May 17, 1924.
SHEET MUSIC TRADE
RETAIL PRICE OF MUSIC
President Little of National Association Urges
All Dealers to Attend Convention and
Express Opinion on Subject.
"I sincerely hope that every sheet music dealer will
be on hand at the forthcoming convention of the Na-
tional Association of Sheet Music Dealers so that he
may voice his sentiments on the recent ruling of the
Federal Trade Commission to the effect that all sheet
music must he marked at the price at which it should
be sold is sure to have a vital effect upon our entire
industry," says Edward P. Little, president of the
association in a communication to the trade. "The
sheet music dealers generally will welcome this
change, and we hope that all far-seeing publishers
will likewise. It will of course be necessary, in ar-
riving at a fair selling price to take into consideration
the dealers' problems as well as those of the pub-
lishers."
According to Mr. Little there has been an attempt
made by the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce
to get first-hand information concerning the wholesale
distribution of sheet music and books. In many in-
stances publishers have claimed that in certain lo-
calities they receive absolutely no co-operation to
speak of from the dealers, stating that they make no
attempt to keep up their stock and that retail cus-
tomers were forced to send by mail direct to the pub-
lishers for supplies explaining that it had been im-
possible to secure the publications from the dealers.
In many other localities the dealers have complained
bitterly that the publishers had not attempted to co-
operate with them in any way, continues Mr. Little.
"That they had solicited business direct in their ter-
ritory and that they had sold schools and convents at
practically the prices they sold the dealer, and that in
many instances the teachers were receiving almost as
liberal discounts as the dealer, and in addition teach-
ers received long time terms, which terms were not
allowed the dealer. There has been so much argu-
ment pro and con on this important question that we
want to give the Chamber all possible assistance in
their endeavor to find out just what is the trouble, so
that they, with the help of our association, can work
out this problem to the satisfaction of all.
"The publishers are more and more realizing the
importance of the dealer due to the activities of our
association, and now that the 'net' selling price
question is before us I trust that every dealer will
make it his business to attend our session to be held
in New York City on June 9th. Now, if ever, is the
time to prove to our friends the publishers that we
mean business, that we know what we want, and that
we want what we want when we want it. Many im-
portant questions will be discussed, so make your
plans now to be in New York on the above-mentioned
date.
"I am in favor of the establishing of a clearing-
house or the printing of a general catalog. The first
we can undertake. The latter is a publisher's prob-
lem, but one that we would like to see them solve."
SONG HITS HURT BY RADIO
President of American Society of Composers, Authors
and Publishers Tells Facts to Congress.
At the extended hearing in Washington May 10
Gene Buck of New York, president of the American
Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, de-
clared before the house patents committee that
broadcasting "is pounding the life out of popular
song hits before the composer has time to receive a
reasonable return on his production." He opposed
legislation which would give purchasers of copies of
songs the right to use them for commercial purposes.
Mr. Buck testified that the song writers' business
last year decreased 50 per cent because the radio had
"filled the air" with music. The people, he said,
"tired" of a song even before they ordinarily would
have had the inclination to purchase a copy of it.
E. C. Mills, executive director of the society, told
the committee that the Radio Corporation of America
last year paid the society only $35,000 in royalties,
although the corporation made a profit of $5,000,000
on a gross radio business of $29,000,000.
"UNTIL TOMORROW" SALES BIG
One of the Latest Remick Numbers Achieves Favor
in the West on Pure Merit Alone.
The West has been'notably favorable to the songs
of Jerome H. Remick & Co., so it is no wonder that
one of the latest hits of the publishers, "Until To-
morrow," should be selling like the proverbial hot
cakes in San Francisco, Portland and Denver. And
the big calls for the song in the cities named reflects
a similar demand for it all over the three states, ac-
cording to the report of the sales managers.
Nor is it odd that the beginning of the demand for
the song should be simultaneous in the three cities
nor that the insistent calls should be maintained w r ith
an equal degree of enthusiasm in all places. In the
sheet music department of the Charles E. Wells
Music Co., Denver, the song, "Until Tomorrow," has
been the best seller for the past three weeks. In
Portland, according to I. E. Sklare, manager of the
Remick Song & Gift Shop, the song had jumped into
the big sale class before he even got ready to feature
it in the theaters in his energetic way.
