Music Trade Review
Issue: 1922 Vol. 75 N. 19 - Page 57
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE
NOVEMBER 4, 1922
57
REVIEW
CONDUCTED BY V. D. WALSH
REVIVAL OF BUSINESS IN THE SHEET MUSIC INDUSTRY
Unmistakable Signs Indicate That the Sheet Music Industry Has Definitely Passed the Period of
Depression and Is Rapidly Getting Back to a Normal, Prosperous Condition
During the past eighteen months sales of sheet
music have not shown any considerable change.
There have been upward trends for very short
periods and a reaction from these exceptionally
short periods, which, at times, were more or
less depressing. Throughout all this period,
however, the exceptional songs have had heavy
sales. Some of them have gone well over
1,000,000 copies and quite a few of them have
sold from 700,000 to 1,000,000 copies. Outside
of the exceptional hits which went over the
million point, these figures, considering the
merits of the songs, are not normal.
Outside of such numbers as outlined above,
what are known as "near hits" and "second
bests" have not had the volume of sales of
former years. Why this is so is one of the
questions that have perplexed the publisher and
retailer and one which has been given the great-
est consideration. The majority of those in-
terested have believed that this situation will
be changed with the return to normal conditions.
The music industry, however, has been slow
in "coming back," although many industries, in-
cluding that of the automotive, have for many
months been operating under capacity pro-
duction.
In recent weeks a change has come over some
branches of the music industry. Among these
sales conditions in the talking machine trade
have returned to about normal. The demand
for pianos, also, is along normal lines, although
in that branch the fact that there is a labor
shortage will make a dearth of such instruments
an outstanding blight during the holiday season.
In the musical merchandise field they have
seemingly had no depression, as the demands
for such goods, practically since the war period,
have exceeded the supply. Undoubtedly, there
are fwo main reasons for this; that is, the vogue
of the dance orchestra and the evident desire
of the younger generation to play musical in-
struments of all kinds, particularly saxophones
and banjos, and the fact that the American
manufacturers have taken business that formerly
went to the foreign companies.
The sheet music industry has not, as yet, felt
any of this new activity, although there are
indications that here, too, the return to normal
is on the way. It is the opinion of some that
until a normal period of three or four months
has been gone through there is hardly any
means for arriving at conclusions as to just
what should be done in publishing and retailing
circles to make for permanent health.
It might be well, however, to review what
some term the obstacles to the success of the
industry as now operated. Many have con-
tended that they are due to a lack of distribu-
tion; that the publisher needs more outlets, more
places where the public can buy his merchan-
dise. Those holding this opinion state that their
publications get sufficient publicity to create
many more sales than are now achieved, but the
public fails to find the goods accessible and
loses interest after it has been sold on the
number. Then it must either be re-sold again
or have its interest aroused in an entirely new
issue. Others contend there is now sufficient
distribution, but what is needed are better mer-
chandising methods.
Another point that has been brought up, so
far as obstacles are concerned, and one which
has only been given light consideration, is the
amount of new issues. The adherents of this
view contend that there is entirely too much
popular music published; that there is decidedly
an over-production and that neither the orches-
tras, the professionals nor the retailers can do
justice to such a volume of goods as is turned
out.
Some believe that there are entirely too many
publishers and, to support their claim, call atten-
tion to the fact that hardly a month passes by
but that there is at least one addition to the
ranks of what is termed music publishers. It is
true that many of them are hardly ever heard
from or infrequently at best. Certain it is, how-
ever, that there are many more smaller pub-
lishers to-day than there were in the pre-war
period. The fact that a great majority of these
small publishers avoid the bankruptcy court
does not prove that they have made money or
been in any way successful, but it does prove
that they are issuing merchandise, some of
which must go into the dealer's hands. Natu-
rally, some few are justified in entering the pub-
lishing business. No effort has been made to
exclude any one and we do not believe it will
be a healthy measure to attempt any such ex-
clusion, but the fact that it is possible to place
a publisher's sign over an ofHce door at a very
small outlay of capital makes it possible in this
industry to have many entries who are not
justified in assuming that they are really music
publishers, hence some over-production.
SONGS THAT SELL
Irving Berlin's Latest,
Greatest Song Hit
Homesick
Yankee Doodle Blues
Truly
Some S u n n y Day
Night
Send Back My Honey Man
While the Years Roll By
Just a Little Love Song
Early In the Morning Blues
Cltoo Choo Blues
My Cradle Melody
A w a y Down South
Come Along
From Zlegteld's Follies of 1922
Don't Bring Me
Posies
It's Shoesles I Need
IRVING BERLIN, Inc.
1607 Broadway,
New York
Taking the some thirty popular publishers
who are considered active and considering the
over-production among them, we find not a few
who have curtailed the amount of their issues,
while some of the very smallest, on the other
hand, have added materially to the amount of
their releases during the past season.
(Continued on page 58)
Just a plain old fashioned name 1 '
Nou> selling like
NOT CAKES
_-
-
,_
~ ^
,
n a
<-r.ntS° ^ll
POSITIVEIY
^GUARANTEED HIT"
" " mTD SURE FIRE SELLER.
cylnolherbighit "LonesomeMama Blues "
J.W. JlMl^S 50hte/\0SIC CO.
