classes. The major
activities will include orchestra, band and
choir, each rehearsing two hours daily, while
courses in all branches of music and two
courses in education will also be offered with
college credits.
THG
MUSIC
TRADE
Another feature will be laboratory courses
in acoustics, conducted by John Redfield of
Columbia University, and another of "Music,
a Science and an Art." Mr. Redfield will
be assisted by engineers from various musical
instrument factories.
A feature of the season will be a massed
band of 1,000 players on "Sousa Day," when
the "grand old man of music" will conduct.
Edgar Stillman-Kelley, Dr. Howard Hanson,
Henri Verbrugghen and Hollis Dann are on
the list of scheduled guest conductors; and
others will be announced later.
Only a few changes will be made in the
faculty; and those changes will be made
mostly in the effort to provide only the best
teacher on each instrument of the orchestra.
Prof. A. A. Harding, of the University of
Illinois, will again conduct the band, which
was so successful last summer.
The vocal department of the camp this
coming summer will give as its features an
opera, in costume, and the oratorio "Crea-
tion," the latter augmented by adult choruses
trained by camp teachers in the surrounding
towns.
Visiting supervisors and parents are
always welcome, and escorts will be pro-
vided to show them through the camp at any
time. Visiting supervisors may audit classes
three days without fee.
FORM ARKANSAS SCHOOL
BAND ASSOCIATION
Organization of the Arkansas School
Band Association with the purpose of the
advancement of school bands in the state
has been announced by Roy V. Martin, direc-
tor of the Pine Bluff, Ark., public school
bands and secretary of the newly formed
body. L. Bruce Jones, director of the Little
Rock High School Band, is president; L.
O. Wallick, director of Monticello, Ark.,
High School Band, is vice-president; C. S.
Carter, director of the Fort Smith, Ark.,
High School Band, is treasurer. A national
band contest is to be staged at Tulsa, Okla.,
in May. The Arkansas contest will be in
March or early April. Several contest fea-
tures, concert, marching, etc., will be spon-
sored.
OHIO VALLEY BAND
TOURNAMENT IN APRIL
The second annual Ohio Valley high
school band tournament will be held in East
Liverpool, O., during the latter part of April,
the Ohio Valley band tournament decided at
a recent meeting. Bands representing be-
tween ten and twelve high schools along the
Ohio river between East Liverpool and Bel-
laire will take part in the contest during the
afternoon and a street parade for marching
awards and selections by massed bands will
be featured in the evening.
REVIEW,
M a r c h , 1931
Prof H. F. Laughlin, supervisor of music
in the East Liverpool schools, has been re-
elected president of the tournament associa-
tion. Ohio Valley music dealers will co-op-
erate in holding the contest.
NATIONAL HARP FESTIVAL
TO BE HELD IN SYRACUSE
The national harp festival, one of the
most distinctive events of the musical year
in America, will be held in Syracuse, N. Y.,
in 1932.
Selection of that city for next year's fes-
tival was made by Carlos Salzedo, inter-
nationally famous harpist and president of
the National Association of Harpists, which
sponsors the festival. Lincoln auditorium at
Central high school was adjudged satisfac-
tory for a concert of 100 harps, which will
be the outstanding feature of the festival.
Announcement of the decision was made
by Salzedo to the Syracuse chapter of the
national association at a meeting conducted
in Clark's Music store. Melville Clark, who
is of the executive committee and treasurer
of the national association, and Miss Grace
Weymer, harp instructor in the College of
Fine Arts, Syracuse university, had an im-
portant part in bringing Syracuse to the
attention of the association.
Mr. Salzedo said that the festival will be
held some time in April. The 1931 festival,
which was the 11th annual event, was con-
ducted in Milwaukee, Wis. Previous fes-
tivals have been conducted in New York
City, Chicago, Providence, R. I., Indian-
apolis, Detroit, Los Angeles, Louisville,
Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Boston.
Noted harpists from all over the country
will attend the festival. The concert, pre-
senting a symphony of from 80 to 100 harps,
is an event which takes place only once a
year, and then at the national festival.
TWO NEW MODELS OF
EAGLE BRAND HARMONICAS
The Fred Gretsch Co.'s Western division
at 226 South Wabash avenue, Chicago, has
added two models to their own Eagle brand
harmonica line. These are an Eagle Chro-
matic, to retail at $1.50, and an Ampli-
phonic at $1.20 retail. These new styles have
already made a decided hit, particularly the
Eagle Chromatic.
Vice-president Nash said that President
Fred Gretsch is due at his Western branch
for a short visit. Meanwhile Win. Gretsch,
who makes his home in Chicago, takes occa-
sional aeroplane trips to his former home in
Brooklyn, and announces a preference for
the aeroplane over train or auto travel.
P. H. Monnig in Europe
Paul II. Monnig, head of Tonk Bros. Co.,
Chicago, sailed for Europe in mid-February
and will return about April 1. He spent
most of his time abroad in Germany, Austria,
and European sections where the factories he
represents are located.
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