25
PRESTO
May 10, 1924.
SHEET MUSIC TRADE
SELLING OLD FAVORITES
Galesburg, 111., Dealer Increases Sheet Music Sales
During National Music Week.
The Francis Piano Co., Galesburg, 111., has a pros-
perous sheet music department in which the owner,
E. A. Francis, takes particular interest. Opportuni-
ties were afforded by National Music Week which was
observed in the Illinois city. The Francis Piano Co.
featured the following list of good old and new songs
from which many sales were made:
Old Folks at Home; My Old Kentucky Home;
America; Old Black Joe; Dixie; Battle Hymn of the
Republic; Carry Me Back to Old Virginny; There's a
Long, Long Trail; America the Beautiful; Star-
Spangled Banner; Home, Sweet Home; Good Night
Ladies; Juanita. My Bonnie; Mother Machree; Till
We Meet Again; Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean;
When Good Fellows Get Together; Smiles; I've Been
Working on the Railroad.
Miss Josephine Geuss has joined the Francis Piano
Company and is in charge of the sheet music
department.
PAVING THE WAY WITH JAZZ
It Is Announced That Irving Berlin Is Writing a
Song for Democrats.
A keynote song, to be a feature of the national
Democratic convention, is being written by Irving
Berlin. Miss Elisabeth Marbury, member of the
national committee and chairman of a committee on
arrangements for caring for woman visitors, tells of
the song as follows:
"'Personally I think that if the song is as good as
Mr. Berlin can write, it will be as important as the
keynote speech."
Miss Marbury merely smiled when asked whether
the song would have any relation to "The Sidewalks
of New York," alluding to the presidential aspira-
tions of Mayor Hyland.
SHEET MUSIC IN FRISCO
Activities Show Determination of Trade to Keep a
Place in the Publishing Field.
Baron Keyes and Francois Xazare, managers of
the sheet music department in the City of Paris Dry
Goods Co., San Francisco, who are both lyric writers
and composers, will publish their productions, pos-
sibly using the name of the City of Paris Music Pub-
lishing Co. The department aims for a big business
in all classes of music, but as an advertising feature
makes a specialty of the latest hits from Paris,
France.
Another new publishing venture in San Francisco
is the Florentine Music Publishing Co., 55 Stockton
street, which favors the compositions of local talent.
Its latest production is a fox-trot ballad composed by
REMICK SONG HITS
Where the Lazy Daisies Grow
I Wonder Who's Dancing with You
Tonight
There's Yes Yes in Your Eyes
Hula Hula Dream Girl
It Had to Be You
Mandalay
Bring Back the Old Fashioned Waltz
Until Tomorrow
Twilight Rose
Watchin' the Moonrise
Counting the Days
Not Yet Susette
Arizona Stars
If You'll Come Back
Land of Broken Dreams
J. H. REMICK & CO.
New York
Chicago
Detroit
Frank Galvin and Jack Coakley, San Francisco aspir-
ants to fame as writers of popular songs. The song
"'1 Don't Know Why" will be produced in talking
machine record and player music roll form.
The Music Supply Co., San Francisco, has moved
from 908 Market street to a room on the top floor of
the Kohler & Chase Building, 26 O'Farrell street.
Ed. Little, head of the sheet music department of
Sherman, Clay & Co., San Francisco, is again show-
ing his faith in the intense drive to "put over" a single
song or a group of numbers by using every aid to
publicity simultaneously. His latest efforts are for
the Sherman, Clay & Co.'s publications, "Hoodoo
Man" and "Oriental Love Dreams" These are ex-
cellent sellers on pure merit, but Mr. Little's purpose
in featuring them in his usually strong way is to make
than the best sellers.
WHEN SINGING IS A CRIME
Street
Singer Sings for Chicago Court
Sentenced in the Second Stanza.
and
Is
Michael J. Saxon, a street musician, was placed on
probation by Judge George A. Curran in a Chicago
court until he learns to sing better. -
Mr. Saxon was taken into court by Policeman
Thomas Connores of the Woodlawn station, who
charged that his voice and banjo playing were so
had that they constituted disorderly conduct.
The defendant bitterly resented this and asserted
to the court that he had been singing his own com-
position, a beautiful ballad called "Peggy, the Rogue."
"Show me," ordered Judge Curran, and Saxon
began to sing.
In the rhiddle of the second verse, Judge Curran
imposed sentence.
ISAACSON'S LYRICS FEATURED.
A group of eminent composers, including llageman,
La Forge, Buzzi-Peccia, Silberta, Polak, Venth,
Enders, Spielter, have set a number of the verses
from Charles D. Isaacson's "Book of Poems" to
music, for song and dramatic presentation. A col-
lection of the poems, set to music, was presented re-
cently at one of the important halls, and broadcast
from Station WJZ, interpreted by Muriel Tindal,
soprano, and Hubert Linscott, the well-known Ameri-
can baritone. Isaacson for years was music editor
of The New York Globe and Evening Mail, and is a
prolific writer.
