Music Trade Review
Issue: 1904 Vol. 39 N. 3 - Page 39
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE: MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
In tKe World of Music Publishing
BIG PLANS FOR FALL TRADE.
Publishers Now Hard at Work—Many Novel-
ties in Operatic and Ballad Form Being Pre-
pared—Dealers Strenuously Object to Being
"Used" by Some Publishers, Who Are Cut-
ting the Life Out of Prices.
Copyright Bill, as it emerged from the Grand
Committee, proposed a reasonable remedy for a
known and undoubted wrong. Composers of
songs are at present exposed in this country to
what amounts in practice to unrestricted spolia-
tion. They have no effective, right in their own
property. They devote their skill and talent to
their art. An unscrupulous publisher may seize
upon the composition, run it off the press, and
vend it to any extent at a few coppers the sheet.
Not only does the pirate escape without paying
one farthing of compensation in the shape of roy-
alty to the composers whose brains are pilfered
in this fashion. The sale of the illicit copies
prevents that of the legitimate original, defeats
the artist's hope of being paid for the work by
which he lives, and, as Major Seely testified in
Friday's debate, involves the writers of the best
songs in losses of thousands of pounds. This
is one of the issues which do not need to be ar-
gued. If there is a case for pocket-picking there
may be one for musical piracy, and if Mr. Cald-
well proposes to extend the sphere of his legisla-
tive activity upon logical lines, he should take
steps to encourage other forms of ingenious in-
dustry by providing the artful dodger with se-
curity in his employment. Parliament was pop-
ularly supposed to exist for the redress of griev-
ances. The Chinese system of antiquated routine
still enables a private member of sufficiently
pachydermatous persistence to thwart the sense
of the House and defy the will of the country,
and it has been used by the member for Mid-
Lanark for the eccentric purpose of protecting
fraud. Such action as his ought to be impossible
under the rules of any modern legislative as-
sembly." According to our London contemporary
'Music,' the seizures of pirated copies of well-
known works have been frequent of late, no
fewer than 52,250 illicit prints having been cap-
tured at one sweep last month," and adds: "It
is to be hoped that the meeting at Queen's Hall
(held July 4), will be productive of good results,
otherwise the music profession and trade will
suffer irremediable harm."
Building on future prospects is engaging the
time and attention of all classes and grades of
publishers. The lull which seldom, if ever, fails
to put in. an appearance in the week following
the exhibition of patriotic fervor, was on time
this year, consequently reports that "we are very
busy" is subject to more than the "usual dis-
count and terms." Nevertheless, matters and
things might be worse, for the undercurrent is
not at all weak or vacillating. There is scarcely
a house of any pretensions that is not only
talking of prospective business, but their appe-
tites are already sharpened by unmistakable
signs of trade activity to come before the sum-
mer slips by, and preparations accordingly are
being made.
This feeling is not confined to the producers
of popular airs by any means, as publishers of
standard music are likewise anticipating a brisk
business in the early fall. The work under way
embraces many novelties, to be sure; but the
greater portion is of sterling worth and merit.
In the line of operatic productions, composers of
note and recognized position are either planning
or finishing tasks which promise additional lau-
rels and cash besides to both the writers and the
publishers, not to mention the "unearned incre-
ment" of the dealers.
Influential dealers in the larger cities of dis-
tribution, as well as in more remote places, are
also quoted as preparing for open hostilities
against firms, whether publishers or jobbers, that
are known and discussed as engaged in that
highly delectable business game of "playing both
ends against the middle." The sentiment in the
buying branch against this reprehensible method
is crystalizing, and the wrath of the legitimate
dealer is accumulating against the days "when
the grinding is low," and the foxy publisher and
CASH PRIZE FOR SONG.
his wily ally will be the recipients of all that is
coming to them. It is a long lane, indeed, that Columbus Republican Glee Club Starts a Novel
has no turning, and the dealers in sheet music
Contest.
have a grievance which, when the proper remedy
is applied, will bear hard on publishers who defy
Anxious to secure good songs for use during
established laws of trade and set at naught the the coming campaign, the Republican Glee Club
protests of the sufferers.
of Columbus, O., has hit upon a novel plan. The
club will give a cash prize of $50 for the best
original composition, words and music, of a top-
ENGLAND'S MUSIC COPYRIGHT BILL ical political song for use during the campaign.