MOVES IN SAN FRANCISCO.
The Music Supply Co., which purchased the sheet
music department of Kohler & Chase, San Francisco,
April 1, reports an excellent business in all classes of
music. A. Recce is the manager. The Music Sup-
ply Co. was formerly known as Reece & Fuhrman
and located at 908 Market street, where a wholesale
and retail sheet music business was transacted. The
new location in the Kohler & Chase store is conducive
to growth, says Mr. Reece.
AIDS MUSIC W E E K .
The Anderson Music House and the Sheldon Music
House, Charles City, Iowa, gave a series of concerts
during the music memory contest, which closed the
celebration of Music Week from May 4 to 12. The
concerts have been well attended. Special soloists on
different instruments gave their services. E. A. Shel-
don of the Sheldon Music House and a graduate of
the music department of Oberlin College, gave several
talks before women's clubs.
MUSIC DEALER'S PHILOSOPHY.
J. W r . Carnes, popular music dealer of Kewanee,
111., is something of a philosopher. His letterhead
carries the following suggestive line: "What a man
does is the real test of what man is"; "Why death is
so useful; it removes those no longer willing to learn."
That is getting a long way from the favorite slogan,
"Give more thought to music."
SOLOMON MINSTER HONORED.
At the reorganization of Robinson's Music Store,
Inc., 1306 G street, Washington, D. C, recently, Solo-
mon Minster was made vice-president. Mr. Minster
is widely known among music lovers in the national
capital and is considered an authority on music com-
position. The house has a large sheet music business.
WINS SHERMAN, CLAY & CO.'S CUP.
At the high school musical tournament recently held
in Portland, at which seventeen high schools of Wash-
ington and Oregon competed, the Salem High School
musicians won the silver cup donated by Sherman,
Clav & Co., of Portland, for the best mixed chorus.
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MUSIC IN SHOW WINDOWS
Publishers' Efforts Considerably Augmented
by the Special and Original Window
Shows of Energetic Dealers.
Window displays of sheet music will not sell trash,
but the number that has merit will be helped in sales
by an attractive showing in the front windows as well
as in the interior of the store. The hits may be said
to sell themselves, but featuring in the show window
of the dealer added to the efforts of the publishers,
the singing of the songs in theaters and the playing
of the tunes by bands will increase the sales and
accordingly add to the profits of the sheet music
department.
The strange thing is that the sheet music dealers
have overlooked the value of the show window dis-
plays of the striking kind. The progressive music
goods houses now give over a window in their fronts
for the continuous display of sheet music. But there
is consistency as well as persistency in their methods.
An effective way is to confine the display to the
showing of" one number which at the same time is
demonstrated in the store.
Striking examples of good sheet music featuring
are seen every week in the show windows of the
Roat Music Co., Battle Creek, Mich. The house is
widely known for its publishing department, which
is given prominence in the publicity of the active
Battle Creek house, which has "Everything Known
in Music," as a descriptive phrase following the
title indicates. The Roat Music Co. may display some-
thing of its own or something from some other pub-
lishing house, but the window showing will be of the
striking character to bring the sheet music buyer
inside.
A recent show window display of "1 Wonder Who's
Dancing with You Tonight," a Remick hit, in the
Sieberling, Lucas Music Co., Portland, Ore., had a
setting suggestive of the theme of the song. The
song was the best seller during the week, and for sev-
eral weeks following the display the sales of the song
continued very lively. In fact, the effects of the
special show window are still evident in the sales of
the sheet music department.
I. Sklare, manager of the Remick Song & Gift
Shop, Portland, augments the publishers' publicity
efforts for a song number by special local displays
and demonstrations. The first week he got a ship-
ment of "So I Took the $50,000," another Remick hit,
he arranged a striking window display, and at the
same time had the orchestras in several prominent
theaters include it in the program. There was a rush
for the song that cleaned out the supply in two days
and orders were considerably greater than the follow-
up shipment.
•
PRICES AND T H E PUBLISHERS.
Lyon & Mealy, Chicago, have recently interviewed
prominent sheet music dealers from various parts of
the country who have been visiting in their wholesale
sheet music department, seeking opinions about the
new net price marking of sheet music. The concensus
of opinion is that the move is along the right lines,
but the trade feels that the new system must be
generally adopted by the publishers in order to make
it effective.
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
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