Presto

SHEET MUSIC TRADE
TO PUBLISHERS
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THE COMBINED CIRCULATION
OF PRESTO (EST. 1884), AND MUS-
ICAL TIMES (EST. 1881), IS BY FAR
THE LARGEST IN THE FIELD OF
THE MUSIC TRADE. COMBINA-
TION RATES OF SPECIAL AT-
TRACTIVENESS FOR ADVERTIS-
ING SPACE IN BOTH PAPERS
WILL BE MADE TO MUSIC PUB-
LISHERS.
confront every visitor to the sheet music department.
It is a good rule to show the kind of music that is
selling. Don't waste the valuable space on the coun-
ters with "dead" music. By "dead'' is meant the num-
bers that have had their day and been declared has-
beens by the waning of popularity. When people are
looking for hits show the hits which have only a
brief period of popularity and will soon enough be on
the dead list. If people want a particular old thing
they will ask for it.
The main thing for the sheet music dealer to do is
to keep the stock down but up-to-date. You can
keep it down by selling the numbers when the de-
mand is spontaneous and good; you can keep it up-to-
date by keenly watching for the new hits. The alert
manager can anticipate popularity for a number and
be in at the earliest killing in sales. We never cut
prices on old numbers here, said the manager in con-
clusion, because we never allow music to get old. Of
course popular music is meant. There are standards
that never get old.
This department is designed to advance the sales
of sheet music, and give any current information in
the Sheet Music Trade.
This publication believes that Sheet Music will
pay the dealer, just as any other commodity pays MARK MUSIC WITH SELLING PRICE
those who merchandise it properly.
The conductor of this department will review
any numbers that are sent in "for the purpose. It is At Meeting of Publishers It Was Decided to Abandon
not the intent to criticise, but to review these offer-
a Very Old Custom.
ings, giving particular information of the theme and
At a trade practice submittal recently held with the
a description of the musical setting of the number
Federal Trade Commission in New York City, the
discussed.
publishers of standard sheet music, acting through
Address all communications to Conductor Sheet
the Music Publishers' Association of the United
Music Dept., Presto. 407 S. Dearborn, Chicago, 111. States,
adopted a resolution favoring the marking of
net prices, not subject to discount, on sheet music.
Publishers representing 95 per cent of the total out-
put of standard sheet music were present at the con-
ference, as well as a number of publishers of popular
music.
Sheet Music Department Manager Offers Sug-
The consensus of opinion was that "the printing
of a price on music from which to figure a discount
gestions How to Keep the Stock Down
is out of date and no longer serves any useful pur-
But Alluringly Up-to-Date.
pose; and no doubt opens up a way to the unscrupu-
lous to charge a higher price to unsuspecting persons
Once in a while a customer comes to the music than is contemplated by the publishers." In accord-
counter and naively remarks that he or she wants "to ance with this idea, the publishers of standard music
buy some sheet music." It is as often a woman— unanimously adopted the following resolution:
"Resolved, That we believe the proper way of
from whose sex one expects definiteness—as a man,
that shyly makes such a statement. The professional marking prices on music is to use the price at which
musician and musical person of either sex know their it is expected the music will sell at retail under con-
requirements and waste no words in stating them. ditions of normal competition."
The Federal Trade Commission has formally ap-
The timid people w T ho "want to buy some music" are
usually agreeable agents for somebody else, said a proved this resolution, believing that it expresses the
views of the entire music publishing industry. The
sheet music department manager this week.
The men who shyly express the desire to purchase publishers have been asked to fix a date at which the
music are invariably young, and the experienced change will be put in operation.
salesman or saleswoman intuitively understands the
circumstances and can make suggestions without
HELPING SHEET MUSIC SALES
much preliminary inquiry. The young man coming
on such a quest has a best girl who plays the piano
and probably sings as well. That's easy. He will Head of Musical College Explains How Good Rolls
know what he wants when he sees it. In ninety-nine
and Records Stimulate Music Students.
times out of a hundred he wants the popular things
Sheet music and music rolls and talking machine
you can sing or dance to.
You know he wants a fox-trot, blue or balled or records are mutually helpful, one to the other, accord-
maybe a waltz, but you feel he will become embar- ing to Miss Winifred Minturn, head of the Decatur
rassed if you quiz him as to his particular fancies. Musical College, Decatur, 111. Miss Minturn bases
The quickest and easiest way is to direct him to the her beliefs from her experiences and those of the
layout of popular productions. That is full of sug- students.
