Music Trade Review

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THE PERFORATOR AND THE TRADE
Some Thoughts on the Influence Which the
Leabarjan Machine Is Likely to Exert on the
Music Roll Business, Retail and Wholesale
Within the last year or so there has appeared
on the market an ingenious and practical machine
for perforating music rolls directly from score.
The device has been in the course of gradual
development at the hands of its makers, the
I.eabarjan Mfg. Co., for some ten years, and the
pioneer work which has been so patiently under-
taken and carried out has been quite as severe
as pioneer technological work usually is. At the
present time, however, obstacles have been over-
come satisfactorily and there are now several
Hand Played Word Rolls
for SEPTEMBER
NOVELTY SONG ROLLS
73SI8 South Sea Isles (George White's Scandals of
1921)
Gershwin
(Played by Adam Carroll and Howard Lutter)
73818 Ha
Black
(Played by Howard Lutter)
73918 Throe O'clock in the Morning
Roblew
(Played by Adam Carroll and Nan Foster)
74618 Down at the Old Swimming Hole
Brennan
(Played by Victor Lane and Nan Foster)
75218 Golden Sands at Waikiki
Paley
(Played by Howard Lutter)
FOX-TROTS
73418 Drifting Along With the Tide (George White's
Scandals «f 1921)
G«rs4iwin
(Played by Adam Carroll and Howard Lutter)
73618 Bring Back My Blushing R«se (Follies of
1921)
Friml
(Played by J. Milton Delcamp)
73718 Sally, Won't You Come Back? (Follies of 1921)
Stamper
(Played by J. Milton Delcamp)
74118 Ain't You Coming Out. Mallnda?... Von Tilzer
(Played by Howard Lutter)
74218 Love Will Find a Way (Shuffle Along)... Blake
(Played by Nan Foster)
74318 Fancies
Spencer
(Played by J. Milton Delcamp)
74418 Just Like a Rainbow
Fiorito
(Played by J. Milton Delcamp)
74518 Mandy ' N ' Me
Conrad
(Played by Nan Foster)
74718 Honolulu Honey
Dyson
(Played by Adam Carroll)
74818 Once in a Blue Moon
Kendis
(Played by Victor Lane)
74918 Not Long Ago
Brost
(Played by Nan Foster)
74018
75018
75318
75108
75808
ONE-STEP
Anna in Indiana.
Rose
(Played by Victor Lane)
WALTZES and BALLADS
Little Town in the Ould County Down.. Sanders
(Played by Irene DiGiovanni)
My Little Sister Mary
Wendllng
(Played by Irene DiGiovanni)
INSTRUMENTAL
Jackie (One Step)
Delcamp
(Played by J. Milton Delcamp)
The Skaters Waltz (Les Patineurs)
Walden
(Played by Clark & Howe)
MARCHES
Burning of Rome.
(Played by Clark &
75308 Heaven's Artillery
(Played by Clark &
75608 The Whip
(Played by Clark &
75708 Spirit of Independence
(Played by Clark &
75406 The
models available for various uses, ranging from
the small machine which perforates one roll at
a time to an electrically driven mechanism, on
the same principle, which can perforate as many
as sixteen sheets simultaneously. It is quite
obvious, apart from any other considerations
whatever, that the music roll manufacturers must
regard the appearance of the Leabarjan machines
with a great deal of interest. It is even possible
that some of this natural interest may be mingled
with apprehension; and because of this possi-
bility some discussion of the whole idea is in
this place appropriate.
The Lines of Development
The music roll business of the country has de-
veloped along lines intensive rather than exten-
sive. At tihe beginning of things one of the first
recognitions was that the success of the player-
piano is intimately dependent upon a supply of
moderately priced music in adequate quantities.
At the same time it was soon seen that the
capital investment needed to procure machinery
and operate the manufacture of this music, in the
needed variety and quantity, was so great that
immediate commercial returns must be insured.
