Music Trade Review

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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
DECEMBER 19,
1925
Activity of the Chamber of Commerce—(Continued from page 3)
by the National Bureau for the Advancement of
Music and the work of the Credit and Collection
Department. Constant watch is necessary to
perceive in advance the possibility of adverse
legislation or the need of favorable legislation.
"If any definite activities are likely to stand
out during the coming year above the others,
they will probably be threefold: (1) the pro-
motion of group instrumental instruction in
public schools, (2) the membership promotional
work of the National Association of Music Mer-
chants, and (3) activities at Washington in
connection with the Coypright Act.
"The conferences which have been held dur-
ing the Summer in the hope of settling the
differences of opinion of the various factions
interested in the amendment of the Copyright
Act have evidently failed of their purpose. Cer-
tainly this is true of the differences between
the Chamber and the American Society of Com-
posers, Authors and Publishers. Apparently
nothing can prevent a long-drawn-out and bitter
controversy before Congress, in which the
Chamber will use every means possible to pre-
vent the elimination of mechanical license which
is essential to the welfare of the phonograph
record and music roll companies, and the music
publishers will fight equally hard to obtain abso-
lute control over copyrights without any limita-
tion whatsoever. Another bitter controversy
will be threshed out when the Chamber and
radio broadcasting stations, the motion picture
theatres, restaurants and hotels endeavor to
have the Copyright Act amended so that the
music publishers can no longer pool their public
performing rights and force every user of an
automatic or reproducing piano.or phonograph
in a public place to pay a license to them.
"There is also some possibility of further
differences of opinion with the railroads, es-
pecially concerning phonograph rates, which
will necessitate the same determined action that
the Chamber has given to such matters during
the past year.
"Present indications are that the Chamber will
have no further need of fighting excise taxes, for
the last one to apply to the music business—
the tax on vending machines applying to auto-
matic pianos—is apparently doomed, as it does
not appear in the new revenue bill just intro-
duced by the Ways and Means Committee.
"In commenting upon the future work of the
Chamber, an incomplete picture would be painted
if no mention were made of the services of the
Chamber for several of its member associations,
particularly the Supply Association and the
Band Instrument Manufacturers' Association.
These are both very active associations, the
latter in connection with the promotion of bands
and the elimination of improper merchandising
methods, and the former in connection with im-
proving conditions and assisting manufacturers
in financial difficulty. Mention has already been
made of the promotional work of the National
Association of Music Merchants, which will be
carried on by the Chamber staff under the
supervision of the Merchants' Executive Board.
The Chamber staff also serves as the executive
and clerical force for the National Piano Tech-
nicians' Association, the National Musical Mer-
chandise Association and the National Associa-
tion of Musical Instrument and Accessories
Manufacturers."
Music Advancement Work
D R O B A B L Y the principal features of the
work of the National Bureau for the Advance-
ment of Music, of which C. M. Tremaine is
director, in 1925 were the promotion of Music
Week for the second time as a synchronized
national observance, publication of the book,
"Municipal Aid to Music in America," and the
fifteen months' investigation preceding it, and
the various activities directed toward the devel-
opment of instrumental music, especially bands,
in the schools.
Doubtless this work was of no more far-
reaching importance than the Bureau's progress
along the paths it had carved out for itself in
previous years—the steady increase, for in-
stance, in the number of Music Memory Con-
tests, in the number of music clubs with which
the Bureau co-operated, in the number of papers
asking for its news service, etc.—but the latter
subjects are perhaps too familiar to be discussed
here. They may be dismissed with the state-
ment that the number of cities, towns and coun-
ties which introduced the Music Memory Con-
test in their school system increased from 1,054
in June, 1924, to 1,317 in June, 1925, and is now
about 1,400; and that the number of music clubs
which the Bureau either helped to organize or
assisted in the course of their work was 946 in
1925, about 60 per cent more than last year.
The extent of the Bureau's influence may be
better estimated by the statement that 6,744 in-
dividuals and organizations of different types
called upon the Bureau for information and sug-
gestions during the year, sometimes on as many
as three or four large projects.
The 297-page book, "Municipal Aid to Music,"
with its strong presentation of the need for
more adequate support for music by the munic-
ipalities, although out only about two months,
has already caused a considerable stir of inter-
est among the mayors and public officials to
whom it has been sent as the first move in the
campaign for which the book is to be the basis.
