Music Trade Review
Issue: 1904 Vol. 39 N. 7 - Page 37
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
37
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
In tKe World of Music PublisHing
THE LID IS OFF.
Prices Slashed—Conditions With the Publish-
ers—Fall Trade Promises Well—What Some
of the Buyers Say.
Conditions with publishers are very much
mixed these days. It is evident a change is tak-
ing place which may eventually place the busi-
ness on a more stable basis so far as the pub-
lishers and their product are concerned. As fre-
quently stated in this department some few firms
are endeavoring to solve the puzzle, or problem,
of selling profitably and advantageously by deal-
ing with the public direct through the agency of
department stores. It is the purpose of such
firms to ignore, apparently, the regular, legiti-
mate, recognized avenue of distribution, namely,
the dealer; and while pretending to protect the
trade reach over—or under would be perhaps the
better term—and do the retailing themselves.
Their enterprise might be passed as trying to
play both ends against the middle, a practice con-
demned offhand by all the rules of the game;
but they go further and give not only offense,
but endeavor to drive trade from the dealer by
prices that represent little if any profit and cer-
tainly no sane or safe reason.
The result must be for the publisher to create
his own trade with the dealer and cultivate closer
relations. The general feeling with many pub-
lishers has been that of ill-concealed if not out-
right expressed contempt for the average dealer.
The jobber has claimed their attention and affec-
tions and corralled the most of their dollars at
the same time. In fact, the jobber just about
rules the roost in the sheet music business to
date, more's the pity. He has taken every advan-
tage of the situation for the past two years at
least, and having the "coin," the alleged publish-
er minus capital—a string of weaklings, by the
way—has bent the suppliant knee and got all
there was coming to him. It is an old story in
every line, that when the jobber has the whip-
hand few, indeed, beside himself, enjoy any
profits or, at times, even stand a ghost of a show.
The tendency to cultivate direct connections with
the dealer is becoming more strongly empha-
sized; for it is the only proper course to pursue
in order to maintain the true equilibrium of the
trade from every point of view.
Fall trade promises well, with publishers and
dealers a unit in this opinion; but current
prices are a caution, according to all accounts.
A western buyer, who has called on all the lead-
ing houses, said to The Review, Monday: "I find
the publishing trade greatly demoralized on the
question of prices. I really do not know what to
make of it. I have received all sorts of proposi-
tions, and the way things are carried on now is a
new one on me. As a matter of downright fact,
if you buy in sufficient quantity almost any price
can be had. This is all wrong. I would like to
buy as close as the next man, but with no estab-
lished scale or even the semblance of such, it is
likely my competitor might do better than myself
and this is too uncomfortable a feeling for any
use. The publishers have themselves only to
blame for this wretchedly unsatisfactory condi-
tion of affairs. The lid is surely off so far as
prices are concerned, and the sooner it is put
back and screwed down tight the better it will be
for the dealer, jobber and publisher."
GUS EDWARDS A NATURAL MUSICIAN.
Gus Edwards—notwithstanding his name,
which is an Americanization of his original Teu-
tonic patronymic—was born near Berlin, in Ger-
many, and was a well-grown youth when he came
to this country about a dozen years ago. While
too young to have taken advantage of the many
opportunities for the study of the art in his na-
tive land, he had evidently absorbed the spirit of
German music, for he was a natural musician
from childhood. Shortly after his arrival in this
country, while living in Brooklyn, N. Y., the boy's
powerful soprano voice attracted the attention of
James Hyde, of Hyde & Behman's, who gave him
his first start in the show business. Young Ed-
wards organized the original "Newsboys' Quin-
tette," of which his younger brother, Leo, was a
member, and for several seasons this juvenile
choir was a big success in vaudeville. To vary
the tedium of life on the road young Edwards
learned to play the piano, and from "harmoniz-
ing" familiar songs for the quintette, began to
work out new melodies and rhythms of his own.
His knowledge of the popular taste, as well as
what is most effective in stage singing, guided
him in the path of success, for his first published
song, "All I Want is My Black Baby Back," writ-
poet or magazine bard to write something catchy.
The bard would take an old favorite, like "March-
ing Through Georgia," or "John Brown's Body,"
make the words fit the metre, and turn it loose
on the country.
That prolific team of song writers, Cole and
Johnson Brothers, are turning out campaign ma-
terial with a rag-time swing and along new and
original lines. Besides the Johnsons, other mel-
ody producers, members of the same colored
campaign club, are Al. Johns, Williams and
Walker and Harry T. Burleigh. The club has
among its 800 members at least 200 trained sing-
ers and fifty men capable of caressing the piano.
