Music Trade Review

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I"HE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
MUSIC TRADE NEWS FROM GERMANY
pany employed 80 hands, and paid $1,000 weekly
in wages. The industries and finance committee
will at once consider the form, if any, of aid to
be given.
Christmas Trade Will Not Equal Last Year—Piano Trade as a Whole Dull—Outlook for New
Year—Piano Player Activity—Results of Berlin Copyright Conference.
TO MANUFACTURE^PIPE ORGANS.
party to it) a royalty will have to be paid for all Stevens Organ & Piano Co. Start New Depart*
ment With A. G. Sparling in Charge.
copyright music transferred to automatic instru-
Berlin, Germany, Dec. 3, 1908.
The Christmas trade is quite brisk in contrast ments. The author's right of the singer or player
(Special to Th« Review.)
to the extremely quiet months that have been ex- will also be fully protected. That is to say, a
Marietta, O., Dec. 14, 1908.
perienced of late; nevertheless the amount of singer 'who wishes to transfer to a record a song
The Stevens Organ & Piano Co., of this city,
business done this Christmas will by no means of some modern composer must first obtain the have announced their intention of adding an-
come up to that done last year at this time. permission of the composer or his agent. When other department to their already large business,
Neither will the New Year show signs of im- the record is then played the dealer who sells and will shortly begin the manufacture of a line
provement if the war clouds in the Balkan same must for his part obtain the permission f
of pipe organs to range in price from $1,000 to
provinces thicken. Should war be declared no the singer. When the record contains a com- $15,000. A. G. Sparling, of Battle Creek, Mich.,
position,
however,
which
is
no
longer
protected,
improvement in trade can be expected for some
a pipe organ builder of wide experience, will
time to come. Should a war, however, be the singer has the sole right of reproduction. In have charge of the department. Both tubular
this
way
the
copying
of
records
is
legally
for-
avoided then as soon as the new taxes have been
pneumatic and electric pneumatic organs will be
•introduced and the finances of Germany have bidden for ever more.
made.
Only such compositions are protected as will
been put in order quite a noticeable improvement
in trade will take place and normal conditions be published after the decisions of the convention
DIFFERENCES AMICABLY SETTLED.
go into force. What is already on records, etc.,
reign once more by the end of next summer.
The A. B. Chase Co. and The Starr Piano
The piano trade at the present time is very is of course free of any royalty for ever.
Co.
Have Complete
Understanding—Suit
The right of public performance belongs en-
slack indeed, which is particularly attributable
Brought Against the Starr Piano Co. Has
to the small orders which are being received tirely to the composer, without, as heretofore,
Been Dismissed—All Rights to the Name of
from England. The condition of affairs in Berlin any remark being necessary to this effect. An ex-
Chase Assigned to The A. B. Chase Co.
last summer was quite serious and the majority ception with regard to automatic instruments
of factories, even the most important, had to has been made in so far as it will be possible
work short time. The other centers of the Ger- to obtain relief for the inner range of the To the Public: We take pleasure in announc-
man piano industry, namely, Leipzig, Stuttgart countries in favor of the manufacturers. It is ing that The A. B. Chase Co. and The Starr Piano
and Dresden, were less affected as these depend unfortunately no* exactly known what exceptions Co. have honorably and amicably settled all dif-
will be permissible, but one will not be far wrong ferences heretofore existing between them, and
less on the exports to England.
The manufacturers of piano players, auto- in assuming that the exceptions will principally the suit brought against The Starr Piano Co. has
matic instruments and talking machines are very refer to the small instruments (music boxes, been dismissed. The Starr Piano Co. has as-
busy at present, and in contrast to the poor ex- small mechanical organs) to claim a royalty for signed all the rights it has to the use of the
ports of pianos to England, have no cause for which would be ridiculous. There is also a pos- name "Chase" as applied to pianos to The A. B.
complaint. Particularly the pianos after the sibility that the German Government will grant Chase Co.
