Music Trade Review
Issue: 1931 Vol. 90 N. 12 - Page 23
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
SHEET MUSIC and BOOKS
THE POPULAR SONG IS LONG LIVED
DECLARES WILL ROSSITER, OF CHICAGO
How long does a popular song live, and
sell in profitable quantities? This question
has never been settled, and probably never
will be. However, a discussion at the No-
vember dinner of the Sheet Music Men's Club
brought out from Will Rossiter, the well-
known Chicago publisher, the statement that
two of the numbers he publishes, both of
them veterans as measured in terms of popu-
lar songs, were still big.
Later THE REVIEW representative got some
interesting data which should certainly inspire
the average sheet music dealer to iremember
that it is wo|rth while to keep in stock a
good line of sheet music. The public wants
what it wants when it wants it, and is willing
to buy it if the dealer has it in stock.
" 'Some of These Days'," Mr. Rossiter
said, "was published first in 1909. That
was twenty-two years ago. I got it out
originally, and we made very steady progress
with it up to 1921, by which time we had sold
about a million copies. This song, by the
way, is the one which is supposed to have
made Sophie Tucker famous. Then there
was a lull. We sold a few each month. We
changed the title page, but didn't make any
great effort to push it. In 1922, however,
there came a noticeable irevival, and since
that time up to the first of this year, we had
sold 750,000 additional copies. Now we are
selling about 15,000 a month of this song."
"But even more interesting to me is the
record of 'Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland.'
This popular number (by Leo Friedman and
Beth Slater Whitson) was first put out by
Mr. Friedman in 1910. The first edition was
about 50,000. He wasn't able to get it over.
I bought it £rom him and paid him $5,000
for it. Then Rene Davies used it. We have
sold, to date, over 2,000,000 copies. That,
too, is on its fourth title page. It was re-
vived about two years ago, and through use
by radio and dance bands it is still growing,
so that we are now selling about 10,000 copies
a month. In other words, from 1910 to 1913
about a million and a half copies were sold,
and since this revival, so to speak, we have
been selling about 10,000 a month.
"One explanation, of course, is the obvious
one that if music has a popular appeal, is
tuneful, and sings easily, there will always
be a sale for it worth while to the publisher
and the dealer alike, if both of these will
cooperate to let the public know that these
songs exist.
"It seems to me that every three years a
new group of song buyers is developed, which
means a new group of song singers, by which
I refer to non-professional people. Many of
them, of course, are attracted by professional
singing, but the amateur singer is the one
we need to reach, whether we are publishers
or dealers. My experience as a publisher
has been that the trade moves in cycles, and
we have to keep the public reminded con-
stantly of the hits or really popular things
that we have for sale."
CHICAGO SHEET MUSIC CLUB
ENJOYS LIVELY SESSION
songs, in spite of the so-called depression,
which does not seem to curtail the public
appreciation of music.
The November dinner of the Men's Sheet
Music Club of Chicago, at Canton Tea
Garden, November 12, brought out the big-
gest crowd that organization has ever had.
Sixty-two men sat down to dinner, and many
of them later participated in an interesting
musical program, with some discussion about
trade conditions-.
President Fitzmaurice presided, assisted by
Secretary-Treasurer Carl Klein, and Mem-
bership Chairman Sidney Berman. The pro-
gram, an informal one, was marked by
speeches by various members who were called
on to entertain, protested they couldn't, but,
nevertheless, did, and made a good job of
it.
Interest in the Association is clearly grow-
ing, and even more significant was the fact
that all the dealers and publishers there re-
ported a steadily increasing sale of popular
Robert Teller Sons & Dorner
Music Engravers and Printers
SEND MANUSCRIPT AND IDEA OF
TITLE FOR ESTIMATE
311 West 43rd St.
THE
MUSIC
New York City
TRADE
WANT MUSIC COPYRIGHT
IN NAME OF ORIGINATOR
According to an announcement from the
Song Writers' Protective Association, U. S.
Senator Royal Copeland will shortly intro-
duce an amendment to the copyright law to
provide that all applications for copyright
shall be by and in the name of the originator
of the work.
While the amendment would affect a num-
ber of activities apart from the music pub-
lishing field, it is due largely to the fight
waged by the song writers' association to
obtain complete ownership of copyright for
the authors and to stipulate that published
notice of copyright shall be in the name of
the author or artist. Reproduction of a song
over the radio is held to constitute publica-
tion. The interests of newspapers, maga-
zines and periodicals and publishers of works
including multiple copyrights would be pro-
tected by provisions excepting them from the
application of the measure.