One of the first efforts by the Johnsons, writ-
ten at the suggestion of the club's president, is
called "You're All Right, Teddy," as follows:
When Europe raised a fuss
And tried to say to us
"What! dig through Panama you never shall,"
Our Tedd.v said, "All right,
I'll think it over a niirht."
Next day we got the Panama Canal.
CHORUS.
You're all right, Teddy,
You're the kind that we remember ;
Don't you worry, we are with you !
You're all right, Teddy,
And we'll prove it in November.
Teddy, we're going to keep you in the White House!
Now Mr. Parker thinks
That he is like the Sphinx,
But we're inclined to think he is a clam.
He's bound to jjet a tilt
Upon a platform built
Out of a Western Union telegram.
GUS EDWARDS.
ten when he was only 17 years old, was a phe-
nomenal hit. Young Edwards introduced it him-
self, through the medium of hi& newsboys, and
when the sales amounted to many thousands of
copies, he betook himself seriously to song com-
position.
Among his big sellers may be mentioned: "I
Can't Tell Why I Love You, But I Do," "Mamie,
Don't You Feel Ashamey," "I'll Be With You
When the Roses Bloom Again,-' "Way Down Yon-
der in the Cornfields," "Could You Be True to
Eyes of Blue," and "In Zanzibar." His latest and
greatest, however, are "Goodbye, Little Girl,
Goodbye" and "The Girl Who Cares for Me,"
which, although out only a short while are
sjjoKen of as spreading like wild-fire. During the
war with Spain Gus Edwards went out to Camp
Black, to sing for the boys of the Twenty-second
Regiment, N. G., S. N. G. There he met Will D.
Cobb, author of "Goodbye, Dolly Gray," and liked
his lyrics so well that forthwith the firm of Cobb
& Edwards, "songsmiths," was formed, their first
hit being "I Couldn't Stand to See My Baby
Lose," which was introduced by May Irwin. Later
they undertook to publish their own songs, but
Mr. Edwards found that business details inter-
fered with his composition, so their entire cata-
logue was sol4 to M. Witmark & Sons, with which
firm Mr. Edwards is now engaged for a term of
years, with nothing to do but think out new melo-
dies and exploit them as pleases him best.
GENESIS OF THE CAMPAIGN SONG.
This year different methods will be employed
in the genesis of the campaign song, which is
as old as American politics, but too often it has
been a nerveless sort of musical halfbreed. The
central committee would hire some newspaper
To appreciate the song one has to hear it with
the music. There is a jubilee shout about the
chorus. Other songs followed, one particularly
dealing with a flag incident of the Civil War, and
then proceeds to bring the flag down to current
issues and touches on the Rough Riders at San
Juan and the Panama incident. The chorus has
a martial swing and the accompaniment is full
of little snatches from "Dixie" and "Marching
Through Georgia." Another hit. A publisher has
the two songs in hand and is going to bring them
out for the use of Republican clubs all over the
country. The Johnson Bros, are writing another
song, and the other composers of the club are
thinking of getting busy themselves.
\
On the other side of the political fence, the
professional song writers are by no means idle,
and their crop of lyrics and music dealing with
campaign issues promises to be equally forceful
and pertinent.
THE INVINCIBLE WITMARK
"SLATE."
"The Witmark Convention of Popular Publica-
tions"—second session—is even more comprehen-
sive and instructive than the first presentation
devoted to popular song hits. The current an-
nouncement, on pages 38 and 39 of this issue of
The Review dwells in detail upon this high grade
firm's catalogue of instrumental successes and
their operatic output. The inducements extended
to dealers in connection therewith cannot afford
to be overlooked if self-interest and profitable ad-
vantages are studied. The list of "good things"
is really wonderful and unprecedented in the his-
tory of music publishing in this country. The
evidence of enterprise and excellent judgment
shown by M. Witmark & Sons in these issues rep-
resent many years of business experience and
musical acumen.
Heretofore publishers have circularized the
trade in the regular way regarding their publica-
tions, but now the Witmarks have taken another
step forward, along lines which represent true
progress and in keeping with their motto, "suc-
crss is work." They certainly have the largest
and best moving catalogue extant, and dealers
now have an opportunity of stocking up with
"sure winners" on a ground floor basis.
FOREIGN MUSIC PLAYS TO BE HEARD.
London, Eng., August 3, 1904.
