Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
70
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
MAY
29, 1920
VSIC rVBLISHIN©
CONDUCTED BY V. D. WALSH
MOVE TO SPEED UP PAYMENTS
Credit Information Bureau Planned by Music
Publishers' Protective Association—Will Also
Take Up Matter of Rebate on Unsold Copies
The Music Publishers' Protective Association,
the well-known organization composed of the
leading popular music publishers of the coun-
try, is now planning a credit information bureau
for the purpose of exchanging "ledger experi-
ences." This new department has been planned
for the purpose of alleviating the situation now
affecting the trade and caused, so the publishers
state, by the delay on the part of dealers
throughout the country in paying their accounts.
The publishers, too, have found numerous cases
where unknown dealers, or practically unrecog-
nized dealers, have failed to pay their accounts
at all. Owing to the conditions now affecting
the industry the publishers feel that an improve-
ment must be made immediately in the situation.
It is understood that the association recently or-
ganized, composed of the leading music jobbers,
is also taking similar action.
It is the consensus of opinion of the major-
ity of the publishers that the sales must be
placed on a thirty-day basis in order to cope
with present conditions. The Music Publishers'
Protective Association will also probably take
immediate steps to modify the system now prev-
alent on which returns of unsold copies are
made. At present each individual house has its
own method of accepting or eliminating re-
turns. This condition is, so it is stated, a very
weak point in the publishers' present status.
Many of the publishers are in favor of elimi-
nating returns altogether, except those pertain-
ing to initial orders on new numbers, which they
feel it is only fair to accept, if the dealer does not
sell his complete stock. It has also been sug-
gested that where returns are accepted there
should be a 50 per cent reduction in credit al-
lowances, except where the returns apply to
orders on new music, when a discount of 25
per cent should be allowed.
Tn trying to improve this condition the pub-
lishers are desirous of making an arrangement
which will be fairest to all concerned, for prob-
lems now confronting the trade are such that
all say an improvement must be made .
RIVIERA OFFICES FOR NEW YORK
The Riviera Music Co., Chicago, 111., will
shortly open up a professional department in
New York, located in the theatrical district,
which will be under the management of N. J.
Lott. The New York executive offices of the
firm have been opened at 74 Wall street.
—
FLORIDA
•SALES
SALE OF POPULAR NUMBERS SLOW
Publishers Find Public Is Not Buying as Much
Popular Music as a Few Months Ago—Gen-
eral Policy of Retrenchment Being Felt
During the past few weeks the publishers Lave
felt a falling off in the sales of their popular
catalog numbers. This is not so much true
of the distinct hits, but it undoubtedly h.is a
very heavy bearing on the more mediocre num-
bers.
This, together with the fact that costs in eery
direction have been very heavy, has placed a
number of firms in a position where an effort
had to be made immediately to decrease their
expenses. During the more prosperous months
in the early part of the year the sales of prac-
tically all the catalogs showed great vitality, and
the same has proven true almost since the 'lay
the publishers inaugurated their new 30-cent
catalog, which led many of them to believe that
it would be just as easy to sell their complete
catalogs in the 30-cent field with just a.s heavy
sales as it was in the old days when the
majority of such distribution was carried on
through the 10-cent field.
What particularly led them to this belief was
the fact that the sales of a national hit always
proved as large in the 30-cent field as was be-
fore possible in the 10-cent channels. This lat-
ter is an undisputed fact, as has been again and
again demonstrated, but it is now being dis-
covered that with the public retrenching some-
what in their expenses the mediocre numbers
following the hits themselves do not sell as well
as formerly.
While this situation will not work any great
hardship on the publishers on the whole, it
does, however, demonstrate that only in the
most prosperous times is it possible for the
complete catalogs to have great sales.
SPECIAL WEEKLY WINDOW DISPLAYS
Huntzinger & Dilworth Feature Individual
Firms' Songs Each Week
Huntzinger & Dilworth, the well-known New
York publishers of standard music, recently
adopted a novel idea in their window displays,
giving each week a complete window for the
display of an individual publishing fiwn's works,
for the purpose of adding to the retail sales.
Last week the display of G. Schirmer publica-
tions was the feature. During the present week
the catalog of Chas. H. Ditson Co. will be given
prominence. This will be followed by a week
featuring the publications of Carl Fischer.
In an announcement regarding the use of com-
petitive publications, one of the members of the
firm said: "This is intended to create a better
feeling in the trade and to show our interest in
attempting to establish a propaganda for the
publications of all other houses which are issu-
ing music material similar to our own."