In addition to this the club also offers a cash
Has Been Practically Shelved—The Lobby in
Opposition to the Measure Obstructs Its prize for the best new setting of words to any
Passage and It Will Not Go Through This song already published. The prizes will not be
divided, but will be awarded to one person in
Session.
The music copyright bill which has been before
the English Parliament for some time with the
object of remedying the numerous abuses in the
matter of piracy which have undermined the
music trade of England has been practically
shelved or talked dry by a member of Parlia-
ment, Mr. Caldwell, who took pains not only to
occupy valuable time but to utter a number of
inaccuracies which really have injured the meas-
ure and the publishing industry to a very great
extent. Although the discussion nominally was
merely adjourned, the state of Parliamentary
business leaves almost no hope that the obstruct-
ed bill can still be saved.
As the London "Daily Telegraph" pertinently
puts it: "A measure for the redress of an ad-
mitted and iniquitous abuse was lost in a re-
morseless gulf of dull loquacity, its fate being
one of the most flagrant instances known for
many years of the resources of obstructive power
in the hands of a single member. The Musical
POPULAR
RUMMER
O ONGS..
ORDER
AX
ONCE
each case. Full credit will be given to authors
and composers in all the programmes used by the
club. The competition is in the hands of T. F.
Hane, chairman of the Music Committee of the
club.
THE "HOUSE OF HITS" TO THE FRONT.
Wm. H. Seifried, the genial director of orches-
tra at the Marlborough Hotel, New York, con-
tinues to interest his audiences with the selection
from Rosenfeld & Sloane's "Mocking Bird,"
George Rosey's "Pet of the Army" march, and
Clare Rummer's "June" and "Take Yo' Name Off
Ma' Door."
Walter Hawley and Alfred Solman's summer
song success, "Starry Night for a Ramble," has
become the feature of Geo. Primrose's vaudeville
entertainment.
The well-known singing comedian, Jas. H.
Cullen, has added to his extensive repertoire of
songs Waldron and Sloane's "There's a Little
Street in Heaven That They Call Broadway" and
"In the Lives of Famous Men."
Andrew Link's Orchestra regales the patrons
of the Empire Theater, Providence, R. I., with
gems from Dockstader's Minstrels contained in
Jos. W. Stern & Co.'s "Popular Minstrel Medley."
The bandmasters of the U. S. battleship Texas
and the U. S. S. Franklin frequently use "The
Helmet of Navarre" waltzes to cheer the "brave
boys in blue."
Madeline Burdette continues successfully with
Dan. J. Sullivan's "You're as Welcome as the
Flowers in May," John Heinzman's "Jessamine"
and DeKoven's "Dreaming, Dreaming."
WESTERN SUCCESSES FOR NEW YORK.
Arrangements have been completed by George
E. Stoddard, the librettist of the "Isle of Spice"
and "The Royal Chef" for their production in
New York. The former had a successful run both
in Chicago and Boston, and it will have its
premier in the metropolis August 28, with open
dating, a t the Majestic Theater. "The Royal
Chef," which has remained in the Windy City
since its first appearance in April, comes to the
Casino September 5 for an indefinite run.
"The Mogul," a new musical comedy, of which
the book and lyrics are by Mr. Stoddard and
Charles S. Taylor, with Ben M. Jerome respon-
sible for the music, is now receiving the finish-
ing touches. I t will be produced either in Chi-
cago or New York early in the fall. The publish-
ing rights rest with the F. B. Haviland Publish-
ing Co.
SEA FIGHTERS IN DECATUR'S DAYS.
No more brilliant production in the way of
spectacle has been given at Manhattan Beach
Follow the Crowd on a
By
&Manris*Aw
GZRARD,
*9+mMm%m€mjy MORRISON A ARMSTRONG.
Down on the
Merry^ Go - Round
By HAL KENT « LYN UDALL, Compoaora of "Just
On* Girl," and "Juat aa tha Sun."
Kate Kearney
By FAY A OLIVER, wrltara of "Goodnight,
Balovad, Goodnight."
M m Witmark & Sons
NEW
YORK
CHICAGO
LONDON
ILLUMINATED TITLE PAGES FREE
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE IN QUANTITIES
Do you Handle " WITMARK" PUBLIC A TIONS 7
THE: MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
In tKe World of Music Publishing
BIG PLANS FOR FALL TRADE.
