New York Clipper (Feb 1923)

is THE NEW YORK CLIPPER February 7, 1923 COMPOSERS' SOCIETY SEEKS TO AMEND THE WHITE RADIO BILL I^tqxMed Bin Wbidi Has Passed Both Houses Proposes to Place Control of RrmiJmsting in Hands of Secretary of Com- merce—Cmnposers Want Cc^iyri^t Ptotection The White Radio BiU, placing control of the wireless telephone broadcasting sta- tions in the hauls of the Secretary of CuiuLueice, having been passed by both houses last week, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers will seek to either amend the bill if it becomes a law, or ask Congress to pass a bill re- stricting broadcasting stations from send- ing oat copyrighted mosic without permis- sion of the copyright owners. Inasmuch as Congress was vesting the control of the sending stations in the Sec- retary of Commerce, the society believes that the Secretary should also be vested with the power to protect the copyright owners and the rights given them t^- Con- gress some years ago. Original Ijr the biU to control radio sta- tions was introduced in Congress by Mr. White of-Maine in June, 192, and it was referred to a Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries. In a way the bill. amends an act to regulate radio cations, approved August 13, 1912. When the White bill, which now awaits the Pres- ident's signature, was introduced last June it was the intention of the society officials to go to Washington and have the bill amended or fixed so that copyright owners would receive ample protection. How- ever, the imusual pressure of many other matters on hand kept the society officials busy, and the -White bill was brought up again' and passed unexpectedly. The Whjte radio bill reads in part: ."Section 1. A. That no person, com- pany or corporation within &t jurisdiction o£ the United States shall use or operate an apparatus -for radio communication by telegraph or telephony as a means of inter- course among the several states or with foreign nations, or upon any vessel of the United States engaged in interstate or for- eign commerce or for the transmission of (messages, etc.) . . . except under and in accordance with a license in that behalf granted by the Secretary of Commerce and except as authorized. "B. That the Secretary of Commerce from time to time shall (a) classify licensed radio stations and the operators re- quired therein; (b) prescribe the nalure of the service to be rendered by each class of licensed station and assign bands of wave lengths thereto; . . . the kinds of instruments or apparatus in any' station Tuith respect to the external effect pro- duced thereby, . . ." Other sections of the White bill provide for the rescinding of a license by the Sec- retary of Commerce if the holder of tiie license • in any way violates the terms of the agreement and also allows the govern- ment to prosecute all violators. The above excerpts in italics and the provision fol- lowing illustrate the type of entertainment broadcasting stations that are expected to come into vogue and the possibilities of government prosecution in behalf of the copyright owners if they had been taken care of in the White bill. License fees are mentioned^ in the tnll for various ship and land stations, but the t}-pe of radio station that now broadcasts popular music and other entertainment is not included, unless they come under the head of experimental stations. Qasses of stations not mentioned in the bill, however, will be prescribed for later on. BANKRUPTCY DISCHARGE FILED The Broadway Music Corporation has been discharged from bankruptcy by Fed- eral Tndge Augustus Hand, who signed the necessary papers Ust Thursday. C. Mills, chairman of the executive board of the Music Publishers' Protective Association, and Mark Hyman. attorney, who were the receivers fcr the'Broadway, nicceeded in pntting the music house on a basis practic^ly the same as existed pre- vious to the bankruptcy proceedings, when they had raidered their final accounting. A composition was effected with the creditors whereby the settlement amounts to about 25 cents on the dollar. It is un- iferstood that 5 per cent was paid in cash and the balance becomes due a year and more later. According to the receivers, they .cut all unnecessary expense such as reducing the staff, and the floor space by one-half, which is the quarters formerly occupied by. the Broadway on the fifth floor of the build- ing. About $3,000 in cash was on hand at the Broadway's bank when the receivers turned the business back to the Broadway Music Corporation. GRANT WRITING AGAIN 'Bert Grant, after being inactive for some time, has just completed a new melody entitled "Out Where the Blue Begins" which has been accepted by Jack Mills for immediate release. George Graff and Jimmie McHugh provided the lyrics. The song is of the high-class bal- lad type and although only released with- in the last few days has attracted the ac- tive attention of John Steel, Colin O'- Moore, Dorothy Jardon and many others. This number bids fair to put Grant back in the running with.^ bang. It will be remembered that when the composer dosed his own business a few months ago he sold his entire catalogue to the Mills Company but this number was written , since that time. WALTER DONALDSON BETTER Walter Donaldson, song-writer, left RooscTdt Hospital last Monday, where he was operated np<H> recently for appendi- citis. Although fairly well recovered he mtends to take a rest out of town for a short wfaileL '^UNNY JIM" WEEK IN FEBRUARY The B. A. Publishing Company have ar- ranged to have a national "Sunny Jim" week the week of February 12, at^whidb time they will run a special campaign on their plug number of that name. All the acts they can get will be using the number that week, especially sister acts, on which they are making a special drive. At pres- ent the number is being used by Duncan Sisters, the McCarthy Sisters and many others. NEOURG JN N. T. . ;Al J. Ndbm?, New England manager Cor t&e ifclQiiIcT Music PabUslmig Com- po^cfs ^cw.~ York City. on a -busness BIG PRICE FOR SAXOTHONE SOLOS The saxophone solos in the Jack Mills, Inc., catalogue are selling at an average price of over double the amount of most of the piano solos and popular numbers publishM by. the house. . 