As a premise it may be said that all good mu-
sical plays—and some bad ones—go from Eng-
37
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
In tKe World of Music PublisHing
THE LID IS OFF.
Prices Slashed—Conditions With the Publish-
ers—Fall Trade Promises Well—What Some
of the Buyers Say.
Conditions with publishers are very much
mixed these days. It is evident a change is tak-
ing place which may eventually place the busi-
ness on a more stable basis so far as the pub-
lishers and their product are concerned. As fre-
quently stated in this department some few firms
are endeavoring to solve the puzzle, or problem,
of selling profitably and advantageously by deal-
ing with the public direct through the agency of
department stores. It is the purpose of such
firms to ignore, apparently, the regular, legiti-
mate, recognized avenue of distribution, namely,
the dealer; and while pretending to protect the
trade reach over—or under would be perhaps the
better term—and do the retailing themselves.
Their enterprise might be passed as trying to
play both ends against the middle, a practice con-
demned offhand by all the rules of the game;
but they go further and give not only offense,
but endeavor to drive trade from the dealer by
prices that represent little if any profit and cer-
tainly no sane or safe reason.
The result must be for the publisher to create
his own trade with the dealer and cultivate closer
relations. The general feeling with many pub-
lishers has been that of ill-concealed if not out-
right expressed contempt for the average dealer.
The jobber has claimed their attention and affec-
tions and corralled the most of their dollars at
the same time. In fact, the jobber just about
rules the roost in the sheet music business to
date, more's the pity. He has taken every advan-
tage of the situation for the past two years at
least, and having the "coin," the alleged publish-
er minus capital—a string of weaklings, by the
way—has bent the suppliant knee and got all
there was coming to him. It is an old story in
every line, that when the jobber has the whip-
hand few, indeed, beside himself, enjoy any
profits or, at times, even stand a ghost of a show.
The tendency to cultivate direct connections with
the dealer is becoming more strongly empha-
sized; for it is the only proper course to pursue
in order to maintain the true equilibrium of the
trade from every point of view.
Fall trade promises well, with publishers and
dealers a unit in this opinion; but current
prices are a caution, according to all accounts.
A western buyer, who has called on all the lead-
ing houses, said to The Review, Monday: "I find
the publishing trade greatly demoralized on the
question of prices. I really do not know what to
make of it. I have received all sorts of proposi-
tions, and the way things are carried on now is a
new one on me. As a matter of downright fact,
if you buy in sufficient quantity almost any price
can be had. This is all wrong. I would like to
buy as close as the next man, but with no estab-
lished scale or even the semblance of such, it is
likely my competitor might do better than myself
and this is too uncomfortable a feeling for any
use. The publishers have themselves only to
blame for this wretchedly unsatisfactory condi-
tion of affairs. The lid is surely off so far as
prices are concerned, and the sooner it is put
back and screwed down tight the better it will be
for the dealer, jobber and publisher."
GUS EDWARDS A NATURAL MUSICIAN.
Gus Edwards—notwithstanding his name,
which is an Americanization of his original Teu-
tonic patronymic—was born near Berlin, in Ger-
many, and was a well-grown youth when he came
to this country about a dozen years ago. While
too young to have taken advantage of the many
opportunities for the study of the art in his na-
tive land, he had evidently absorbed the spirit of
German music, for he was a natural musician
from childhood. Shortly after his arrival in this
country, while living in Brooklyn, N. Y., the boy's
powerful soprano voice attracted the attention of
James Hyde, of Hyde & Behman's, who gave him
his first start in the show business. Young Ed-
wards organized the original "Newsboys' Quin-
tette," of which his younger brother, Leo, was a
member, and for several seasons this juvenile
choir was a big success in vaudeville. To vary
the tedium of life on the road young Edwards
learned to play the piano, and from "harmoniz-
ing" familiar songs for the quintette, began to
work out new melodies and rhythms of his own.
His knowledge of the popular taste, as well as
what is most effective in stage singing, guided
him in the path of success, for his first published
song, "All I Want is My Black Baby Back," writ-
poet or magazine bard to write something catchy.
The bard would take an old favorite, like "March-
ing Through Georgia," or "John Brown's Body,"
make the words fit the metre, and turn it loose
on the country.
That prolific team of song writers, Cole and
Johnson Brothers, are turning out campaign ma-
terial with a rag-time swing and along new and
original lines. Besides the Johnsons, other mel-
ody producers, members of the same colored
campaign club, are Al. Johns, Williams and
Walker and Harry T. Burleigh. The club has
among its 800 members at least 200 trained sing-
ers and fifty men capable of caressing the piano.
