Presto

September 13, 1924.
25
PRESTO
SHEET MUSIC TRADE
ment of music—more particularly in point of both
orchestration and instrumentation.
"Music can express what is in the mind of the
Behind the Sheet Music Counter the Difference Be- musician and listener, and, while even the highest
type of jazz may not be especially spiritual or elevat-
tween One and the Other Is Obvious.
ing, no jazz need be degrading. Popular music—jazz
The person behind a sheet music counter who is and non-jazz—is naughty only when people clap their
satisfied with wrapping up the populars asked for by hands the loudest for that kind.
"But I haven't answered the question: 'Is Ameri-
a numerous class of customers is a mechanical ma-
can
music, hopelessly jazzed?' I should say it is hope-
chine classified as clerk, not salesman or saleswoman.
It is a regrettable phase of music store inertia and a fully jazzed! For anything that stimulates so much
thought and interest and inspires so much of con-
prime cause of the woes of many dealers who start
structive effort is surely a mark of progress."
sheet music counters.
CLERKS AND SALESMEN
"There is something dispiriting in watching the
proceedings at many sheet music counters," said a
traveling man with a keen interest in bigger sheet
music sales on his return from a trip this week. "The
customer walks up to the counter and asks for a cer-
tain song. In a spiritless way the clerk finds the
song, wraps it up, takes the price and that finishes the
transaction.
"It is surprising how a man or woman inside a
sheet music counter will become blind or indifferent
to the further sales opportunities afforded by the
customer who voluntarily walks into the store. There
is something wrong with the system in the sheet
music department when the 'easy' sales people see
only the closed incident when the lone popular song
asked for by the customer is wrapped up.
"It costs money to maintain a sheet music counter
and it costs a considerable sum in advertising to get
the public into the store. So it is like losing money
when no effort is made by the sheet music counter
sales force to suggest other songs and music gener-
ally when the number asked for is supplied.
"Where the music dealer complains of small sales
it is invariably due to causes over which he has con-
trol. It is not the fault of the songs or the supply
or anything the publishers do or fail to do. It is
their own blindness to the inefficiency of their sales
help in not seeing opportunity when it confronts
them.
"Why do all of the big chain stores, the so-called
ten and twenty-five cent stores turn over such great
quantities of sheet music where the line is carried?
They do a big business because the selling force is
composed of salesmen and saleswomen and not mere
clerks. They know how to sell the maximum num-
ber of songs and pieces of music to every customer
who comes to the counter."
PUBLISH YOUR OWN SONGS
Dealer Can Learn How and What It Will Cost, by
Consulting Rayner-Dalheim & Co.
The first aid to the music dealer in becoming a
music publisher or enabling some customer to get
his composition printed is a dependable music print-
ing house like Rayner-Dalheim & Co., 2054-2060 West
Lake street, Chicago. The house is the largest music
printers west of New York and its well-known phrase,
"Any publisher our reference," epitomizes its depend-
ability. The Chicago music printing house gladly fur-
nishes estimates on the printing of anything in the
music line by any process.
The music dealer does not conduct a general music
store until he includes the ability to publish music.
He may rarely or never publish a piece or a song, but
the ability, as well as the willingness, to do so prop-
erly if required, fills out the phases of his store and
gives his business a general character. But, although
he may never be prompted to publish his own com-
position, he may be called upon for advice and assist-
ance by some musical person in the community. And
by being well informed on the requirements attend-
ing the publishing of music and the location of a reli-
able music printing house he is enabled to present
himself as a music publisher.
SHEET MUSIC TRADE NOTES
A Few Items Interesting to People in Sheet Music
Department Are Printed.
A firm in Malmo, Sweden, wants to get in touch
with American publishers of sheet music, according
to the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic* Commerce.
Purchases will be made for cash.
The public library of Indianapolis has published a
request for copies of popular songs and music gen-
Question Is Asked and Answered in Magazine by erally of a generation or two ago.
C. V. Buttelman of Boston.
The sheet music department of the United Music
Stores, Inc., Philadelphia, discontinued during altera-
In a recent issue of "The Boston Traveler," C. V. tions in the store, will be re-opened this week.