'Tda"' a sax solo by - Jascha 'Gorewidi, is sellinj^.for $1.:?$;. "Kitten.on the-Keys* ADDS TO SALES FORCE As part of a nation-wide campaign in the interest of its songs, Ager, Yellen & Bomstem, Inc., has add^ additional men to the sales staff, including Winthrop Brookhouse, who was formerly with Irving Berlin, Inc. Mr. Brookhouse left for the Pacific Coast. Ben Bomstein, general manager of the music house, left on a sales trip along the Atlantic Coast and will be gone for about two weeks. Other salesmen are covering practically every part of the country. FLETCHER MAKING TOUR The Fletcher Record Company, Inc., of Long Island City, is now manufacturing four brands of records, including the "Black Swan" records made for the Pace ^Phonograph Company. The other three brands, "Melody," "La BeUe" and "Olym- pic" records, will have the royalties on them paid to the publishers by the Fletcher company. ROBINSON AND TURK WRITING J. Russell Rotrinson is again actively en- gaged in writing songs with Roy Turk for Watenon, Berlin & Snyder, Inc., and b collaborating with Turk on several new numbers. The team has written three hits during the past few months, "Just Be- cause You're You," "To-morrow" and their latest, "Aggravatin' Papa," which is showing up well. HARDING WITH ABRAHAMS Bob Harding, formerly for several years in the band and ordiestra department of Waterson, Berlin & Snyder, and more re- caitly_ connected with Jack Mills Inc., is now in charge of the band and orchestra department of the Maurice Abrahams Music Company. HAROLD DIXON IN N. Y. Harold Dixon, of the Dixon-Lane Music Publishing Company, of Chicago, was in New York last week on business. He ar- ranged for several of his house's numbers being used for the mechanicals, chief of whidi is his plug number, "Call Me Back, Pal of Mine.'' DAVIS GOING WEST Joe Davis of the Triangle Music Com- pany is leaving next week on an extensive trip to the West and South, following up the publicity given to "My Mother's Lul- laby." He will travel as far west as Ne- braska and as far south as Louisville, Ky. STOOL WITH REMICK Chicago, Feb. S.—Joey Stool, for the ^t few years with Waterson, Berlin and Snyder in Chicago, is now associated with the Chicago office of Jerome H. Remick & Co. MILLS INCREASES STAFF Nat Bernstein, well known musician, and Frank Wheeler, formerly in vaude- ville, have joined the band and orchestra department of Jack Mills, Inc. STEVENS IS CHICAGO MANAGER Milt Stevens is now in charge of the Chica^ office of Ager, Yellen & Bomstein, replacing Eddie Lewis, formerly local man- ager for the music house. WELLING WITH HARRIS . Henry Welling, songwriter and ar- ranger, is now connected in the profes- sional department of Chas. K. Harris Music Cmnpany. POLLACK BACK FROM COAST . Bemie PoUaek. of the Jaiek UHls. Inc, sales staff, returned last week from a six : months' tnp to the Pacific Coast BRADFORD IN ROLL DISAGREEMENT Perry Bradford, stormy petrel of the music 'business, who in the capacity of writer and publisher has been in many legal disputes, is now in the midst of a disagreement with the Q. R. S. compai^ and declares that the big roll company is in the wrong. Bradford's claim is in connection writh a new number recently published by him called "Four o'Qock Blues." This has been issued in word roll form by the Q. R. S. company, and was issued before Bradford had executed the usual release form contract. The blank contract forwarded by the Q. R. S. to Bradford arrived after the roll was out and the royalty figure in it does not meet with Bradford's approval. Bradford declares that the matter must be adjusted to his satisfaction, or once more he will be in the courts. SOCIETY TO CHECK RADIOS Beginning Wednesday, February 1, the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers will check up and proceed to take legal action against all radio broad- casting stations which have not been li- censed or made application for same, to broadcast copyrighted compositions owned by the Society, and then infringe on such music. About one hundred licenses have been mailed to radio stations the latter part of last week. Fees range from $200 to $5,000 per year. Up to the time of going to press no radio station had been licensed by the Society nor any money for same received. However, replies from the licenses mailed are expected some time this week. CAPITOL PROGRAMS POP. SONG For the first time in its history the Capitol Theatre programmed a vocal of- fering of a popular song when the Remick song "Carolina in the Morning" was sung by Betty Ayres, with a specially built set in the l»ckgrotmd. Originally Robert Davis, tenor, was sdieduled to sing die song, but was sud- denly taken ill. Miss Ayrcs who is one of the Capitol vocalists knew the song and replaced the tenor. The singing of the song precipitated a rush of publishers and writers to tiie offices of Samuel Rothafel who arranges the musical program, etc E. C. MILLS IN CUBA £. C. Mills, chairman of the executive board, of the Music Publishers' Protective Association, sailed for Cuba last Saturday, where he will spend a two weeks' vacation and recuperate from a series of minor op- erations recently undergone. Sol Bom- stein, general manager of Irving Berlin, Inc, is sailing for Cuba also, on the same vessel as that of Mr. Mills. ANNUAL MEETING MARCH 1 The annual meeting of the members of the American Society of- Composers, Au- thors and Publishers will be held on the evening of March 1st, at Keene's-Chop House, in West Forty-fourth street NEW FIRMS IN M. P. P. A. Three new music publishing houses were elected members of the Music Publishers' Protective Association last week. Tbsf arc A^cr, Yellen & Bomstein, Beilin & Horowitz and Maurice Abrahams, Inc BEN FRIEDMAN PROMOTQ> Ben_ Friedman, formerly Newark repre- sentative, has been appointed assistant to Walter Douglass, sates manager for Wa- terson, Berlin & Snyder Music Company. WARD PERRY WITH REMICK Chicaoo, Jaa 13.—Ward Petrr, late of vandevOle, is now associated with Jerome H. Remick, Chicago office.