Publishers Now Hard at Work—Many Novel-
ties in Operatic and Ballad Form Being Pre-
pared—Dealers Strenuously Object to Being
"Used" by Some Publishers, Who Are Cut-
ting the Life Out of Prices.
Copyright Bill, as it emerged from the Grand
Committee, proposed a reasonable remedy for a
known and undoubted wrong. Composers of
songs are at present exposed in this country to
what amounts in practice to unrestricted spolia-
tion. They have no effective, right in their own
property. They devote their skill and talent to
their art. An unscrupulous publisher may seize
upon the composition, run it off the press, and
vend it to any extent at a few coppers the sheet.
Not only does the pirate escape without paying
one farthing of compensation in the shape of roy-
alty to the composers whose brains are pilfered
in this fashion. The sale of the illicit copies
prevents that of the legitimate original, defeats
the artist's hope of being paid for the work by
which he lives, and, as Major Seely testified in
Friday's debate, involves the writers of the best
songs in losses of thousands of pounds. This
is one of the issues which do not need to be ar-
gued. If there is a case for pocket-picking there
may be one for musical piracy, and if Mr. Cald-
well proposes to extend the sphere of his legisla-
tive activity upon logical lines, he should take
steps to encourage other forms of ingenious in-
dustry by providing the artful dodger with se-
curity in his employment. Parliament was pop-
ularly supposed to exist for the redress of griev-
ances. The Chinese system of antiquated routine
still enables a private member of sufficiently
pachydermatous persistence to thwart the sense
of the House and defy the will of the country,
and it has been used by the member for Mid-
Lanark for the eccentric purpose of protecting
fraud. Such action as his ought to be impossible
under the rules of any modern legislative as-
sembly." According to our London contemporary
'Music,' the seizures of pirated copies of well-
known works have been frequent of late, no
fewer than 52,250 illicit prints having been cap-
tured at one sweep last month," and adds: "It
is to be hoped that the meeting at Queen's Hall
(held July 4), will be productive of good results,
otherwise the music profession and trade will
suffer irremediable harm."
Building on future prospects is engaging the
time and attention of all classes and grades of
publishers. The lull which seldom, if ever, fails
to put in. an appearance in the week following
the exhibition of patriotic fervor, was on time
this year, consequently reports that "we are very
busy" is subject to more than the "usual dis-
count and terms." Nevertheless, matters and
things might be worse, for the undercurrent is
not at all weak or vacillating. There is scarcely
a house of any pretensions that is not only
talking of prospective business, but their appe-
tites are already sharpened by unmistakable
signs of trade activity to come before the sum-
mer slips by, and preparations accordingly are
being made.
This feeling is not confined to the producers
of popular airs by any means, as publishers of
standard music are likewise anticipating a brisk
business in the early fall. The work under way
embraces many novelties, to be sure; but the
greater portion is of sterling worth and merit.
In the line of operatic productions, composers of
note and recognized position are either planning
or finishing tasks which promise additional lau-
rels and cash besides to both the writers and the
publishers, not to mention the "unearned incre-
ment" of the dealers.
Influential dealers in the larger cities of dis-
tribution, as well as in more remote places, are
also quoted as preparing for open hostilities
against firms, whether publishers or jobbers, that
are known and discussed as engaged in that
highly delectable business game of "playing both
ends against the middle." The sentiment in the
buying branch against this reprehensible method
is crystalizing, and the wrath of the legitimate
dealer is accumulating against the days "when
the grinding is low," and the foxy publisher and
CASH PRIZE FOR SONG.
his wily ally will be the recipients of all that is
coming to them. It is a long lane, indeed, that Columbus Republican Glee Club Starts a Novel
has no turning, and the dealers in sheet music
Contest.
have a grievance which, when the proper remedy
is applied, will bear hard on publishers who defy
Anxious to secure good songs for use during
established laws of trade and set at naught the the coming campaign, the Republican Glee Club
protests of the sufferers.
of Columbus, O., has hit upon a novel plan. The
club will give a cash prize of $50 for the best
original composition, words and music, of a top-
ENGLAND'S MUSIC COPYRIGHT BILL ical political song for use during the campaign.
