Music Trade Review
Issue: 1920 Vol. 71 N. 8 - Page 49
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
AUGUST 21, 1920
51
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
CONDUCTED BY V. D. WALSH
JACK ROBBINS BACK IN NEW YORK
General Manager of Maurice Richmond Music
Co. Introduces New Song Hit at Atlantic City
"THE BAREFOOT
TRAIL"
Discovered and
Endorsed
Jack Robbins, general manager of the Maurice
Richmond Music Co., Inc., is back from At-
lantic City, N. J., where he duplicated his suc-
by
John
McCormack
IS A CLEAR-CUT SUCCESS
THIS GREAT AMERICAN BALLAD
has a story and a melody unique—
POSITIVELY A NEW "LOVE'S OLD SWEET SONG"
Buy it Until August 31st at Introductory Rate
BOOSEY & CO.
THE HOUSE OF SONG FAME
RYRIE BUILDING, TORONTO
9 EAST 17th STREET, NEW YORK
TOO MUCH FREE SHEET MUSIC GIVEN TO NEW YORKERS
Generosity to Friends Displayed by Members of the Staffs of Music Publishing Organizations
Believed to Be Largely Responsible for Low Average of Sheet Music Sales in Gotham
Jack Robbins
cess of last season by having all the orchestras,
including the prominent singing and pier organi-
zations, feature Max Kortlander's new novelty
fox-trot, "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere." Inci-
dentally, the number that he placed so advanta-
geously last season was "Tell Me," also from
the pen "oi Kortlander.
At the present time the Maurice Richmond
Music Co., Inc., has the following numbers
which are most active: "Gra-na-da," a Castilian
fox-trot; "Somebody," a one-step, and "Anytime,
Anyplace, Anywhere."
The Berkshire Music Colony has offered a
prize of $1,000 for the best trio for violin, 'cello
and piano, submitted before August 1, 1921, for
the annual festival given by Mrs. F. S. Coolidge
at Pittsfield, Mass.
For a long, long time sheet music salesmen
and the music publishers themselves have
stated that the sales of sheet music in New
York did not compare favorably with those of
other cities in proportion to population. Most
of the publishers, in developing their plans and
campaigns from a sales angle, hardly take New
York into consideration seriously. From all
reports, if New York was to absorb sheet music
to the extent of some of the smaller localities,
the sales of any given hit would increase
voluminously.
In the past some of the reasons advanced for
this comparatively small volume of music sales
have been that New York was not a home town;
that New York had not as many pianos accord-
ing to the population as it really should have.
On the other hand, no one has ever said that
New York was not musical. The population
turns out by the thousands for all sorts of musi-
JOBBERS and DEALERS
GET
THESE
Southern Melodies From the Sunny South
"Emma Lou"
"Tell Me You Are Coming Back to Me"
10,000 Orchestras are now playing this greatest of all Southern Waltz Songs
The most fascinating, flowing BALLAD penned in years—Jack Trevey, Southern Comedian,
writes—"Show was STOPPED COLD last night with this number."
When the Faddists Have Their Way
The greatest FAD song of the Age—A REAL HIT—Now being featured by dozens of
99
_ _ _
BIG TIME acts
"Underneath the Royal Palm Trees"
This song stands among songs as the Royal Palm stands among trees—The Best of Its
Kind—Maurice Swerdlow took 9 ENCORES with this Number at PHILADELPHIA, PA.
Down in Miami on Biscayne Bay
The official Miami Song adopted by the Miami Chamber of Commerce and the
99
greatest
HARMONY NUMBER of the year
Dad's Wearing Overalls Now
99
A grand march, and the BEST OVERALL SONG on the Market
Write for introductory prices
We publish only clean, high-class Numbers
DIXIE MUSIC PUBLISHING CO., Inc.
22-32 HAVLIN BUILDING
MIAMI, FLORIDA, U. S. A.
cal entertainments; it is a singing city; a musi-
cal center. Why, then, is there not more sheet
music sold? Any tenant of an apartment house
will tell you that there are certainly enough
talking machines, player-pianos, pianos, stu-
dents, teachers, and whatnot, rendering music
or so-called music almost continuously.
Recently the writer came into some informa-
tion which, with other things taken into con-
sideration, might account for some loss of sales
in the metropolitan district. In conferring with
some of the men charged with taking care of
the stock rooms, it was found that thousands of
copies of works of great salability reach the
hands of the song writer's friends, and the song
writer's friends' friends gratis. In addition, this
gratis offering of sheet music is carried out by the
members of the various staffs of the publishing
houses. While at a glance one would say the
amount of music disposed of in this manner
would not reach any great total, a minute analy-
sis might show an entirely different situation.
Then, too, it is a well-known fact that the
hundreds of clubs that give dances in the various
localities of both Brooklyn and New York, par-
ticularly on the East Side, have a habit of send-
ing out cards announcing the coming entertain-
ment, upon the reverse side of which appear the
choruses of several of the popular reigning hits.
In calling the publisher's attention to the
above, the writer was not taking into consider-
ation the large number of professional copies
that get into the hands of others than those
professionals for whom they are intended.
No doubt a large number of such copies do get
into sources for which they were not intended,
for some members of the professional staffs
are apt to look upon the professional copy as
something that has no value—that can be given
out freely.
A few publishing houses, for the past two or
three years, have tried to offset this loss by
printing their professional copies in the form of
lead sheets-, with the melody only,- which the
average piano player is unable to play effectively.
The houses adhering to this rule seem more
than satisfied with this manner of issuing the
works for professional consumption.
Now that popular sheet music has a retail
value much higher than that of some years back,
it would appear that the publishers should give
some thought to the New York situation, and,
if there is anything in the above report, take
some action to improve the situation by putting
an effective check upon the free copy evil.
