Music Trade Review
Issue: 1922 Vol. 75 N. 8 - Page 46
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
AUGUST 19, 1922
Your Feet Won't Keep Still When You Hear—
ISILVERSURS"
Percy Wenrictts New Fox Trot Hit—Hear It Once-Remember It Always
Yjhfr
s—
-G
- ver
stars a -bove,
Tell me
o ^ B 1
U^
of \p\xr love,-
'
EXPLOITATION THE BIGGEST FACTOR OF EXPENSE IN PUBLISHING—(Continued from page 45)
hearsal. It is "followed up" right along the line
until the song is "in the act." Oftentimes the
main office will send its "star" act man along
with the act for a few days to insure the song
going in.
Intensive Exploitation
Secondlj'-, these branch office men, having cov-
ered the acts each week in the several theatres
of their cities, must not overlook the possibilities
of local "plugs"; that is, placing their singers in
the picture houses, cabarets, band concerts, or
any public gathering where it is possible to have
the songs sung or played, They must also keep
in close touch with the orchestra leaders in ho-
tels and dance places and see that the songs are
being played nightly. Then in their "spare time"
they drop in to the dealers, not so much to so-
licit orders, but to inform them of their various
activities on the songs so that the dealer can
order the songs being "plugged." In addition to
this work, once or twice a week, they engage an
automobile and make a tour of the roadhouses
and Summer resorts, hundreds of which are lo-
cated on the good automobile roads adjacertf to
the big centers of population. Here they in-
terview the orchestra leader, see that he is play-
ing the songs, and, if the character of the place
permits, sing a few of the songs, ostensibly for
the entertainment of the patrons, but really to
acquaint them with the tunes so they will buy
them from their dealers.
Now, these branch offices cost money—real
money. They must necessarily be located in
theatrical sections of the city, where rents arc
high—and the men engaged in this work are not
cheap help, but, besides being able to sing or
play, they must have the qualities that will get
them entree into theatres, hotels and other amuse-
ment places, and by their friendships with actors
and musicians induce them to play the songs of
the house they represent. Many of these men are
paid $75 or $100 a week, besides the expenses they
incur in traveling and entertaining. But this is
all necessary if the song is to be "made"—songs
are not going to make themselves—somebody
must go out and work and spend money to get
the tune in the air.
The Question of Advertising
Another item of expense is theatrical and trade
paper advertising. Those performers who can-
not be personally solicited must know about the
new songs and the only way they can be reached
is through the theatrical papers. The corre-
spondence of this end of the business is a tre-
mendous item in itself. For the small perform-
er must get service by mail and get it quick with
the proper material so that he can put the song
on without the aid of a professional rehearsal. A
man handling this department must know what
to write, and act, give the artist the proper "in-
terpretation" of the songs by mail as well as
possible; see that he gets the version best suited
to him or her and an orchestration in the
proper key. Oftentimes the printed orchestra-
tions are not suitable for a particular voice and
in that instance a special manuscript orchestra-
tion must be made. One big publisher retains
a staff of six or seven arrangers jftst for the
purpose of giving acts an orchestration suitable
to their voice qualifications, or voice limitations.
They are high-priced people, too. They get paid
by the page, not by the day. The arranging bill
of some of the big publishers is appalling, and
all for the sake of "making" a song popular.
Every big publisher retains an expert in •har-
mony just to make special arrangements for
quartets. He is another high-priced man. There
are special departments maintained by every big
publisher to keep the orchestra leaders all over
the United States informed as to what's what
in New York and Chicago. There are as many
as 30,000 orchestra leaders on the lists of these
big publishers and it is safe to say that each of
them receives a special letter once or twice a
month just to maintain their interest in the
firm's publications and to check them up from
time to time and see if they are playing the
firm's music. No little job to get out 30,000 let-
ters—still it must be done to help "make" songs
popular, because the oftener a tune is played the
more copies will be sold.
Super-salesmen Needed
The men on the professional department staffs
of the big publishers are super-salesmen in their
own field. On Monday afternoons you find them
in the theatres of all the vaudeville circuits. If
Brown and Jones are singing a ballad, or a
comedy song, or a novelty song, and it is not one
published by the house they represent, you'll find
them back-stage immediately after the act is off
presenting their "sales-talk" and trying to con-
vince the act that it would be a bigger hit if it
would sing their song. They interest the act in
their song, and often use a piano back-stage to
demonstrate it, signing it upon the "dotted line"
then and there. If a demonstration is not prac-
ticable back-stage then their persuasive powers
are used to get the act down to the studio for
a rehearsal.