T H E A. B. CHASE CO.,
style of the "Welte-Mignon," which is so well the request made by its delegates, which it
By Calvin Whitney, President.
known in America, and which gives lifelike formerly rejected, namely, that a composer who
THE STARR PIANO CO.,
reproduction of the piano playing of musicians, gives any manufacturer the right to reproduce
By Henry Gennett, President.
is gradually developing into a paying specialty. his compositions is also bound to grant other
In the manufacture of piano players, however, manufacturers the same right for a proportionate
only one German firm has been able to work fee. As regards the amount of such fee, which
P. 0 . RULING ON CONTESTS.
it was proposed should be made according to a
with any success so far.
certain percentage of the selling price, no definite Assistant Attorney-General Issues New Ruling
Although the Berlin conference was concluded
arrangement was arrived at. This is therefore
Covering Advertising of Schemes.
on the 14th of November the details of the de-
left to mutual arrangement; in other words, the
cisions have not been officially disclosed. As I
The following ruling against fraudulent ad-
manufacturers of the discs, records and per-
already advised you briefly by cable the most
forated music rolls will either have to pay what vertising has been made by Assistant Attorney-
important result of the conference was that in
the composer demands or leave the matter en- General R. P. Goodwin, who is at present look-
future the transfer of music pieces to automatic tirely alone.
ing into such cases for the postoffice department:
instruments (discs, records, perforated music
"Schemes in which prizes are offered for the
The new resolutions are, of course, of great im- best or nearest solution of a puzzle are regarded
rolls) will be considered the same as piracy by
means of re-printing or lithographing. The de- portance to manufacturers in the United States as lotteries whenever for the privilege of com-
cisions agreed to at the convention will take ef- as far as the latter export their wares to the peting some charge is made. In this case the
fect on the 1st of October, 1910, at the latest. countries belonging to the convention; Germany, contestant is required to submit a coupon from
From this date on therefore (perhaps in Ger- Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Great Britain, France, the newspaper, and this necessitates a purchase
* many much earlier) in all countries belonging Italy, Sweden, Norway. Switzerland and Japan of a newspaper of a valuable consideration. Un-
to the convention (the United States is not a coming principally into consideration.
less the advertisement is amended so as to make
clear that it is not necessary to submit the cou-
embezzling money from the firm. Last had
pon with the answer, matter relating to the
LAST SENTTO PRISON.
forced his way into Schlingman's private office, scheme should be excluded from the mails."
and, pistol in hand, demanded that Schlingman
Tuner Who Attacked Secretary of Schumann
sign three confessions that the piano tuner had
Piano Co., Denver, Col., Sentenced to from
INSTALL LINE OF PIANOS.
not embezzled any of the firm's money—neither
Two to Four Years in Prison.
had he forged Guy E. Smith's name to a re-
The firm of Glover & Griffith, 103 South How-
ceipt.
ard street, Akron, O., which for the past year
(Special to The Review.)
have handled exclusively a line of talking ma-
Denver, Col., Dec. 14, 1908.
chines and talking machine records, have
W. G. Last, once a piano tuner in the employ
ASK AID TO REBUILD
branched out and added a piano department,
of the Schumann Piano Co., 500 Fifteenth street,
must spend from two to four years in the peni- Wormwith Piano Co., Kingston, Ont., Whose taking the agency . for the Winter & Co., Ahl-
strom, and other makes of pianos.
tentiary at Canon City, following the opinion
Factory Was Destroyed by Fire—Want Help
of Dr. Pershing and county hospital physicians
from City Council.
L. C. Davis, recently with the Rogers Music
that Last is not Insane. The prisoner had been
House,
Middletown, N. Y., and connected with
found guilty of embezzlement some time ago, but
(Special to The Review. 1
the piano trade for the past thirty-seven years,
the verdict was set aside pending an investiga-
Kingston, Ont., Dec. 14, 1908.
will open piano warerooms in New Berlin,
tion as to his sanity.
The Wormwith Piano Co. have applied to the N. Y., shortly after the first of the year.
Early in October Last was arrested on com- City Council for assistance to re-establish their
plaint of Herman Schlingman, Sr., secretary of
factory, destroyed by fire recently. The com-
Four R. S. Howard pianos are offered as prizes
the Schumann Piano Co., who charged his em- pany believe their loss was largely due to the in a contest being conducted by the Bush &
ploye with threatening to kill him, and also with
inadequacy of the fire equipment. The com- Safford Piano Co., Miami, Fla.
(Special to The Review.)
The Matchless
CUNNINGHAM
"The piano that
has hewn its way
to the front through
a solid wall of in-
telligent conserva-
tism."
Players
Grands
Uprights
If you want to join
the forward march
of our "pushful"
army of dealers,
write for prices, ter-
ritory and proposi-
tions.
The Cunningham Piano Co.
OFFICE AND WAREROOMS, Chestnut and Eleventh Streett
FACTORIES. Fiftieth Street, Parkside Avenue and Viola Street
Philadelphia, Pa.