Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
MAY
2, 1925
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By V. D. Walsh
Conditions in the Sheet Music Trade
of Augusta, Macon and Chattanooga
Maurice Richmond, of the Richmond Music Supply Corp., New York, Tells of the Conditions
Existing Among the Retail Merchants There—Written Exclusively for The Review
A UGUSTA, GA., April 25.—Augusta is known
"^^ as the garden city of the South. According
to history, love-making started in or around
Augusta about 1545 when the famous dis-
coverer, Ferdinand De-
Soto, was in that terri-
tory. He fell in love
with an Indian maid,
so that for him it was
the "Garden of Love."
The Vanderbilt family
saw fit to erect a most
gorgeous and preten-
tious hotel in Augusta
and have named it the
"Bon Air Vanderbilt."
This is a Winter resort
Maurice Richmond
patronized by the aris-
tocracy of the North. The population is nearly
53,000.
W. P. Manning Music Co.
"Augusta's Exclusive Music House," as the
slogan reads, is owned and operated by W. P.
Manning. It is a spacious establishment, well
appointed and has all the "ear-marks" of a
busy store. The Steinway piano is featured
and reproducing pianos, Brunswick phono-
graphs, Radiolas, records, King band instru-
ments, Washburn and Gibson lines, etc., are
carried as well. Mr Manning stands erect and
is six feet tall or more. I didn't have my meafs-
ure with me—besides, I am not his tailor.
While I sat in his office he was leaning back
in a rocker, puffing at a cigarette and rather
proudly remarked: "My bank roll of two
single green backs, nicely folded and sealed
in my inside pocket, for future high finance,
w r as my entire capital when I reached Augusta."
Aside from business, Mr. Manning's hobby is
golf. He is well up on the list, and while he
talks a good game, I know he must play a
better one. There are many actual recofds of
tournaments in which Mr. Manning competed
and came out with flying colors. I asked him
for some pointers about golf and he boiled it
right down to this: "Keep your eye on the ball,
hit it, don't fail. You are not out for the air.
Make it a business, respond to the call." I
firmly believe that being such a golf enthusiast
helps to keep Mr. Manning in good trim and
in high spirits. In fact, he considers an out-
door life a health preserver. "We can really
boast of our wonderful golf courses in
Augusta," he said, "not only because they are
kept so well, but the beautiful surrounding
scenery is always so pleasant." Mr. Manning
asked me if I knew of any golfers in the music
business. I told him I knew a few who played
a good game, and many who will soon start
to do it. The roster I gave him included the
following, whom I know have actually appeared
on the links. 'Just why or how I don't know
but at some time or other they have been
spotted in full golfing regalia. They are Ed.
Bitner, Leo Feist, Inc.; Saul Bornstein, Irving
Berlin, Inc.; Walter Eastman, Chappel-Harms,
London, England; Walter Fischer, Carl Fischer,
Inc.; Jos. Glassmacher, Chas. H. Ditson & Co.;
Michael Keane, Boosey & Co.; and M. E.
Tompkins, G. Schirmer, Inc.
To all of you, Mr. Manning sends a special
invitation to stop off at Augusta during your,
next trip South, and play the eighteen holes
with him. Unfortunately, my time in Augusta
was limited so that I could not stay to have a
game with him, besides, I didn't have my golf
trousers with me. But I talked a fine game.
The "Manning Doctrine" seems to be that it is
much better to throw the pill on the green than
to swallow the green pill.
Mr. Manning is well pleased with the results
of last year's business and is making splendid
gains this year. He is optimistic about the
I'uture conditions in Augusta and the entire
South. It seems that he recently advertised
for a boy and while conversing with him several
applicants came in. Mr. Manning picked one
out and asked if he had any references. The
boy handed him two testimonials from two
ministers. Mr. Manning's reply was rather
humorous. He said, "We don't work on Sun-
day; haven't you a reference from somebody
who sees you on week-days?" Although this
was my first visit with Mr. Manning, I sized
him up as a vigorous, intelligent person with a
splendid sense of humor.
Chas. E. Pritchard is in charge of the musical
instrument department. He is also director of
the Augusta Police Band. If any of the boys
touring the South should find themselves in
any trouble in Augusta, they need not worry,
for our friend Pritchard no doubt has some
pull with the police and will see to it that they
escape a free ride to the "coop." Miss Marjor
Newton keeps "tootin' " all the new tunes and
the sheet music department, through her ef-
forts and under the guidance of Mr. Manning,
is always attractive, well stocked and has a
healthy appearance.
