Music Trade Review

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40
THE
MUSIC TRADE
It's the BeesKnees.and just taKe it from me .There's oneihin^ I wanUo_say,
REVIEW
1922
Youre $on-nahearitrr#ht arid day,
BEES
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LATEST PRICE DEVELOPMENTS IN SYNDICATE STORES
The S. S. Kresge and W. T. Grant Stores as Well as Other Dealers Reduce Prices of Popular
Music to Twenty Cents to Meet Competition of the J. G. McCrory Co.'s Stores
Owing to the competition of the syndicate
slores operated by the J. G. McCrory Co.,
which for the past six or eight months has been
selling popular music at 20 cents, the S. S.
Kresge stores and the W. T. Grant stores, as
well as other dealers, have been forced to re-
duce retail prices in accordance in the localities
where the McCrory stores operate.
While at present these reductions affect less
than a dozen cities, it is apparent that a long
continuance of the reduced scale will become
permanent in the eyes of the public and in time
will make it necessary for other localities to
lower the retail figures.
Encouragement by some publishers has been
given several of the syndicates in their re-
taliatory moves against the J. G. McCrory com-
petition ar* zations 'on record as favoring a reduced price.
On the other hand, there are several of the
leading publishing houses who have refused to
entertain any reductions in wholesale prices,
thereby giving support to a continuance of the
present-day retail figure.
Most of the publishers interviewed regarding
the change in retail prices by the syndicate
stores hold the opinion that there is practically
nothing to be gained in the way of sale^ by
the reductions. The difference between 25 cents
and 20 cents as a retail price is not sufficient,
seemingly, to attract purchasers in a volume
that would make the reduction attractive.
If the volume of sales of the retailer were
greatly increased through reductions the situa-
tion could be looked upon with favor. How-
ever, the experiences of the past six months
would tend to prove that there has been little
or no gain made by lowering the retail price and
certainly not sufficient increase to warrant what
is termed a radical change.
At present the problem is a trade war among
DECEMBER 23,
retailers, and the efforts of some publishing
houses to assist the competitors in carrying on
the price battle creates a most unhealthy situa-
tion. It would appear that the outcome of the
present change in prices would educate the buy-
ing public to believe that the 20-cent figure
was the proper price for popular prints. If the
present 20-cent price remains for any length of
time it will be almost impossible to go back
to a higher retail price. At least, not without
allowing the public to believe that either the
publisher or retailer has been profiteering.
Twenty cents, then, may become the standard
retail price for popular prints, and this will
naturally bring up the question whether there
will be, or can be, in the near future, any addi-
tional reductions. The question can be easily
answered because the present trade battle be-
tween the syndicate stores, as noted above, has
forcibly brought the problem before the leading
publishing houses. While practically all of them
admit it is possible to lower wholesale prices
so as to allow the retailer to sell music for
20 cents, the publisher, they contend, does so
at a substantial loss. With these losses in mind
it would be unhealthy to entertain any further
reductions. Even the publishing houses who
have believed a lower retail price would be a
healthy move do not contemplate encouraging
any further reductions. In fact, those who were
most enthusiastic over the new retail prices
state it would be impossible to sell music which
had been exploited at less than 12^ cents, which
is practically the wholesale price of most
20-cent music.
From the standpoint 'of the legitimate sheet
music dealer the present situation is quite im-
portant. If he does not operate a store in the
towns now affected, it is only a matter of time
until the trend of lower prices travels to his
territory.
"WITMARK BLACK AND WHITE" SERIES NOW REGISTERED
Prominent New York Publishers Announce That Official Registration Was Granted by the Patent
Office of Washington, D. C, Under Date of December 12—Protection Well Merited
The announcement was made early this week
by M. Witmark & Sons, the well-known pub-
lishing house, that they have been granted by
the Patent Office the right to register the trade
mark "Witmark Black and White Series." This
familiar slogan, which for over twenty years
has been identified with the highest -type of
melody ballads, now becomes, by authority of
the Government, an exclusive national product.
The application for the registration of the
"Witmark Black and White Series" was faced
by what is officially known as "interference,"
the opposition originating from a chemical man-
ufacturing concern located in the South and
another concern doing business in Cincinnati,
O., both of whom claim the right to use "Black
and White" as a trade mark. One of the con-
testants subsequently joined M. Witmark &
Sons in protecting the latter's rights in the
matter. Counsel in Washington was engaged
and after several delays the case came up for
adjudication before the Patent Office, with the
result that the application for the trade mark
was allowed by the officials of the Patent Office
at Washington, D. C, on December 12, 1922,
in favor of the "Witmark Black and White"
publications, all of which will be of importance
to the trade, and, no doubt, gratifying to the
industry.
Maurice Abrahams, formerly professional
manager for Waterson, Berlin & Snyder, con-
templates the opening of a music publishing
company shortly after January first.
Sung by AL JOLSON in
"BOMBO."
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