In addition to this the club also offers a cash
Has Been Practically Shelved—The Lobby in
Opposition to the Measure Obstructs Its prize for the best new setting of words to any
Passage and It Will Not Go Through This song already published. The prizes will not be
divided, but will be awarded to one person in
Session.
The music copyright bill which has been before
the English Parliament for some time with the
object of remedying the numerous abuses in the
matter of piracy which have undermined the
music trade of England has been practically
shelved or talked dry by a member of Parlia-
ment, Mr. Caldwell, who took pains not only to
occupy valuable time but to utter a number of
inaccuracies which really have injured the meas-
ure and the publishing industry to a very great
extent. Although the discussion nominally was
merely adjourned, the state of Parliamentary
business leaves almost no hope that the obstruct-
ed bill can still be saved.
As the London "Daily Telegraph" pertinently
puts it: "A measure for the redress of an ad-
mitted and iniquitous abuse was lost in a re-
morseless gulf of dull loquacity, its fate being
one of the most flagrant instances known for
many years of the resources of obstructive power
in the hands of a single member. The Musical
POPULAR
RUMMER
O ONGS..
ORDER
AX
ONCE
each case. Full credit will be given to authors
and composers in all the programmes used by the
club. The competition is in the hands of T. F.
Hane, chairman of the Music Committee of the
club.
THE "HOUSE OF HITS" TO THE FRONT.
Wm. H. Seifried, the genial director of orches-
tra at the Marlborough Hotel, New York, con-
tinues to interest his audiences with the selection
from Rosenfeld & Sloane's "Mocking Bird,"
George Rosey's "Pet of the Army" march, and
Clare Rummer's "June" and "Take Yo' Name Off
Ma' Door."
Walter Hawley and Alfred Solman's summer
song success, "Starry Night for a Ramble," has
become the feature of Geo. Primrose's vaudeville
entertainment.
The well-known singing comedian, Jas. H.
Cullen, has added to his extensive repertoire of
songs Waldron and Sloane's "There's a Little
Street in Heaven That They Call Broadway" and
"In the Lives of Famous Men."
Andrew Link's Orchestra regales the patrons
of the Empire Theater, Providence, R. I., with
gems from Dockstader's Minstrels contained in
Jos. W. Stern & Co.'s "Popular Minstrel Medley."
The bandmasters of the U. S. battleship Texas
and the U. S. S. Franklin frequently use "The
Helmet of Navarre" waltzes to cheer the "brave
boys in blue."
Madeline Burdette continues successfully with
Dan. J. Sullivan's "You're as Welcome as the
Flowers in May," John Heinzman's "Jessamine"
and DeKoven's "Dreaming, Dreaming."
WESTERN SUCCESSES FOR NEW YORK.
Arrangements have been completed by George
E. Stoddard, the librettist of the "Isle of Spice"
and "The Royal Chef" for their production in
New York. The former had a successful run both
in Chicago and Boston, and it will have its
premier in the metropolis August 28, with open
dating, a t the Majestic Theater. "The Royal
Chef," which has remained in the Windy City
since its first appearance in April, comes to the
Casino September 5 for an indefinite run.
"The Mogul," a new musical comedy, of which
the book and lyrics are by Mr. Stoddard and
Charles S. Taylor, with Ben M. Jerome respon-
sible for the music, is now receiving the finish-
ing touches. I t will be produced either in Chi-
cago or New York early in the fall. The publish-
ing rights rest with the F. B. Haviland Publish-
ing Co.
SEA FIGHTERS IN DECATUR'S DAYS.
No more brilliant production in the way of
spectacle has been given at Manhattan Beach
Follow the Crowd on a
By
&Manris*Aw
GZRARD,
*9+mMm%m€mjy MORRISON A ARMSTRONG.
Down on the
Merry^ Go - Round
By HAL KENT « LYN UDALL, Compoaora of "Just
On* Girl," and "Juat aa tha Sun."
Kate Kearney
By FAY A OLIVER, wrltara of "Goodnight,
Balovad, Goodnight."
M m Witmark & Sons
NEW
YORK
CHICAGO
LONDON
ILLUMINATED TITLE PAGES FREE
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE IN QUANTITIES
Do you Handle " WITMARK" PUBLIC A TIONS 7
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