Billy Rose, theatrical producer and song
writer, is the president of the association,
and M. Koenisberg the executive director.
Other officers are Sigmund Romberg, vice-
president; Ira Gershwin, treasurer, and Fred
Ahlett, secretary.
Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., Inc., have moved
from 47th street and Broadway to the Cap-
itol Theatre Building, Broadway and 5lst
street, where the entire first floor is occupied
by the company.
TO PUBLISH TWO NEW
EUROPEAN SUCCESSES
Two new songs with lyrics by Archie Gott-
ler, which have proven most successful in Eng-
land, were published by Laurence Wright,
and will be published in the United
States by Edward B. Marks. One is the
waltz, "So Beautiful," composed by Franz
Steininger, and a novelty fox-trot, "Oh What
a Night," with music by Will Meisel.
"PAGAN MOON" THEME
NEW MACKAILL PICTURE
"Pagan Moon," an M. Witmark & Sons
publication, has been selected by Leo Forb-
stein, musical director of the Warner-First
National studios in Burbank, Cal., as the
instrumental theme song of "Safe in Hell,"
Dorothy Mackaill's latest starring vehicle
The Kendis Music Co., which for over
seventeen years was located at 145 West 45th
street, New York, moved recently to larger
quarters at 1560 Broadway, near 46th street,
and has an interesting catalog.
REVIEW,
December, 1931
BEN FRANKLIN
WAS RIGHT WHEN
HE SAID!
"It is foolish to lay out money in a
purchase of repentance."
Just so with the dealer who lay* out
money on inferior merchandise and finds
customers going elsewhere next time.
You are always safe in stocking lines
that are nationally advertised in first-
class magazines, because the magazine
guarantees their readers that the goods
are as advertised.
Century has maintained this stamp of
approval for years and is living up to
its enviable reputation.
Sell "CENTURY" and you won't find
your customers going elsewhere to trade,
but coming back to you for more.
CENTURY MUSIC
PUBLISHING CO.
X35 W. 4Oth St., N. Y. City
23
SHEET MUSIC and BOOKS
THE POPULAR SONG IS LONG LIVED
DECLARES WILL ROSSITER, OF CHICAGO
How long does a popular song live, and
sell in profitable quantities? This question
has never been settled, and probably never
will be. However, a discussion at the No-
vember dinner of the Sheet Music Men's Club
brought out from Will Rossiter, the well-
known Chicago publisher, the statement that
two of the numbers he publishes, both of
them veterans as measured in terms of popu-
lar songs, were still big.
Later THE REVIEW representative got some
interesting data which should certainly inspire
the average sheet music dealer to iremember
that it is wo|rth while to keep in stock a
good line of sheet music. The public wants
what it wants when it wants it, and is willing
to buy it if the dealer has it in stock.
" 'Some of These Days'," Mr. Rossiter
said, "was published first in 1909. That
was twenty-two years ago. I got it out
originally, and we made very steady progress
with it up to 1921, by which time we had sold
about a million copies. This song, by the
way, is the one which is supposed to have
made Sophie Tucker famous. Then there
was a lull. We sold a few each month. We
changed the title page, but didn't make any
great effort to push it. In 1922, however,
there came a noticeable irevival, and since
that time up to the first of this year, we had
sold 750,000 additional copies. Now we are
selling about 15,000 a month of this song."
"But even more interesting to me is the
record of 'Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland.'
This popular number (by Leo Friedman and
Beth Slater Whitson) was first put out by
Mr. Friedman in 1910. The first edition was
about 50,000. He wasn't able to get it over.
I bought it £rom him and paid him $5,000
for it. Then Rene Davies used it. We have
sold, to date, over 2,000,000 copies. That,
too, is on its fourth title page. It was re-
vived about two years ago, and through use
by radio and dance bands it is still growing,
so that we are now selling about 10,000 copies
a month. In other words, from 1910 to 1913
about a million and a half copies were sold,
and since this revival, so to speak, we have
been selling about 10,000 a month.
"One explanation, of course, is the obvious
one that if music has a popular appeal, is
tuneful, and sings easily, there will always
be a sale for it worth while to the publisher
and the dealer alike, if both of these will
cooperate to let the public know that these
songs exist.