Buttelman, vice-president of Walter Jacobs, Inc., the
Teachers' supplies in sheet music and music books
Boston music publishers, discussed the trend of pres- were in good demand during the last week in August
ent-day music under the head of "Is American Music at the Earle J. Poling Co., Akron, O., and the open-
Hopelessly Jazzed?" in which he said:
ing of the school has stimulated the sheet music and
"F"irst of all 'jazz' is not a synonym for 'popular music book business in a very satisfactory way.
music,' whether the latter term be accepted in the
The new song, "Colorado," published by the Ed-
usual sense as referring to the 'hit' songs and orches- ward B. Marks Music Co., which is being featured by
trations from Tin-Pan Alley, or otherwise. 'Popu- dealers and theater orchestras in Denver, was writ-
lar music' is not necessarily jazz music, and jazz is
ten by two New York men who, it is said, got their
not always popular music.
Colorado inspiration by long distance.
"Nor is jazz the noisy, slap-stick, 'blue note' syn-
Bosworth & Co., Ltd., London, and elsewhere in
copation which made good acrobats out of poor musi-
Europe, was founded 35 years ago by the late A. E.
cians a few years ago. Jazz has long since passed
Bosworth. It has several features of special interest,
the crude, not to say rude, stage.
not the least being the fact that it was established at
"Jazz is neither a poison nor a disease, although the the suggestion of Sir Arthur Sullivan. It originated
antipathy it has aroused in some instances amounts in quite a small way in Leipzig with the immediate
to almost a chronic, not to say violent, malady. Some object of protecting the Gilbert and Sullivan operas
well-meaning laymen go so far as to classify all music
from a copyright point of view, and to push them on.
into two divisions—i.e., good music and jozz! Others
the continent generally.
evidently think any music not 'classic' or 'standard'
The French composers are evidently as alert as
is jazz.
their American brothers to breaches of the protec-
"The men who produce jazz say that jazz is noth- tive copyright, according to a correspondent of
Musique et Instruments.
ing more or less than the modern American treat-
IS AMERICA HOPELESSLY JAZZED?
9est
ANY PUBLISHER
\
OUR REFERENCE
^
RAYNEE, DALHEIM & Co!
WORK DONE BY
ALL PROCESSES
"2054-2060 W.Lake StXhicagalll.
STIMULATES REMICK FAVOR
Dealers in and About Philadelphia Provided with
Opportunity for Making Special Displays.
Effective displays for stimulating sales of music
published by Jerome H. Remick & Co. have been
designed by J. McCauley, manager of the Philadel-
phia offices of the company, 31 South Ninth street.
The displays are available for dealers keen for taking
advantage of an opportunity to feature a winning line
of songs. Many sheet music departments in and
about the city find the Remick line one of the most
successful in the list of song productions. The dis-
plays prepared by Mr. McCauley will be added
sources of stimulation for Remick hits.
"Mandalay" continues to be a big seller with
Remick representatives everywhere, and "I Wonder
Who's Dancing with You Tonight" is called a close
second in many places. The newer songs, already
hits, are "Dreamer of Dreams/' "Follow the
Swallow," and "The Last Sweetheart of Mine" are
fast competing with the first named hits in the appeal
for the favor of the sheet music buyers.
MAKE SHOW WINDOW SALES
Effective Displays at the Front of the Store Most
Economical Form of Advertising.
The window display is the most economical kind of
advertising for the sheet music dealer. No matter
how big or effective his display inside may be or no
matter how effective he may feature the music at
the counter, the activities are supplemented with tell-
ing force by the show in the front windows. Many
a wayfarer casually glancing at the window layout
pauses for a closer and more attentive view, sees
something that prompts an investigation of the stock
inside.
Of course the sheet music show window is consid-
ered an essential proceeding by the owners of large
music houses. There the sheet music department is an
independent profit-making part of the business. It
is the dealer who carries a limited stock of sheet
music as an expected accessory who features the
sheet music in a perfunctory way and who does not
consider sheet music worthy of the dignity of a place
in the front window.
Sheet music buyers are the same in California or
Nebraska as they are in Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts
or New York; they will not buy if unaware of the
existence of the music. Showing the public what it
might want is a preliminary to selling it what it
wants as far as sheet music is concerned.
DEALERS MAKE PROTEST.
The Music Trades Association of Great Britain re-
cently protested against the action of the "Popular
Music Weekly," a new magazine of music issued by
the Amalgamated Press, which contained certain
copyright popular songs, etc., of certain publishing
houses which dealers had stocked for sale at sheet-
music prices. Their appearance in a periodical which
could be bought for threepence was of course con-
sidered fatal to the dealer's chance of selling them.
The association thereupon took action by issuing a
strong letter of protest to the publishing houses con-
cerned.
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
D«tr«it
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