Presto

May 3, 1924.
SHEET MUSIC TRADE
SHEET MUSIC SUCCESS
What Achievement Requires Is Well Within
the Giving in Every Store, But Many
Dealers Are Indifferent.
There are always reasons why the sheet music de-
partment in the music store does not pay a proht.
That many departments are operating without a profit
is well known in the trade, although the general
public has the reverse opinion. But sheet music de-
partments can be made profitable if the dealers take
advantage of all the opportunities to make money to
add to the store aggregate of profits.
One cause of failure to make the sheet music de-
partment pay is the foolish attitude of some dealers
towards the goods which they persist in considering a
sideline that is not worthy of much attention. They
conduct it loosely, omitting plain business-principles
in its management and are loud in their disappoint-
ment when it does not pay.
The piano dealer, musical merchandise dealer or
the general musical instrument dealer desirous of
making his business general in every sense of the
term has several things to consider when the decision
is made to add a sheet music line. To begin with the
location is important. You cannot stick it away in
any old corner. The sheet music department should
get the most prominent location in the store, on the
main floor, of course, and the best way is to arrange
it as an island section which customers can approach
from all points.
The element of display depends on the taste, en-
thusiasm and "gumption" of the person in charge.
There are no lack of novelties in the sheet music busi-
ness. They come every day but they must be sold
before the quality of novelty departs from them.
Nothing sells sheet music faster than good display
and proper demonstration. Of course, the dealer
should provide for displays of the new music in the
show windows and there is where the art of the win-
dow dresser will have a chance to exercise itself.
And provided with plenty of counter space, window
space and necessary opportunities for demonstrations,
the sheet music section should be further stimulated
by the outside advertising means afforded by tie-ups
with orchestras, theaters and musical affairs of inter-
est generally.
The sheet music stock is filled with things that sell
easily but the sales force should be warned against
the habit of selling along the lines of least resistance.
No salesman or saleswoman should lose pride and de-
teriorate into a mere parcel wrapper. The standards,
the fine old music that never, grows old, the music
books, students' books are things it takes more or less
effort to sell but the effort pays and the selling of
every commodity in the sheet music stock and not the
populars alone, constitute a real sheet music depart-
ment that grows and pays a profit.
FEATURE BOOKS ON MUSIC
Organ of Book Publishers Suggests Way to Sales to
Enterprising Dealers.
"Bookselling News," a publication of the National
Association of Book Publishers, published in New
York, suggests the booksellers capitalize on National
Music Week. This is printed:
"The bookseller and librarian can capitalize this
quickening of public interest in books on music, if
they will arrange special displays during Music Week,
and write to persons prominent in local musical
circles, and to churches and schools taking part in the
Week, mentioning the book exhibit, and suggesting
that books can help to create new music lovers as
well as increase the appreciation of people already
interested. Music merchants in every city will be
active in plans for the celebration of the week, and
bookstores may find ways of co-operating with them,
offering to loan books for their windows in exchange
for instruments borrowed to add variety to the book-
store window display."
N E W PUBLISHING HOUSE.
The Lipman-Schultz Music Publishers, Inc., is the
name of a new publishing house formed in Milwau-
kee recently. P. B. Cuttenstein, Carl Lipman and
C. A. Schuette are incorporators of the concern which
is capitalized at $25,000.
CLEVER DENVER WINDOW SHOW
The accompanying cut was
made from a recent display in
the show windows of the Dar-
row Music Co., Denver, Colo.
This window was a tie-up with
Al Jolson, who appeared in Den-
ver the week of April 6. Ac-
cording to R. J. Darrow, the
photograph does not give the
window justice. "We have al-
ways believed in windows and
have had some extremely attrac-
tive windows and some that have
attracted a great deal of atten-
tion, but do not think we have
ever put in a window that has
attracted the attention that this
one has," said Mr. Darrow, who
continued:
"To analyze the window will
bring out one outstanding fea-
ture and that is that the attention
getter of the window is the 1902 model Oldsmobile.