"When a student hears a record that he or she likes
gestions. Coming perhaps for one piece he eagerly
picks half a dozen surprises for the dearest girl in or that interests them they usually ask to be per-
mitted to include the music in sheet music form for
the world.
their lessons. And the principle works the other way,
The equally shy woman who states the indefinite too, which is helpful, as the records or rolls are usu-
wants is usually the mother of a budding musical ally reproductions of the playing of prominent artists.*
geuius or an admiring aunt. They know that the
"The appreciation of a music student for the finest
best kind of encouragement for the musical daughter
in music is increased by listening to good rolls and
or niece is more music of the kind the girl likes. records. The reproducing piano is a most potent aid
Directing them to the layout may also serve in this to the music teacher. The reproductions of artistic
case, but mother and aunt are not so quick to make a playing made possible by the rolls stimulates the
choice as the young man. But the customers can be music students by the finest kind of examples. On
served and satisfied after a few intelligent inquiries hearing good music reproduced in the reproducing
as to what the musical young lady specially favors.
piano the prompting of the earnest student is to buy
The hypothetical instances are only cited as argu- the sheet music of the piece and try, to emulate the
ments for the layout of popular music which should perfections of playing."
SELL THE HITS QUICKLY
MUSIC
9est
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Music Printers (
West of New York V
ANY PUBLISHER
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OUR REFERENCE
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BAYNEE, DALHEIM & C a
25
PRESTO
February 9, 1924.
Gladly Furnished
on Anything in Music
^^
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, WORK DONE BY
ALL PROCESSES
"2054-2060 W.Lake StChicagallL
ABILITY TO SELL JAZZ
Wise Dealers Know That the Rather Prevalent
Idea That It Sells Itself Is Erroneous
and Misleading.
The sheet music dealer must sell the.populars, even
the jazziest of the kind, but big sales of the jazz need
not be the limit of his ambitions. Every phase of
sheet music reflects human desire. And the variety
of the phases show the diversity of musical taste and
want of taste. Loads, mountains of music classified
as jazz sell over counters every year and jazz is to
be found in the best regulated families.
But although great amounts of the jazzy stuff is
sold, the experienced sheet music dealer does not fool
himself with the idea that it sells itself or is easy to
sell in quantities. Whether the store sells the music
or falls down on the job depends on the quality of the
jazz and the method of featuring it employed in the
store.
You can talk about quality in jazz because there are
master composers in this field. A great part of the
jazz-eared public wants the "art in jazz" variety,
which is a combination of melody and tricks. Then,
again, the salesman or saleswoman who succeeds at
selling jazz in big quantities is as much of a specialist
in a way as the composer of the jazz.
The person demonstrating at the piano also must
be a specialist; must be possessed of the jazz under-
standing and must, above all things, be able to convey
it to others. He must be familiar with the idiosyn-
crasies of the composers and understand every twist
of the jazz-buying mind. He knows that jazz is no
thriller unless it is interpreted by one with the under-
standing and the ability to give it the particular zip
that distinguishes it.
One pianist will hammer away all day at the piano
demonstrating populars without creating any desire
to buy in the listeners. He lacks the power of ap-
peal to jazz ears. But the pianist who can appeal to
REMICK SONG HITS
Nearer and Dearer
Watchin' the Moon Rise
Until Tomorrow
Nobody Knows but My Pillow
and Me
The Old Folks at Home
Arizona Stars
Barney Google
Beside a Babbling Brook
You Can't Make a Fool Out of Me
Big Blond Mamma
First, Last and Always
Somebody's Wrong
Do You, Don't You, Will You,
Won't You?
Tweet, Tweet
Lou'siana
J. H. REMICK & CO.
New York
Chicago
Detroit
SONGS THAT SELL
"I Ain't No Sheik, Just Sweet Papa,
That's All."
"I've Got a Man of My Own."
"Houston Blues." "The Fives."
"Muscle Shoals Blues." "The Rocks."
"You Have a Home Somewhere."
"Up the Country Blues."
"Shorty George Blues."
"I've Found a Sweetheart."
"Mammy's Little Brown Rose."
and the Sensational Waltz Success
"AT SUNDOWN"
Order From Your Jobber or Direct.
Geo. W. Thomas Music Co.
428 Bowen Ave.
Chicago, U. S. A.
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