Furthermore, this survey has occasioned a large
and growing amount of newspaper discussion
on the subject, due in part to reviews of the
book, which are appearing widely, and in part to
the Bureau's own news stories. "Municipal Aid
to Music" offers an unsual opportunity for the
live dealer to use to the advantage of music in
his own town, and many have already availed
themselves of the aid it gives.
The second annual Music Week, May 3-9,
1925, was observed in 1,210 cities, of which 687
were city-wide and 523 partial. This is an in-
crease of about 60 per cent over last year, and
from all indications the number will be 2,000 or
more in 1926.
The Bureau continued its work with the Com-
mittee on Instrumental Affairs of the Music
Supervisors' National Conference and organized
or co-operated in ten State school band contests
and two sectional, as compared with five in 1924.
There will be many more States organized for
the contests in 1926 and, in addition, there will
be a national contest based upon them and as a
culmination to them.
The Bureau assisted further in this field by
the publication of the booklets, "Instrumental
Music in the Schools of Rochester and Louis-
ville," showing different plans in operation for
establishing systems of bands and orchestras,
and "School Bands—How They May Be De-
veloped," showing the value of the school band
and how to develop it in places of different
sizes and under different conditions.
Next year the Bureau will supplement these
booklets by the publication of a list of 500
compositions suitable for playing by different
types of school bands, the list having been com-
piled after most careful investigation by the
Committee on Instrumental Affairs of the M. S.
N. C. At the next meeting of the Music Super-
visors' Conference in April the committee will
present a plan for still further developing school
instrumental music, especially in the matter of
securing more adequate appropriation from
public funds for the purchase of musical instru-
ments.
Considerable progress was made last year in
the adoption of high school credits for private
music study, mostly in connection with the
piano, much of this being due to dissemination
of the data on the subject presented by the
Bureau in its book, "The Giving of High School
Credits for Private Music Study, a Survey,"
published early in 1924.
The forecast for 1926 shows even greater
activity in all the campaigns mentioned so far,
and in addition much new work will be under-
taken. Foremost in this is the promotion of
piano classes in the schools. The plan was really
taken up by the Bureau in its publication last
year of the junior music club course of study.
"The Piano and Piano Music," with a whole
chapter devoted to modern educational methods
in piano teaching, with emphasis on the class
idea; and it was again referred to in a later
booklet published to aid the development of
junior music clubs on the Chautauqua circuits,
entitled "Junior Music Clubs and the Chautau-
quas." Now the Bureau plans to issue a book
let showing what a number of important cities
are doing in organizing and conducting piano
classes in the schools, giving a review of the
aims, methods and results achieved, and con-
taining practical suggestions for the music
supervisors, music clubs, women's clubs, etc.,
which are interested, or may become interested,
in the piano-class idea, and wish to introduce
it locally.
Credit and Collection Work
T T H E confidential and reciprocal interchange
•*• of credit information' operated by the
Music Industries Chamber of Commerce has
shown further expansion and usefulness during
the present year. The service was inaugurated
about four years ago and there are now 28,000
reports on file, which is at the rate of 7,000 per
year. Requests for new reports are coming in
at the rate of about 800 a month.
The value of the service is largely preventive.
It serves as a warning against undesirable credit
risks and brings to light, through reciprocal
interchange of ledger experiences, unsound
financial conditions wherever they exist.
Retail merchants also appreciate the value of
the credit service to them. It tends to protect
the legitimate and honorable dealers against
unfair competition from those whose standards
of ethics are low. The dealer who enters the
music business with only the thought of beating
his creditors and underselling legitimate com-
petition is usually detected before he gets very
far, and it is this sort of unfair practice that
the Credit and Collection Department is anxious
to eradicate.
' In conjunction with the credit service the
Chamber operates a collection service for the
use of manufacturers and distributors of musical
instruments. The collection service has been
established about two years, during which time
nearly 500 claims, totaling more than $100,000,
have been entered for collection. The depart-
ment is successful in collecting about 25 per cent
of the claims lodged with it without the aid of
attorneys. This record compares favorably with
similar bureaus in other industries.
Practical Service Work
" p H E statistical service, operated by the Music
•^ Industries Chamber of Commerce, covers
three important fields in the industry, viz., the
manufacture of pianos, musical supplies and the
sale of band instruments. This forms a nucleus