Presto
Issue: 1925 2041 - Page 25
PRESTO
September S, 1925.
25
SHEET MUSIC AND RADIO
STANDARD AND POPULAR
In the Minds of Legitimate Dealers the Line
of Distinction Between the Two Sheet
Music Varieties Is Plain.
The large sheet music dealers draw a distinct line
between the so-called popular music and all the other
varieties. Each kind is viewed differently from the
other and accorded different treatment. The legiti-
mate sheet music dealers admit that popular music
is an important part of the trade from the great
amount consumed by the public and at the same time
they see a big amount of money made or lost in its
supply. The possibilities of loss in handling popular
music are increased by the transient character of the
popularity. Its impermanence sharply distinguishes
it from the standard kind of music.
The attitude of the legitimate sheet music dealer
is well expressed by J. Edgar Robinson of Robin-
son's Music House, Washington. D. C, who, at a
recent meeting said he believed popular music had
very little to do with the legitimate music dealer.
"Its main place seems to be in the chain stores,
lobbies of theaters and on the counters of the popular
publishers' agents," he said. "Owing to the short life
of most of the popular hits of this day, it is next to
impossible to purchase popular music with any degree
of safety. It seems like a wild gamble to buy a
quantity of even the surest hits since the cost of most
of them is as high or higher than standard music.
Also, the loss sustained by the most discriminate is
certain to be a large one, however careful he may
be, owing to the uncertainty of the life of the present
day popular song."
Uncertainty in popular music is a natural result
of a condition. The craze for jazz brought about a
crop of mushroom concerns bent on putting over
"hits" without a thought for the ethics of a repu-
table business. From such the legitimate dealer need
expect little regularity or, the safeties of a pleasant and
profitable trade. The dealer who undertakes to operate a
popular sheet music department must expect a smaller
margin than that on his standard lines. Every dealer
understands that. Then in popular music there is no
protection to the legitimate dealer against price cut-
ting by chain stores and department stores. Infor-
mation about prospective hits is rather unreliable.
In fact a grim joke of the sheet music trade is that
To Piano Makers
and Dealers/
For best advertising Song Books for
Fairs, etc., write to the Illinois State
Register, Dept. P, Springfield, Illinois
Manufacturers of
RADIO
Elgin Phonograph & Novelty Co.
Elgin, 111.
the biggest hits are the ones least believed to be-
come so.
The legitimate dealer would like to see the popu-
lar music standardized but that does not seem feas-
ible. Putting the populars on a stable basis would
mean longer-lived hits instead of the enormous death
rate that now obtains. The legitimate dealers must
continue to handle populars in a small way until they
have a system of notification as to what is afoot
about the populars; until they have some protection
against loss and have standardized prices with a liv-
ing profit.
NO CHANGE IN WAVE LENGTHS
Joseph D. R. Freed Denies Persistent Rumors of
Permitted Changes in the Length Bands.
New broadcasting stations will not be authorized
to operate on wave lengths of 150 meters, as insistent
rumors have spread throughout the United States
and Canada. Such reports are erroneous. The De-
partment of Commerce, through Acting Commis-
sioner A. J. Tyrer of the Bureau of Navigation, in a
letter to Joseph D. R. Freed, president of the Freed-
Eisemann Radio Corporation, gives this official de-
nial of these rumors:
"In accordance with the recommendations of the
conference held in Washington October 6, 1924, the
wave length band reserved for broadcasting was
from 200 to 545 meters, since which time the depart-
ment has been assigning for broadcasting only wave
lengths within this band.
"No consideration has been given by the depart-
ment for any change in the bands referred to."
Mr. Freed said that within the past few weeks he
had received many inquiries from the public evoked
by reports that stations were permitted to use 150
meters or less. He therefore communicated with
Washington that these reports might be set at rest.
PORTLAND BUSINESS SOLD.
George W. Chelson has purchased the F. R. Aus-
ten Music Co, the Fine Arts Building, Portland,
Ore., and has changed the name of the business to
the George W. Chelson Music Co. Under the new
management the company will continue to deal ex-
clusively in sheet music, classical and choir music
and teachers' supplies. Mr. Chelson, the new pro-
prietor, has been active in the musical affairs of the
city ever since arriving in the city in 1906. Mr. Aus-
ten will be the representative of the Wiley B. Allen
Co., in Olympia, Wash.