One of the first efforts by the Johnsons, writ-
ten at the suggestion of the club's president, is
called "You're All Right, Teddy," as follows:
When Europe raised a fuss
And tried to say to us
"What! dig through Panama you never shall,"
Our Tedd.v said, "All right,
I'll think it over a niirht."
Next day we got the Panama Canal.
CHORUS.
You're all right, Teddy,
You're the kind that we remember ;
Don't you worry, we are with you !
You're all right, Teddy,
And we'll prove it in November.
Teddy, we're going to keep you in the White House!
Now Mr. Parker thinks
That he is like the Sphinx,
But we're inclined to think he is a clam.
He's bound to jjet a tilt
Upon a platform built
Out of a Western Union telegram.
GUS EDWARDS.
ten when he was only 17 years old, was a phe-
nomenal hit. Young Edwards introduced it him-
self, through the medium of hi& newsboys, and
when the sales amounted to many thousands of
copies, he betook himself seriously to song com-
position.
Among his big sellers may be mentioned: "I
Can't Tell Why I Love You, But I Do," "Mamie,
Don't You Feel Ashamey," "I'll Be With You
When the Roses Bloom Again,-' "Way Down Yon-
der in the Cornfields," "Could You Be True to
Eyes of Blue," and "In Zanzibar." His latest and
greatest, however, are "Goodbye, Little Girl,
Goodbye" and "The Girl Who Cares for Me,"
which, although out only a short while are
sjjoKen of as spreading like wild-fire. During the
war with Spain Gus Edwards went out to Camp
Black, to sing for the boys of the Twenty-second
Regiment, N. G., S. N. G. There he met Will D.
Cobb, author of "Goodbye, Dolly Gray," and liked
his lyrics so well that forthwith the firm of Cobb
& Edwards, "songsmiths," was formed, their first
hit being "I Couldn't Stand to See My Baby
Lose," which was introduced by May Irwin. Later
they undertook to publish their own songs, but
Mr. Edwards found that business details inter-
fered with his composition, so their entire cata-
logue was sol4 to M. Witmark & Sons, with which
firm Mr. Edwards is now engaged for a term of
years, with nothing to do but think out new melo-
dies and exploit them as pleases him best.
GENESIS OF THE CAMPAIGN SONG.
This year different methods will be employed
in the genesis of the campaign song, which is
as old as American politics, but too often it has
been a nerveless sort of musical halfbreed. The
central committee would hire some newspaper
To appreciate the song one has to hear it with
the music. There is a jubilee shout about the
chorus. Other songs followed, one particularly
dealing with a flag incident of the Civil War, and
then proceeds to bring the flag down to current
issues and touches on the Rough Riders at San
Juan and the Panama incident. The chorus has
a martial swing and the accompaniment is full
of little snatches from "Dixie" and "Marching
Through Georgia." Another hit. A publisher has
the two songs in hand and is going to bring them
out for the use of Republican clubs all over the
country. The Johnson Bros, are writing another
song, and the other composers of the club are
thinking of getting busy themselves.
\
On the other side of the political fence, the
professional song writers are by no means idle,
and their crop of lyrics and music dealing with
campaign issues promises to be equally forceful
and pertinent.
THE INVINCIBLE WITMARK
"SLATE."
"The Witmark Convention of Popular Publica-
tions"—second session—is even more comprehen-
sive and instructive than the first presentation
devoted to popular song hits. The current an-
nouncement, on pages 38 and 39 of this issue of
The Review dwells in detail upon this high grade
firm's catalogue of instrumental successes and
their operatic output. The inducements extended
to dealers in connection therewith cannot afford
to be overlooked if self-interest and profitable ad-
vantages are studied. The list of "good things"
is really wonderful and unprecedented in the his-
tory of music publishing in this country. The
evidence of enterprise and excellent judgment
shown by M. Witmark & Sons in these issues rep-
resent many years of business experience and
musical acumen.
Heretofore publishers have circularized the
trade in the regular way regarding their publica-
tions, but now the Witmarks have taken another
step forward, along lines which represent true
progress and in keeping with their motto, "suc-
crss is work." They certainly have the largest
and best moving catalogue extant, and dealers
now have an opportunity of stocking up with
"sure winners" on a ground floor basis.
FOREIGN MUSIC PLAYS TO BE HEARD.
London, Eng., August 3, 1904.
As a premise it may be said that all good mu-
sical plays—and some bad ones—go from Eng-
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