Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Comment of the Man on the Street
on the Past Year in the Trade
Past Twelve Months in the Sheet Music Publishing Industry Marked with Number of Good Selling, and
Still Better, Long Selling Hits—The Question of Over-Production of Numbers and the Retail Dealer-
Novelty Numbers—Radio and Selling Popularity—Special Instruction Methods
HATEVER else may be said of the This holds no more weight, to this observer,
current year in the music publishing at least, than to expect the young folks in
field it must be granted that certain our universities to swear off books and good
advances have been made. Criticism, of course, reading on the completion of their college
has been widely directed against both popular courses, simply because of their concentrated
and standard publishers with respect to over- attention on them for a period of years. The
production, making for a crowded market, puz- point is that radio, like any other form of edu-
zling to the dealer. The radio has come in for cation, serves to widen the range of individual
its share of abuse, both warranted and unwar- enjoyment.
ranted, as to its ultimate effect on sheet music
The saturation point for one's pleasure in
demand. Campaigns have been waged by self- hearing individual numbers is, of course,
righteous groups of citizens who loudly deplore brought on by undue repetition. It is interest-
an immoral effect on civilization traceable to ing to note that during the past year, several
jazz music. These are some of the outstanding publishers have had the insight to restrict the
marks on the debit side of the ledger, but in broadcasting of many of their best songs, a
the face of such conditions the publishing busi- practice which did much to insure an adequate
ness is continuing to function, endeavoring to length of popularity to these numbers. Per-
make those changes needed in an era of re- haps more moves of this sort may constitute a
adjustment which has affected all lines of in- step in the right direction for protecting prop-
dustry.
erty which does not in any sense belong to the
public for all of its appeal to the musical
It is interesting to note that in the face of
this so-called "crowded" popular market, certain minded.
Certain of the special radio hours have com-
publishers have managed to turn out song after
song which have set fine records in the mat- menced to hark back to the songs of earlier
ter of sudden popularity. Others have been years with great success, judging from their
equally fortunate in maintaining numbers as reported requests for them. With this vogue,
best sellers for a period of more than a year numerous publishers have found in their cata-
which writes new history as to the life of popu- logs ancient copyrights, from which the dust
lar catalogs. These facts are certainly encour- has been shaken, for the purpose of reissuing
aging, and indicate that the buying public is the numbers with modern arrangements. This
still interested and does not hesitate to pay practice in many instances has proven immense-
for what it likes. The period where songs may ly profitable with the revival sales often ex-
be forced on the public by vast exploitation ceeding the almost forgotten original records.
may be said to be passing, but true hits, as The cautious publishers have played safe on
in the past, require little promotional work; this score by waiting for a demand to develop
rather than trying to induce it.
rather they sell themselves.
The growing popularity of the novelty num-
Overproduction in any business is merely a
temporary evil and tends to right itself as soon ber has been one of the marked developments
as enough hands and bank books have been of 1927 in the catalogs of many houses. Piano
scorched by it. Even now there are many novelties, of course, are the most prevalent of
popular publishers, who consistently limit their this type of number, but a few progressive
catalogs to a comparatively few numbers, with firms have led the field in producing novelty
one big "plug" with which to draw their profits. folios for tenor banjo, trumpet, saxophone and
Others justify themselves in working fifteen or even violin and ukulele. A steady and increas-
twenty at a time with equal logic, in that each ing market has been found for these prints
comparable to instruction methods for indi-
song has merits of its own and is capable of
fighting its way in the market. There are still vidual instruments.
Orchestral novelties, too, have made their
some, however, who recklessly get involved
with mediocre material, and scramble to get appearance in considerable abundance during
more of it in print in the hope of covering the year. After a lapse of several seasons, in
themselves on their former mistakes. Their which little was attempted in this line, a num-
standard of publishing is no higher than their ber of composers have brought out tone poems
ability to select values, and it seems to be the in the jazz idiom which are bidding for the po-
hope of the industry that they weed themselves sition held so long by Gershwin's "Rhapsody
in Blue." It is likely that we shall see more
out in short order.
The current year has definitely hit a new of this competition in 1928, and it will do much
to focus the attention of the intelligentsia upon
peak in radio presentation for all types of
music, and for this it has been criticized. It is popular music and enlarge its range of appeal.
During the Fall months many publishers
hardly fair to speak harshly of a medium, though,
which has brought music daily into the homes have taken ventures with the scores of musical
of nearly half the nation and has imparted a productions which for the most part have
genuine musical education to millions who proven successful. The jobbers report greater
heretofore did not know one song from an- sales in show numbers through the country
other. The belief is common, however, that this year than ever before. Some of these same
radio will eventually bring disaster to the mu- publishers have been fortunate in preparing
sical world by saturating the public with music. theme songs for the large feature photoplays.
W
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When properly exploited, such property be-
comes extremely lucrative and enjoys an excep-
tional "plug" in the leading picture houses of
the country. The dealer with the initiative to
tie up with the current showings in his town
generally cashes in on a large scale.
Another means of dealer tie-up is afforded
by the motion-picture organists in the larger
cities where special musical presentations are
employed. The large publisher, who generally
arranges with the organist for this special ex-
ploitation, is usually equipped to supply the
dealer with posters and window display mate-
rial for drawing attention to the exploited num-
ber in his store. It is regrettable that only
too rarely is this opportunity grasped at the
time when it will accomplish the most good.
The year has seen many publishers work out
a series of other new dealer helps which would
be a credit to any mercantile line from the
point of view of furnishing valuable selling as-
sistance. The standard publishers have always
been a trifle in the lead in this respect which is
natural in view of the vast extent of their
catalogs, as compared to the "going" tunes in
the popular catalog. There is hardly a requisite
for handling music, whether it be wrapping
paper, or display, or advertising material, which
is not furnished at cost by the leading stand-
ard publishers. .
Changes are never so violent in the standard
field as in the popular. With the stabilization
in the matter of pricing through the plan of
allowing the dealers in separate sections to
work out their own salvation, there is little that
has developed in this field during the past
twelve months.
Quite a number of new special instruction
methods for beginners in piano study have
found their way into print, and some of them
are being distributed by the trade. Many of
these are excellent, but some in striving to give
the student a short-cut to technical facility
have done just the opposite in throwing a mist
over the subject. Especially valuable have been
some of the releases on piano instruction from
the sales promotion committee of the National
Piano Manufacturers' Association. Here is an
organization scarcely more than a year old,
which has devised numerous plans, far-reaching
in character, to spread the doctrine of music
for everybody. Its continued success depends
only on the support given it by the dealers of
the country and the publishers as well.
Generally good progress has been made by
the mechanical companies during the year, es-
pecially on talking machine records. Popular
music is again selling consistently in record
form, and some increases over last year's sales
totals are looked for when the companies go
over their figures at the end of December.
Practically all the large record manufacturers
have reported new peaks for one week's sales
of a single popular number. The return of
record business can be attributed largely to the
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