AMERICAN COMPOSERS, INC.
The American Composers, Inc., is a new publishing
organization with offices at 45 West Forty-fifth street,
New York, formed for the purpose of encouraging
and developing the production of orchestra music.
Henry Waterson, president of Henry Waterson, Inc.,
is president; Harry Sigmund. general manager, and
Samuel Chotzinoff, editor. Something more than na-
tional pride is behind the movement, according to Mr.
Waterson, who says the organization wants to en-
courage the American composer by giving him the
same recognition as the foreign composer of equal
merit.
COURSE FOR COMMUNITY SINGERS.
A course of training for community song leaders
has been established by the Iowa State College at
Ames, la. The course, started in June, has an en-
rollment of over twenty leaders from all parts of
the state. The course is under the direction of Rob-
ert Lawrence, director of the Community Music As-
sociation.
E. J. .Ganmire is manager of the McKees' Rocks
Music Store, opened recently at 331 Chartiers ave-
nue. McKees Rocks, Pa.
RAYNER, DALHEIM & CO.
Ability to Aid the Ambitious Composer a
Feature of This Big Sheet Music
Printing House.
The bite of the song shark, once so widely felt
throughout the country no longer puts a damper on
the ambitions of the amateur music composer. And
wherever you have music schools and students with
the spirit to create, you may expect the production of
music and songs. As to the latter it is an encourag-
ing fact that some of the greatest and most enduring
hits have been the work of people classified as ama-
teurs.
That consideration is one that should interest the
retail music merchant. Everything musical should
interest him, of course, but the existence of an am-
bitious composer of music in the community is some-
thing of prime importance, because the music dealer
is in a position to advise and help his neighbor and
customer.
Every music dealer should be familiar with the aid
to amateur and professional composers offered by
Rayner, Dalheim & Co., 2054-2060 West Lake street,
Chicago. It is the largest firm of sheet music print-
ers west of New York and has reliability as its fore-
most characteristic. The dealer may help his tal-
ented customer by making him or her acquainted
with the opportunities for safe appearance in print.
Rayner, Dalheim & Co. prints music by all processes.
and is always pleased to give estimates on the pro-
duction of anything in music.
MORE INFRINGEMENT CASES.
A suit for infringement of copyright has been en-
tered in the Federal Court of Milwaukee by Leo
Feist, Inc.. against the Goodrich Transit Co. and
Ross F. Wright, proprietor of the Grasshopper Dance
Pavilion at Sturgeon Bay, Wis. Another case has
been started by Irving Berlin, Inc., against F. Coun-
silman, proprietor of the Terrace Gardens. Appleton,
Wis. Unwarranted use of copyrighted songs is the
complaint in all three cases.
MRS. McCORMICK'S SONG.
The Kaun Music Co., Milwaukee, has just pub-
lished a song- written by Mrs. Edith Rockefeller
McCormick, daughter of John D. Rockefeller and
former wife of Harold F. McCormick of the Inter-
national Harvester Co. "How Can We Know" is
the title of the song which is the first composition
of Mrs. McCormick to be published.
ANOTHER INFRINGEMENT SUIT.
Gene Buck, president of the American Society of
Composers, Authors and Publishers, and Leo Fiest,
Inc, New York, have entered suit for infringement
of copyright against the General Electric Co., which
operates Radio Station WGY, Schenectady, N. Y.
The violations were of songs copyrighted by Mr.
Fiest. in which the society held some rights.
REMICK SONG HITS
By the Light of the Stars
Sometime
Got No Time
Oh Say Can I See You Tonight
Sweet Georgia Brown
Swanee Butterfly
Old Pal
Don't Bring Lulu
We're Back Together Again
If I Had a Girl Like You
Everyone Home Is Asking for You
I'm Going to Charleston, Back to
Charleston
When Eyes of Blue Are Fooling You
Isn't She the Sweetest Thing
J. H. REMICK & CO.
New York
Chicago
Detroit
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
September S, 1925.