In a word, the market must be found and stabil-
ized before the manufacturer could afford to
make the capital investment essential to the
equipment and operation of a music roll plant.
It was not,, therefore, possible to devote any
systematic effort to cultivating the public taste,
or indeed to doing anything save find the sorts
of music on which large production could profit-
ably be organized. If the line of least resistance
had not thus been taken, it is quite likely that
the music roll business would have remained as
a sort of small appendage to the manufacture of
player-pianos, and would have had all the dis-
advantages of appendages, caudal and otherwise.
It would have been small, timid, expensive, in-
efficient and unprofitable. It has, in fact, been
large, bold, efficient and profitable.
The Concentrated Interests
At the same time, however, this concentration
upon the immediate market has had its own
disadvantageous consequences. The music roll
business has been narrow in the range of its
interests. Confining itself strictly to the necessi-
ties above noted, it has not been able to con-
sider the wants of those to whom the player-
piano has come to offer new, and for a long
time unrecognized, possibilities. If the preju-
SYNCHRONIZED
MUSIC ROLLS
Lincoln
Howe)
Holzman
Howe)
Holzman
Howe)
PAUL B. KLUGH, Pre..
N. Y. CITY
Superior Arrangements
Perfect Perforating
The word rolls are all the word "syn-
chronized" implies and are most
singable.
COLUMBIA MUSIC CO.
16 South Peoria Street
Chicago, 111.
PLAYER-ORGAN--PIANO
LEATHERS
A Specialty of Pneumatic Leather*
T. L LUTKINS, he ' B i B
dices of the musical world had not early been
aroused through the apparent devotion of the
entire player industry to the most ephemeral of
musical productions, it is probable that we should
be selling to-day many more player-pianos than
we do actually sell. However that may be, the
fact remains that the general run of music-lovers
in this country, using the term in its generally
accepted artistic sense, have been somewhat left
out in the cold. They have not been, until re-
cently, so much as considered, and wihen a few
years ago attention began to be given to their
wants by the introduction of the recorded per-
sonal playing of great artists it was found that
the task of arousing their interest was less easy
than it would have been ten years earlier. So
that there has been, and still is, an unbridged
gap in the industry's road of progress.
The Special Needs
Again, the possibilities of the player-piano as
a new instrument of music, quite different from
those of the piano, began to be recognized at
least ten years ago; but it was impossible in the
circumstances that the manufacturers of either
player-pianos or of music rolls should devote any
part of their time to investigating, or helping
others to investigate, these possibilities. The
trade had all it could do to keep itself going. It
could not be expected to do missionary work.
Yet these possibilities had sooner or later to be
investigated and the need was apparent for
means whereby musical investigations of the
sort could be carried on. Since the musical
score for the player-piano is a perforated roll,
the connection of the music roll manufacturing
industry was as obvious as it was inexpedient.
The Two Demands
So that, in our judgment, the advent of the
Leabarjan machines, and their gradual develop-
ment, might be considered as the inevitable an-
swer to two demands. One was from those who
need music which cannot profitably be published
on a commercial scale. The other is for means
to investigate the higher possibilities of the
{Continued on Page 10)
TAFFNOT
<
) SONG [T^LTI 1 R O L L
F
The Only Roll With Words
AND NOTES
Paull
Howe)
Republic Player Roll Corp.
75th Street at Broadway
9
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
AUGUST 27, 1921
B
Mr. Dealer:
The New STAFFNOTE PLAYER
ROLLS with their many exclusive features
will increase your player sales. The Melody
Notes never fail to interest players of wind
or stringed instruments. Our patented print-
ing and improved recording processes made
these wonderful rolls possible.
They are the Ideal Library Rolls and
many progressive dealers recommend them as
the best.
Our representation is increasing daily.
May we have the pleasure of sending you our
monthly bulletins?
YOURS FOR SERVICE
Billings Player Roll Company
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U. S. A.