Many New York publishers have fifteen sound-
proof piano rooms for rehearsals, besides larger
rooms for rehearsals of big acts and new or-
chestras just being formed. Duplicate this in
the several cities mentioned above and there is
shown a nice "overhead" investment in pianos
alone. The professional department staff is
often responsible for the act being able to put
the song across, teaching it "new business,"
steps, gestures, emphasis, pause and deportment
in the proper rendition of a song. It all costs
money, but it is needed to "make" songs. Elimi-
nate the professional department, the orchestra
department, cut out all advertising, discharge
the staffs of highly trained professional office
men, leave nothing but the printing presses and
the dealer would not pay 2 cents a copy for
wron
Whanu'FElST'
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
AUGUST 19, 1922
Your Feet Won't Keep Still When You Hear—
ISILVERSURS"
Percy Wenrictts New Fox Trot Hit—Hear It Once-Remember It Always
Yjhfr
s—
-G
- ver
stars a -bove,
Tell me
o ^ B 1
U^
of \p\xr love,-
'
EXPLOITATION THE BIGGEST FACTOR OF EXPENSE IN PUBLISHING—(Continued from page 45)
hearsal. It is "followed up" right along the line
until the song is "in the act." Oftentimes the
main office will send its "star" act man along
with the act for a few days to insure the song
going in.
Intensive Exploitation
Secondlj'-, these branch office men, having cov-
ered the acts each week in the several theatres
of their cities, must not overlook the possibilities
of local "plugs"; that is, placing their singers in
the picture houses, cabarets, band concerts, or
any public gathering where it is possible to have
the songs sung or played, They must also keep
in close touch with the orchestra leaders in ho-
tels and dance places and see that the songs are
being played nightly. Then in their "spare time"
they drop in to the dealers, not so much to so-
licit orders, but to inform them of their various
activities on the songs so that the dealer can
order the songs being "plugged." In addition to
this work, once or twice a week, they engage an
automobile and make a tour of the roadhouses
and Summer resorts, hundreds of which are lo-
cated on the good automobile roads adjacertf to
the big centers of population. Here they in-
terview the orchestra leader, see that he is play-
ing the songs, and, if the character of the place
permits, sing a few of the songs, ostensibly for
the entertainment of the patrons, but really to
acquaint them with the tunes so they will buy
them from their dealers.
Now, these branch offices cost money—real
money. They must necessarily be located in
theatrical sections of the city, where rents arc
high—and the men engaged in this work are not
cheap help, but, besides being able to sing or
play, they must have the qualities that will get
them entree into theatres, hotels and other amuse-
ment places, and by their friendships with actors
and musicians induce them to play the songs of
the house they represent. Many of these men are
paid $75 or $100 a week, besides the expenses they
incur in traveling and entertaining. But this is
all necessary if the song is to be "made"—songs
are not going to make themselves—somebody
must go out and work and spend money to get
the tune in the air.
The Question of Advertising
Another item of expense is theatrical and trade
paper advertising. Those performers who can-
not be personally solicited must know about the
new songs and the only way they can be reached
is through the theatrical papers. The corre-
spondence of this end of the business is a tre-
mendous item in itself. For the small perform-
er must get service by mail and get it quick with
the proper material so that he can put the song
on without the aid of a professional rehearsal. A
man handling this department must know what
to write, and act, give the artist the proper "in-
terpretation" of the songs by mail as well as
possible; see that he gets the version best suited
to him or her and an orchestration in the
proper key. Oftentimes the printed orchestra-
tions are not suitable for a particular voice and
in that instance a special manuscript orchestra-
tion must be made. One big publisher retains
a staff of six or seven arrangers jftst for the
purpose of giving acts an orchestration suitable
to their voice qualifications, or voice limitations.
They are high-priced people, too. They get paid
by the page, not by the day. The arranging bill
of some of the big publishers is appalling, and
all for the sake of "making" a song popular.
Every big publisher retains an expert in •har-
mony just to make special arrangements for
quartets. He is another high-priced man. There
are special departments maintained by every big
publisher to keep the orchestra leaders all over
the United States informed as to what's what
in New York and Chicago. There are as many
as 30,000 orchestra leaders on the lists of these
big publishers and it is safe to say that each of
them receives a special letter once or twice a
month just to maintain their interest in the
firm's publications and to check them up from
time to time and see if they are playing the
firm's music. No little job to get out 30,000 let-
ters—still it must be done to help "make" songs
popular, because the oftener a tune is played the
more copies will be sold.
Super-salesmen Needed
The men on the professional department staffs
of the big publishers are super-salesmen in their
own field. On Monday afternoons you find them
in the theatres of all the vaudeville circuits. If
Brown and Jones are singing a ballad, or a
comedy song, or a novelty song, and it is not one
published by the house they represent, you'll find
them back-stage immediately after the act is off
presenting their "sales-talk" and trying to con-
vince the act that it would be a bigger hit if it
would sing their song. They interest the act in
their song, and often use a piano back-stage to
demonstrate it, signing it upon the "dotted line"
then and there. If a demonstration is not prac-
ticable back-stage then their persuasive powers
are used to get the act down to the studio for
a rehearsal.
Many New York publishers have fifteen sound-
proof piano rooms for rehearsals, besides larger
rooms for rehearsals of big acts and new or-
chestras just being formed. Duplicate this in
the several cities mentioned above and there is
shown a nice "overhead" investment in pianos
alone. The professional department staff is
often responsible for the act being able to put
the song across, teaching it "new business,"
steps, gestures, emphasis, pause and deportment
in the proper rendition of a song. It all costs
money, but it is needed to "make" songs. Elimi-
nate the professional department, the orchestra
department, cut out all advertising, discharge
the staffs of highly trained professional office
men, leave nothing but the printing presses and
the dealer would not pay 2 cents a copy for
wron
Whanu'FElST'
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