25
SHEET MUSIC AND RADIO
STANDARD AND POPULAR
In the Minds of Legitimate Dealers the Line
of Distinction Between the Two Sheet
Music Varieties Is Plain.
The large sheet music dealers draw a distinct line
between the so-called popular music and all the other
varieties. Each kind is viewed differently from the
other and accorded different treatment. The legiti-
mate sheet music dealers admit that popular music
is an important part of the trade from the great
amount consumed by the public and at the same time
they see a big amount of money made or lost in its
supply. The possibilities of loss in handling popular
music are increased by the transient character of the
popularity. Its impermanence sharply distinguishes
it from the standard kind of music.
The attitude of the legitimate sheet music dealer
is well expressed by J. Edgar Robinson of Robin-
son's Music House, Washington. D. C, who, at a
recent meeting said he believed popular music had
very little to do with the legitimate music dealer.
"Its main place seems to be in the chain stores,
lobbies of theaters and on the counters of the popular
publishers' agents," he said. "Owing to the short life
of most of the popular hits of this day, it is next to
impossible to purchase popular music with any degree
of safety. It seems like a wild gamble to buy a
quantity of even the surest hits since the cost of most
of them is as high or higher than standard music.
Also, the loss sustained by the most discriminate is
certain to be a large one, however careful he may
be, owing to the uncertainty of the life of the present
day popular song."
Uncertainty in popular music is a natural result
of a condition. The craze for jazz brought about a
crop of mushroom concerns bent on putting over
"hits" without a thought for the ethics of a repu-
table business. From such the legitimate dealer need
expect little regularity or, the safeties of a pleasant and
profitable trade. The dealer who undertakes to operate a
popular sheet music department must expect a smaller
margin than that on his standard lines. Every dealer
understands that. Then in popular music there is no
protection to the legitimate dealer against price cut-
ting by chain stores and department stores. Infor-
mation about prospective hits is rather unreliable.
In fact a grim joke of the sheet music trade is that
To Piano Makers
and Dealers/
For best advertising Song Books for
Fairs, etc., write to the Illinois State
Register, Dept. P, Springfield, Illinois
Manufacturers of
RADIO
Elgin Phonograph & Novelty Co.
Elgin, 111.
the biggest hits are the ones least believed to be-
come so.
The legitimate dealer would like to see the popu-
lar music standardized but that does not seem feas-
ible. Putting the populars on a stable basis would
mean longer-lived hits instead of the enormous death
rate that now obtains. The legitimate dealers must
continue to handle populars in a small way until they
have a system of notification as to what is afoot
about the populars; until they have some protection
against loss and have standardized prices with a liv-
ing profit.
NO CHANGE IN WAVE LENGTHS
Joseph D. R. Freed Denies Persistent Rumors of
Permitted Changes in the Length Bands.
New broadcasting stations will not be authorized
to operate on wave lengths of 150 meters, as insistent
rumors have spread throughout the United States
and Canada. Such reports are erroneous. The De-
partment of Commerce, through Acting Commis-
sioner A. J. Tyrer of the Bureau of Navigation, in a
letter to Joseph D. R. Freed, president of the Freed-
Eisemann Radio Corporation, gives this official de-
nial of these rumors:
"In accordance with the recommendations of the
conference held in Washington October 6, 1924, the
wave length band reserved for broadcasting was
from 200 to 545 meters, since which time the depart-
ment has been assigning for broadcasting only wave
lengths within this band.
"No consideration has been given by the depart-
ment for any change in the bands referred to."
Mr. Freed said that within the past few weeks he
had received many inquiries from the public evoked
by reports that stations were permitted to use 150
meters or less. He therefore communicated with
Washington that these reports might be set at rest.
PORTLAND BUSINESS SOLD.
George W. Chelson has purchased the F. R. Aus-
ten Music Co, the Fine Arts Building, Portland,
Ore., and has changed the name of the business to
the George W. Chelson Music Co. Under the new
management the company will continue to deal ex-
clusively in sheet music, classical and choir music
and teachers' supplies. Mr. Chelson, the new pro-
prietor, has been active in the musical affairs of the
city ever since arriving in the city in 1906. Mr. Aus-
ten will be the representative of the Wiley B. Allen
Co., in Olympia, Wash.