Little did I realize that at the time of my
visit the city was just "chucked-full" of ball
players working their way North. I went over
to the best hotel in the city, Hotel Richmond,
in Richmond County, and notwithstanding the
fact that every available room was occupied,
the name of "Richmond" is evidently so well
thought of, or perhaps they took me for the
guy who discovered the county, that I was
given one of the choicest rooms in the hotel.
Miller Music Co.
The Miller Music Co. occupies a small neat
store at 833 Broad street, handling phono-
graphs, pianos, musical instruments, etc. The
store is operated by Mr. Miller and his charm-
ing daughter. The sheet music department is
limited to just the important hits of the day.
Miss Miller is well versed in the requirements
of the trade and is pleased with the progress
the business is making.
Macon, Ga.
Macon is a typically Northern town with its
lively wide streets and active business centre
which is not confined to the usual "one cylinder
Main Street." The population is 52,995 or
thereabouts. Macon is just one of the many
Southern towns that have had popular songs
written about them. Evidently, the Chamber of
Commerce, not so long ago, influenced one of
our song writers to give this enterprising city
a boost, with the result that "I'm Makin' for
Macon" was published.
Williams-Guttenberger Music Co.
This concern has been in business for many
years. Mr. Williams, its head, is actively en-
gaged in it and is very proud of the fact that
the Williams-Guttenberger business is not con-
fined to the local territory. It makes a system-
atic canvass of all surrounding country and
does a splendid business. Williams-Guttenber-
ger is a Victor agent. The sheet music depart-
ment occupies a good location in the store and
stocks the standard editions for the schools and
pupils, as well as popular music attractively dis-
played and demonstrated for the purchaser. Mr.
Williams is a hard worker throughout the day.
He takes very little time to play. To him
work is life. Anything is possible to industry.
Work hard, but before you begin to work, think
out your plans carefully. Think, then work.
F. A. Guttenberger Music Co.
F. A. Guttenberger was formerly associated
with the Williams-Guttenberger concern. Re-
cently he disposed of his interests in that com-
pany and started out for himself in a good-sized
store, about seventy-five by thirty-five. The
place is nicely fitted with attractive displays of
musical instruments of all kinds and a splendid
sheet music department.
Mr. Guttenberger
manages the latter very successfully with the
assistance of two bright-eyed "sunflowers of
the South." These ladies help to put every sale
across, regardless of whether it is a package of
needles, a sheet of music, or a saxophone. The
day I was in Mr. Guttenberger's store four
cases had just come in from G. Schirmer, Inc.,
and Mr. Guttenberger was very busy opening
them. He is tremendously enthused about the
'Schirmer Library" and said to me: "I'm sorry
you won't be here to-morrow, Maurice Rich-
mond, because then you'd see every teacher,
professor, artist and student lined up in the
store, selecting their studies and volumes.
That's due to the fact that I sent a special
message to the musical profession about this
shipment."
Our friend Guttenberger, being so far away
from the "Bowery," likes to come up every so
often and look things over. He is the modern
type of business man, active to the extreme. He
probably has a better time with his coat off,
sleeves rolled up and smoking a pipe than he
has watching the crease in his trousers. He
is a typical musician and what is that? Musi-
cians are known throughout the field as "good
fellows." The publisher thinks that of them
when they play their tunes. And aside from
that—they are good "mixers." The fact that
Mr. Guttenberger is a good musician and a
good business man makes me doubly sure that
he is going to put his business over. He is
well connected with all the musical people of
the town and does considerable professional
work.
Burden Smith & Co.
Burden Smith & Co. is a general department
store, modern and progressive. The sheet
music department is on one of the upper floors
and is principally stocked with popular numbers
corresponding to the late releases of the phono-
graph records. Miss Blandina Jung is in charge
and, with her charming personality, does not
seem to have any difficulty in drawing her cus-
tomers above the main floor. Miss Jung finds
that the phonograph releases are the best barom-
eter for the numbers that are in demand and,
by watching them closely, her department al-
ways features the latest in popular music. She
also carries a selected line of the better known
standards.
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Tourists from all parts of the globe visit this
beautiful city of gorgeous scenes. It is noted
for Lookout Mountain, from the heights of
which you can see into seven States with the
naked eye on a clear day. Memorials of many
battles of the Civil War are to be seen here.
The present population of Chattanooga is about
70,000.
The one and only music house in the city is
owned and operated by Lee S. Dearing, who