KANSAS CITY t\o.
THE MUSIC TRADE
NOVEMBER 4, 1922
57
REVIEW
CONDUCTED BY V. D. WALSH
REVIVAL OF BUSINESS IN THE SHEET MUSIC INDUSTRY
Unmistakable Signs Indicate That the Sheet Music Industry Has Definitely Passed the Period of
Depression and Is Rapidly Getting Back to a Normal, Prosperous Condition
During the past eighteen months sales of sheet
music have not shown any considerable change.
There have been upward trends for very short
periods and a reaction from these exceptionally
short periods, which, at times, were more or
less depressing. Throughout all this period,
however, the exceptional songs have had heavy
sales. Some of them have gone well over
1,000,000 copies and quite a few of them have
sold from 700,000 to 1,000,000 copies. Outside
of the exceptional hits which went over the
million point, these figures, considering the
merits of the songs, are not normal.
Outside of such numbers as outlined above,
what are known as "near hits" and "second
bests" have not had the volume of sales of
former years. Why this is so is one of the
questions that have perplexed the publisher and
retailer and one which has been given the great-
est consideration. The majority of those in-
terested have believed that this situation will
be changed with the return to normal conditions.
The music industry, however, has been slow
in "coming back," although many industries, in-
cluding that of the automotive, have for many
months been operating under capacity pro-
duction.
In recent weeks a change has come over some
branches of the music industry. Among these
sales conditions in the talking machine trade
have returned to about normal. The demand
for pianos, also, is along normal lines, although
in that branch the fact that there is a labor
shortage will make a dearth of such instruments
an outstanding blight during the holiday season.
In the musical merchandise field they have
seemingly had no depression, as the demands
for such goods, practically since the war period,
have exceeded the supply. Undoubtedly, there
are fwo main reasons for this; that is, the vogue
of the dance orchestra and the evident desire
of the younger generation to play musical in-
struments of all kinds, particularly saxophones
and banjos, and the fact that the American
manufacturers have taken business that formerly
went to the foreign companies.
The sheet music industry has not, as yet, felt
any of this new activity, although there are
indications that here, too, the return to normal
is on the way. It is the opinion of some that
until a normal period of three or four months
has been gone through there is hardly any
means for arriving at conclusions as to just
what should be done in publishing and retailing
circles to make for permanent health.
It might be well, however, to review what
some term the obstacles to the success of the
industry as now operated. Many have con-
tended that they are due to a lack of distribu-
tion; that the publisher needs more outlets, more
places where the public can buy his merchan-
dise. Those holding this opinion state that their
publications get sufficient publicity to create
many more sales than are now achieved, but the
public fails to find the goods accessible and
loses interest after it has been sold on the
number. Then it must either be re-sold again
or have its interest aroused in an entirely new
issue. Others contend there is now sufficient
distribution, but what is needed are better mer-
chandising methods.
Another point that has been brought up, so
far as obstacles are concerned, and one which
has only been given light consideration, is the
amount of new issues. The adherents of this
view contend that there is entirely too much
popular music published; that there is decidedly
an over-production and that neither the orches-
tras, the professionals nor the retailers can do
justice to such a volume of goods as is turned
out.
Some believe that there are entirely too many
publishers and, to support their claim, call atten-
tion to the fact that hardly a month passes by
but that there is at least one addition to the
ranks of what is termed music publishers. It is
true that many of them are hardly ever heard
from or infrequently at best. Certain it is, how-
ever, that there are many more smaller pub-
lishers to-day than there were in the pre-war
period. The fact that a great majority of these
small publishers avoid the bankruptcy court
does not prove that they have made money or
been in any way successful, but it does prove
that they are issuing merchandise, some of
which must go into the dealer's hands. Natu-
rally, some few are justified in entering the pub-
lishing business. No effort has been made to
exclude any one and we do not believe it will
be a healthy measure to attempt any such ex-
clusion, but the fact that it is possible to place
a publisher's sign over an ofHce door at a very
small outlay of capital makes it possible in this
industry to have many entries who are not
justified in assuming that they are really music
publishers, hence some over-production.
SONGS THAT SELL
Irving Berlin's Latest,
Greatest Song Hit
Homesick
Yankee Doodle Blues
Truly
Some S u n n y Day
Night
Send Back My Honey Man
While the Years Roll By
Just a Little Love Song
Early In the Morning Blues
Cltoo Choo Blues
My Cradle Melody
A w a y Down South
Come Along
From Zlegteld's Follies of 1922
Don't Bring Me
Posies
It's Shoesles I Need
IRVING BERLIN, Inc.
1607 Broadway,
New York
Taking the some thirty popular publishers
who are considered active and considering the
over-production among them, we find not a few
who have curtailed the amount of their issues,
while some of the very smallest, on the other
hand, have added materially to the amount of
their releases during the past season.
(Continued on page 58)
Just a plain old fashioned name 1 '
Nou> selling like
NOT CAKES
_-
-
,_
~ ^
,
n a
<-r.ntS° ^ll
POSITIVEIY
^GUARANTEED HIT"
" " mTD SURE FIRE SELLER.
cylnolherbighit "LonesomeMama Blues "
J.W. JlMl^S 50hte/\0SIC CO.
KANSAS CITY t\o.
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).