We selected this because we knew that it would attract
attention and were fortunate enough to obtain it from
the local Oldsmobile people for the Al Jolson win-
dow. You will notice the figure is supposed to rep-
resent Al Jolson and that we are featuring his song,
'I'm Goin' South.'
"Our idea of a window is one that sells merchan-
- 9est
Music Printers (
West of NewYorkV
ANY PUBLISHER
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OUR REFERENCE
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BAYNER DALHEIM scar
25
PRESTO
BETTER MUSIC FOR THE MOVIES
New List Compiled by General Federation of
Women's Clubs Printed by McKinley Music Co.
The National Federation of Women's Clubs has
for one of its activities the improvement of music in
motion picture theaters. It is considered a potent
means to an important end—the improvement of the
pictures. In a circular of the Federation a prominent
motion picture producer is quoted as saying: "If
you club women want good pictures, ask for good
music, for one cannot play good music to bad
pictures."
Mrs. Oberndorfer, of the federation, has been par-
ticularly active in co-operation with prominent motion
picture interests to provide a list of good selections
at a low price that are simple to play and so graded
that they suggest the most important moods brought
out in the motion picture play. The list is for piano
and organ only.
In response to the effort of the General Federation
of Women's Clubs, the McKinley Music Co., Chi-
cago, has issued a new catalog comprising the list
compiled by Mrs. Oberndorfer and Henry S. Sawyer,
composer and authority on motion picture music.
MUSIC FOR MUSIC WEEK
The Ether Will Be Filled with It from May 4 to
10.
Broadcasting stations throughout America are pre-
paring to exceed all previous efforts in the broadcasts
to be sent out during the week of May 4 to 10, when
al! America is asked to celebrate "National Music
Week." The American Society of Composers,
Authors and Publishers has notified the promoters
of National Music Week that it is "pleased to extend
to the National Music Week Committee, and through
it to the broadcasting stations of the United States,
the right and license to publicly perform during the
week May 4-10 musical compositions contained in the
repertory of the society."
While the American society is still steadfast in its
demand for big license fees, notwithstanding the de-
cision this week which denied broadcasting violated
the copyright, broadcasters have been circularized by
a New York publisher who offers to pay the broad-
casters a royalty for sending out three of his songs.
A MUSIC WEEK PRIVILEGE.
The American Society of Composers, Authors and
Publishers has granted to the National Music Week
Committee, the privilege of performing publicly dur-
ing Music Week any musical composition in the rep-
ertory of the society. Authorization to broadcast
compositions was also granted with this understand:
ing: That the following announcement shall be
broadcast: "Through the courtesy of the American
Society of Composers and Publishers, works copy-
righted by its members will be included in this pro-
gram."
OLD SHEET MUSIC MAN RETIRES.
Last week F. C. Browers, for many years head of
the billing department in Lyon & Healy's Wholesale
Sheet Music, was retired on a pension. Mr. Browers
had reached the age of 83 and is a convincing proof
that association with sheet music is conducive to
longevity. During the Civil War Mr. Browers was
assistant paymaster of the Navy and made a fine
record for himself.
REMICK SONG HITS
dise, attrao-ts enough attention to the degree where
people will want to come into your store and talk
about your window and we will say for this window
that it certainly accomplished all of that.. We had
two pictures taken, one a close-up to give a better
idea of the car and the figure and the other farther
back to show that we had featured Brunswick very
strongly."
7on Any thing in Mi
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WORK DONE BY
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T054-2060 W.Lake St., Chicago, 111.
Where the Lazy Daisies Grow
Watchin' the Moonrise
I Wonder Who's Dancing With
You Tonight
If You'll Come Back
So I Took the Fifty Thousand
Dollars
Arizona Stars
Until Tomorrow
Somebody's Wrong
You Can't Make a Fool Out of Me
Twilight Rose
Nearer and Dearer
Land of Broken Dreams
Steppin' Out
You've Simply Got Me Cuckoo
Bring Back the Old Fashioned
Waltz
J. H. REMICK & CO.
New York
Chicago
Detroit
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