"It seems to me that every three years a
new group of song buyers is developed, which
means a new group of song singers, by which
I refer to non-professional people. Many of
them, of course, are attracted by professional
singing, but the amateur singer is the one
we need to reach, whether we are publishers
or dealers. My experience as a publisher
has been that the trade moves in cycles, and
we have to keep the public reminded con-
stantly of the hits or really popular things
that we have for sale."
CHICAGO SHEET MUSIC CLUB
ENJOYS LIVELY SESSION
songs, in spite of the so-called depression,
which does not seem to curtail the public
appreciation of music.
The November dinner of the Men's Sheet
Music Club of Chicago, at Canton Tea
Garden, November 12, brought out the big-
gest crowd that organization has ever had.
Sixty-two men sat down to dinner, and many
of them later participated in an interesting
musical program, with some discussion about
trade conditions-.
President Fitzmaurice presided, assisted by
Secretary-Treasurer Carl Klein, and Mem-
bership Chairman Sidney Berman. The pro-
gram, an informal one, was marked by
speeches by various members who were called
on to entertain, protested they couldn't, but,
nevertheless, did, and made a good job of
it.
Interest in the Association is clearly grow-
ing, and even more significant was the fact
that all the dealers and publishers there re-
ported a steadily increasing sale of popular
Robert Teller Sons & Dorner
Music Engravers and Printers
SEND MANUSCRIPT AND IDEA OF
TITLE FOR ESTIMATE
311 West 43rd St.
THE
MUSIC
New York City
TRADE
WANT MUSIC COPYRIGHT
IN NAME OF ORIGINATOR
According to an announcement from the
Song Writers' Protective Association, U. S.
Senator Royal Copeland will shortly intro-
duce an amendment to the copyright law to
provide that all applications for copyright
shall be by and in the name of the originator
of the work.
While the amendment would affect a num-
ber of activities apart from the music pub-
lishing field, it is due largely to the fight
waged by the song writers' association to
obtain complete ownership of copyright for
the authors and to stipulate that published
notice of copyright shall be in the name of
the author or artist. Reproduction of a song
over the radio is held to constitute publica-
tion. The interests of newspapers, maga-
zines and periodicals and publishers of works
including multiple copyrights would be pro-
tected by provisions excepting them from the
application of the measure.
Billy Rose, theatrical producer and song
writer, is the president of the association,
and M. Koenisberg the executive director.
Other officers are Sigmund Romberg, vice-
president; Ira Gershwin, treasurer, and Fred
Ahlett, secretary.
Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., Inc., have moved
from 47th street and Broadway to the Cap-
itol Theatre Building, Broadway and 5lst
street, where the entire first floor is occupied
by the company.
TO PUBLISH TWO NEW
EUROPEAN SUCCESSES
Two new songs with lyrics by Archie Gott-
ler, which have proven most successful in Eng-
land, were published by Laurence Wright,
and will be published in the United
States by Edward B. Marks. One is the
waltz, "So Beautiful," composed by Franz
Steininger, and a novelty fox-trot, "Oh What
a Night," with music by Will Meisel.
"PAGAN MOON" THEME
NEW MACKAILL PICTURE
"Pagan Moon," an M. Witmark & Sons
publication, has been selected by Leo Forb-
stein, musical director of the Warner-First
National studios in Burbank, Cal., as the
instrumental theme song of "Safe in Hell,"
Dorothy Mackaill's latest starring vehicle
The Kendis Music Co., which for over
seventeen years was located at 145 West 45th
street, New York, moved recently to larger
quarters at 1560 Broadway, near 46th street,
and has an interesting catalog.
REVIEW,
December, 1931
BEN FRANKLIN
WAS RIGHT WHEN
HE SAID!
"It is foolish to lay out money in a
purchase of repentance."
Just so with the dealer who lay* out
money on inferior merchandise and finds
customers going elsewhere next time.
You are always safe in stocking lines
that are nationally advertised in first-
class magazines, because the magazine
guarantees their readers that the goods
are as advertised.
Century has maintained this stamp of
approval for years and is living up to
its enviable reputation.
Sell "CENTURY" and you won't find
your customers going elsewhere to trade,
but coming back to you for more.
CENTURY MUSIC
PUBLISHING CO.
X35 W. 4Oth St., N. Y. City
23
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