Music Trade Review

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THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
President and Treasurer, C. L. Bill, 373 Fourth Ave., New York; Vice-President,
T. B. Spillane, 373 Fourth Ave., New York; Second Vice-President, Raymond Bill, 373
Fourth Ave., New York; Secretary, Edward Lyman Kill, 373 Fourth Ave., New York;
Assistant Treasurer, Wm. A. Low.
J. B. SPILLANE, Editor
RAY BILL, B. B. WILSON, BRAID WHITE, Associate Editors
WILSON D. BUSH, Managing Editor
CARLETON CHACE, Business Manager
-
L. E. BOWERS, Circulation Manager
Executive and Reportorial Statf
EDWARD VAN HARLINGEN, V. D. WALSH, E. B. MUNCH, LKE ROBINSON, C. R. TIGHE,
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Departments conducted by an expert wherein all ques-
tions of a technical nature relating to the tuning,
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y
are dealt with, will be found in another section of
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anil
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REVIEW
FEBRUARY 18, 1922
and have some solid foundation upon which to base activities of
purely local importance.
The success of an association of any sort does not rest with its
organization, but rather with its accomplishments, and if the work
can be along lines that have proven resultful then the chances for
success are greatly multiplied.
KEEPING MUSIC CLEAN AND DECENT
AGAIN call your attention to the importance of refusing, in
every case and under all circumstances, to publish any composi-
tions the lyrics of which are suggestive, offensive to decent people, or
which ridicule any race, sect or law. . . . There should be nothing in
them to inspire a leer on the face of a youth, or force a blush to the
cheek of a girl who hears them. If there is then such a song will
deserve, and will receive, ruthless, merciless suppression, regardless
of by whom it is written or published, not only from our own industry
but allied enterprises which are committed to the clean and decent
motif in songs."
The foregoing is the latest message to the music publishers from
E. C. Mills, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Music Pub-
lishers' Protective Association, and simply reflects the views of by
far the great majority of the members of that body—men who realize
that music publishing is a clean business and endeavor to keep it so.
This attitude of the publishers themselves is the best answer to
those who are so free in their comments regarding jazz and indecent
songs and who blame the publishers entirely for the present tendency
in that direction. If the other divisions of the music industry, and
particularly the music roll and talking machine record manufac-
turers, will be as earnest in their efforts to keep the popular music
of the day clean, not only in lyrics but in interpretation, the result
is bound to be satisfactory.
Mr. Mills' letter, which is reproduced in full in the Music Pub-
lishers'' Section of The Review this week, offers a message to the
music industry as a whole that should not be overlooked.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES—NUMBERS 5982—5983 MADISON SQ.
Connecting all Departments
Cable Address: "ElbiU, New York"
AIDING HOME BUILDING PLANS
M
OVEMENTS started in many cities and towns of the country,
including New York, to start home building on a big scale for
the purpose of relieving the housing shortage that has existed for
INCREASING ASSOCIATION INTEREST
several years are deserving of the support of piano and music mer-
chants
and business men generally, for any material increase in the
I T H I N the past few weeks there have been a number of
number
of homes in the country will mean that just so many more
announcements of local association meetings and of the re-
families
have been placed in a position where they not only can buy
juvenation of trade organizations that had seemingly passed away
home
furnishings
and the things that give pleasure, but will have a
or had fallen by the wayside temporarily. This general interest in
place
to
put
them.
association work that appears to exist in many sections of the country
There is no question but that at the present time there are
is both interesting and commendable, for it has been pointed out time
thousands
of prospective buyers of pianos and other musical in-
and time again there is a genuine and lasting need for the sort of
struments
who
are dividing homes with other families, living in
trade cohesiveness that is brought about through association mem-
furnished
rooms,
or occupying "modern two room apartments" where
bership.
there
is
no
room
for
even one of the "diminutive" pianos. Municipal
The fact, however, that so many trade organizations simply drag
housing
projects
are
now being considered on a big scale, and each
along depending for their existence upon a few energetic members,
house
or
full
sized
apartment
built and occupied means in most cases
or hibernate for months at a time and then require reviving at various
a
new
place
in
which
to
put
a
piano
or some other musical instrument.
intervals, leads to the belief that there is required a more compre-
In
supporting
such
projects,
merchants
are simply endeavoring
hensive program of association work—a program that goes beyond
to
assist
in
providing
a
new
and
proper
field
for their efforts. It is
simply the development of social intercourse and yet does not call
a
matter
of
good
business.
for the adoption of regulations that are calculated to cause dissension
among the members.
THE FARMER AS A FACTOR
There are many things that associations have done, and can do,
HE hundreds of piano and music merchants located in the
to justify th^ir existence beyond providing excuses for dinners at
agricultural districts of the country are watching developments
regular intervals. The New York Piano Merchants' Association,
in Washington as they affect the problems of the farmers with par-
for instance, provided a schedule of valuations on traded-in pianos
ticular interest, for there is seen in Federal aid and support for the
that has been adopted as a guide by piano men all over the country.
Other associations have accomplished much in providing for the farmers, even though it be brought about through the efforts of the
agricultural "bloc" and in opposition to the desires of the business
interchange of credit information for the protection of their mem-
men of the cities, an opportunity for increased sales in farming
bers. Then there have been discussed at association meetings such
communities.
matters as charging of interest and advertising ethics with eminently
satisfactory results and without the drafting of fixed regulations
According to a statement issued recently by President Harding,
more noteworthy for their violation than for their observance.
the worst phase of the agricultural crisis has been passed, and it is
It is very likely that the present transcontinental tour of M. V. hoped for a number of reasons that the President's optimism is
justified. Big industrial leaders profess to see in the efforts of the
DeForeest, president of the National Association of Music Merchants,
will result in the establishment of new local associations and the agricultural interests to assert their power a menace to the industries
of the country, but the retailer in the community that serves a large
reviving of other organizations that need new life. If the local
farming district feels that that danger is tempered with the possibility
organizations that result from the trip or which exist at present can
be presented in concrete form with information regarding successful of bringing about a more general tendency to buy on the part of the
farming element.
activities of other bodies, then they will be saved much experimenting
Vol. LXXIV
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 18, 1922
No. 7
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