THE
AUGUST 21, 1920
51
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
CONDUCTED BY V. D. WALSH
JACK ROBBINS BACK IN NEW YORK
General Manager of Maurice Richmond Music
Co. Introduces New Song Hit at Atlantic City
"THE BAREFOOT
TRAIL"
Discovered and
Endorsed
Jack Robbins, general manager of the Maurice
Richmond Music Co., Inc., is back from At-
lantic City, N. J., where he duplicated his suc-
by
John
McCormack
IS A CLEAR-CUT SUCCESS
THIS GREAT AMERICAN BALLAD
has a story and a melody unique—
POSITIVELY A NEW "LOVE'S OLD SWEET SONG"
Buy it Until August 31st at Introductory Rate
BOOSEY & CO.
THE HOUSE OF SONG FAME
RYRIE BUILDING, TORONTO
9 EAST 17th STREET, NEW YORK
TOO MUCH FREE SHEET MUSIC GIVEN TO NEW YORKERS
Generosity to Friends Displayed by Members of the Staffs of Music Publishing Organizations
Believed to Be Largely Responsible for Low Average of Sheet Music Sales in Gotham
Jack Robbins
cess of last season by having all the orchestras,
including the prominent singing and pier organi-
zations, feature Max Kortlander's new novelty
fox-trot, "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere." Inci-
dentally, the number that he placed so advanta-
geously last season was "Tell Me," also from
the pen "oi Kortlander.
At the present time the Maurice Richmond
Music Co., Inc., has the following numbers
which are most active: "Gra-na-da," a Castilian
fox-trot; "Somebody," a one-step, and "Anytime,
Anyplace, Anywhere."
The Berkshire Music Colony has offered a
prize of $1,000 for the best trio for violin, 'cello
and piano, submitted before August 1, 1921, for
the annual festival given by Mrs. F. S. Coolidge
at Pittsfield, Mass.
For a long, long time sheet music salesmen
and the music publishers themselves have
stated that the sales of sheet music in New
York did not compare favorably with those of
other cities in proportion to population. Most
of the publishers, in developing their plans and
campaigns from a sales angle, hardly take New
York into consideration seriously. From all
reports, if New York was to absorb sheet music
to the extent of some of the smaller localities,
the sales of any given hit would increase
voluminously.
In the past some of the reasons advanced for
this comparatively small volume of music sales
have been that New York was not a home town;
that New York had not as many pianos accord-
ing to the population as it really should have.
On the other hand, no one has ever said that
New York was not musical. The population
turns out by the thousands for all sorts of musi-
JOBBERS and DEALERS
GET
THESE
Southern Melodies From the Sunny South
"Emma Lou"
"Tell Me You Are Coming Back to Me"
10,000 Orchestras are now playing this greatest of all Southern Waltz Songs
The most fascinating, flowing BALLAD penned in years—Jack Trevey, Southern Comedian,
writes—"Show was STOPPED COLD last night with this number."
When the Faddists Have Their Way
The greatest FAD song of the Age—A REAL HIT—Now being featured by dozens of
99
_ _ _
BIG TIME acts
"Underneath the Royal Palm Trees"
This song stands among songs as the Royal Palm stands among trees—The Best of Its
Kind—Maurice Swerdlow took 9 ENCORES with this Number at PHILADELPHIA, PA.
Down in Miami on Biscayne Bay
The official Miami Song adopted by the Miami Chamber of Commerce and the
99
greatest
HARMONY NUMBER of the year
Dad's Wearing Overalls Now
99
A grand march, and the BEST OVERALL SONG on the Market
Write for introductory prices
We publish only clean, high-class Numbers
DIXIE MUSIC PUBLISHING CO., Inc.
22-32 HAVLIN BUILDING
MIAMI, FLORIDA, U. S. A.
cal entertainments; it is a singing city; a musi-
cal center. Why, then, is there not more sheet
music sold? Any tenant of an apartment house
will tell you that there are certainly enough
talking machines, player-pianos, pianos, stu-
dents, teachers, and whatnot, rendering music
or so-called music almost continuously.
Recently the writer came into some informa-
tion which, with other things taken into con-
sideration, might account for some loss of sales
in the metropolitan district. In conferring with
some of the men charged with taking care of
the stock rooms, it was found that thousands of
copies of works of great salability reach the
hands of the song writer's friends, and the song
writer's friends' friends gratis. In addition, this
gratis offering of sheet music is carried out by the
members of the various staffs of the publishing
houses. While at a glance one would say the
amount of music disposed of in this manner
would not reach any great total, a minute analy-
sis might show an entirely different situation.
Then, too, it is a well-known fact that the
hundreds of clubs that give dances in the various
localities of both Brooklyn and New York, par-
ticularly on the East Side, have a habit of send-
ing out cards announcing the coming entertain-
ment, upon the reverse side of which appear the
choruses of several of the popular reigning hits.
In calling the publisher's attention to the
above, the writer was not taking into consider-
ation the large number of professional copies
that get into the hands of others than those
professionals for whom they are intended.
No doubt a large number of such copies do get
into sources for which they were not intended,
for some members of the professional staffs
are apt to look upon the professional copy as
something that has no value—that can be given
out freely.
A few publishing houses, for the past two or
three years, have tried to offset this loss by
printing their professional copies in the form of
lead sheets-, with the melody only,- which the
average piano player is unable to play effectively.
The houses adhering to this rule seem more
than satisfied with this manner of issuing the
works for professional consumption.
Now that popular sheet music has a retail
value much higher than that of some years back,
it would appear that the publishers should give
some thought to the New York situation, and,
if there is anything in the above report, take
some action to improve the situation by putting
an effective check upon the free copy evil.
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