AMERICAN COMPOSERS, INC.
The American Composers, Inc., is a new publishing
organization with offices at 45 West Forty-fifth street,
New York, formed for the purpose of encouraging
and developing the production of orchestra music.
Henry Waterson, president of Henry Waterson, Inc.,
is president; Harry Sigmund. general manager, and
Samuel Chotzinoff, editor. Something more than na-
tional pride is behind the movement, according to Mr.
Waterson, who says the organization wants to en-
courage the American composer by giving him the
same recognition as the foreign composer of equal
merit.
COURSE FOR COMMUNITY SINGERS.
A course of training for community song leaders
has been established by the Iowa State College at
Ames, la. The course, started in June, has an en-
rollment of over twenty leaders from all parts of
the state. The course is under the direction of Rob-
ert Lawrence, director of the Community Music As-
sociation.
E. J. .Ganmire is manager of the McKees' Rocks
Music Store, opened recently at 331 Chartiers ave-
nue. McKees Rocks, Pa.
RAYNER, DALHEIM & CO.
Ability to Aid the Ambitious Composer a
Feature of This Big Sheet Music
Printing House.
The bite of the song shark, once so widely felt
throughout the country no longer puts a damper on
the ambitions of the amateur music composer. And
wherever you have music schools and students with
the spirit to create, you may expect the production of
music and songs. As to the latter it is an encourag-
ing fact that some of the greatest and most enduring
hits have been the work of people classified as ama-
teurs.
That consideration is one that should interest the
retail music merchant. Everything musical should
interest him, of course, but the existence of an am-
bitious composer of music in the community is some-
thing of prime importance, because the music dealer
is in a position to advise and help his neighbor and
customer.
Every music dealer should be familiar with the aid
to amateur and professional composers offered by
Rayner, Dalheim & Co., 2054-2060 West Lake street,
Chicago. It is the largest firm of sheet music print-
ers west of New York and has reliability as its fore-
most characteristic. The dealer may help his tal-
ented customer by making him or her acquainted
with the opportunities for safe appearance in print.
Rayner, Dalheim & Co. prints music by all processes.
and is always pleased to give estimates on the pro-
duction of anything in music.
MORE INFRINGEMENT CASES.
A suit for infringement of copyright has been en-
tered in the Federal Court of Milwaukee by Leo
Feist, Inc.. against the Goodrich Transit Co. and
Ross F. Wright, proprietor of the Grasshopper Dance
Pavilion at Sturgeon Bay, Wis. Another case has
been started by Irving Berlin, Inc., against F. Coun-
silman, proprietor of the Terrace Gardens. Appleton,
Wis. Unwarranted use of copyrighted songs is the
complaint in all three cases.
MRS. McCORMICK'S SONG.
The Kaun Music Co., Milwaukee, has just pub-
lished a song- written by Mrs. Edith Rockefeller
McCormick, daughter of John D. Rockefeller and
former wife of Harold F. McCormick of the Inter-
national Harvester Co. "How Can We Know" is
the title of the song which is the first composition
of Mrs. McCormick to be published.
ANOTHER INFRINGEMENT SUIT.
Gene Buck, president of the American Society of
Composers, Authors and Publishers, and Leo Fiest,
Inc, New York, have entered suit for infringement
of copyright against the General Electric Co., which
operates Radio Station WGY, Schenectady, N. Y.
The violations were of songs copyrighted by Mr.
Fiest. in which the society held some rights.
REMICK SONG HITS
By the Light of the Stars
Sometime
Got No Time
Oh Say Can I See You Tonight
Sweet Georgia Brown
Swanee Butterfly
Old Pal
Don't Bring Lulu
We're Back Together Again
If I Had a Girl Like You
Everyone Home Is Asking for You
I'm Going to Charleston, Back to
Charleston
When Eyes of Blue Are Fooling You
Isn't She the Sweetest Thing
J. H. REMICK & CO.
New York
Chicago
Detroit
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).