AFTER SONG SWINDLERS.
Important developments are expected soon in the
suppression of the song-poem swindle. The U. S.
post-office officials have been hard at work unearth-
ing this colossal fra\td. The warning placards and
warning leaflets provided by the Better Business Bu-
reau and the publicity attendant on the exposure of
some of the swindlers have been effective in putting
the public on its guard, said Thomas J. Donlon, sec-
retary of the National Association of Sheet Music
Dealers in a communication to the trade this week.
MUSIC FOR GIRLS' W E E K .
During Girls' Week in Chicago Lyon & Healy
made a special display of the compositions of women
composers. Chaminade was given first place in Euro-
pean composers. Mrs. Beach was awarded a leading
position in the American section and in the composi-
tions of lighter vein those of Carrie Jacobs Bond
were prominently featured.
v
S H E E T MUSIC IN APRIL.
In spite of the late Easter season and other disturb-
ing factors including three rainy week-ends, a fine
volume of sheet music business was transacted by
Lyon & Healy, Chicago. The demand was especially
good for popular music. This year there seems to
be little or no seasonal falling off in the sale of the
hits of the day.
ALL SET FOR CONVENTION
Interesting Business Sessions at Waldorf-As-
toria, Beginning June 9, Promised by Offi-
cials of Sheet Music Dealers' Assn.
The annual convention of the National Association
of Sheet Music Dealers will be held this year at the
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, beginning Mon-
day, June 9. Most of the other associations of the
Music Industries' Chamber of Commerce will begin
their annual conventions during the week of June 2
at the same hotel. Special railroad rates of fare and
one-half for the round trip have been granted for
the National Music Industries Convention in June.
The subjects that will be discussed at the conven-
tion will be of the utmost importance to the retail
sheet music trade. The new method of marking
music and music books at their actual retail selling
prices, which was resolved upon by the music pub-
lishers at the trade practice submittal of October 2
before Federal Trade Commissioner Van Vleet and
which was afterwards approved by the entire Federal
Trade Commission, will be put into effect June 1st,
1924. A committee which was appointed by Presi-
dent Little to act in the interests of the association
has concurred in the resolution of the music pub-
lishers.
The Sheet Music Distribution Survey, which was
recommended at the convention of June, 1923, and
was submitted to the Music Publishers' Association
of the United States by the Executive Committee
at the latter's meeting, November 27, with the request
that the publishers undertake the survey, has been
referred back to the National Association of Sheet
Music Dealers for a specific recommendation as to
exactly what it wants the publishers to do. The sur-
vey is intended to elicit first-hand information from
each retailer concerning the conditions under which he
carries on business, with a view to improving the con-
ditions if possible.
"Will the retail sheet music trade finance a clear-
ing-house, either in connection with the Music Indus-
tries' Chamber of Commerce or as an independent
institution? Is there any other trade association
activity in which our organization can engage with
a view to increasing its membership through service
to the trade?" are the questions asked in the announce-
ment to hand this week.
''To what extent are sheet music retailers entitled
to consideration in the matter of sheet music dis-
tribution? Do they or the publishers control the
greater part of the retail business? Is the co-opera-
tion of the music publishers with the music dealers
all that it might be, and vice versa?" The answer
will be expressed at the convention in June.
The Trade Service Bureau is preparing a bulletin
on mail and express rates on music and books. This
will be sent shortly to all members of the associa-
tion.
"Those sheet music dealers who are not as yet en-
rolled in the National Association of Sheet Music
Dealers will do well to join it before the next con-
vention. Every sheet music dealer should be at this
coming meeting, which will be the most important
that the association has ever held. The retail trade
should have a clear understanding of the new order
of things so that there will be no confusion in the
putting into effect of up-to-date methods of mer-
chandising in the sheet music business. The opinion
of every retailer is desired on the proposed sheet
music distribution survey, the establishment of a
clearing-house, a retail credit rating bureau and other
subjects that will be introduced at the convention,"
is the suggestion of Thomas J. Donlon, secretary.
REMICK'S IN PORTLAND.
A recent successful demonstration of the recent
song hits of Jerome H. Remick & Co., was made in
the Columbia Theater, Portland, Ore., by I. E.
Sklare, manager of the Remick Song & Gift Shop.
It was during the presentation of "Excitement" star-
ring Laura La Plaute, and the following Remick
numbers were sung: "Where the Lazy Daisies
Grow," "I Wonder Who's Dancing with You To-
night," "Somebody's Wrong," "You've Simply Got
Me Cuckoo," "There's Yes in Your Eyes," and
"Hula, Hula Dream Girl."
gest /
Gladly Furnished
on Anything in Music
Music Printers (
WestbfNewYorkV
ANY PUBLISHER X \ o
OUR REFERENCE
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BAYNER, DALHEIM &Ca
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