The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (Apr-Jun 1922)

8B THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS. June 17, 1922. HOW AMERICA IS TACKLING THE KINEMA MUSIC DIFFICULTY. A Scheme which Aims at the Control of all Composers’ work and the Elimination of Copyright Fees. (By SYDNEY S. COHEN, President, M.P.T.O. of America). HE imposition of a music tax on theatre owners for | having certain musical compositions played in their theatres has become an evil which will require drastic action. © A certain combination of publishers of music operating with a few selected composers, essay to control the music situation in the country, and impose such levies as may be agrecable to them upon those who use any part of the music they claim is copyrighted. Music and song have always been among a nation’s freest clements. It was not until recently that any attempt was made to place an embargo on this vitalising phase of national life. | Nothing so stimulates and nerves men and women into lines of patriotic activity as does music and song. The American Music Trust. Theatre owners have been imposed upon by this combination, and thousands of dollars improperly exacted. The same process has been imposed on musical organisations of different kinds, and the proprietors of hotcls and restaurants where music is a part of the daily routine. Musical compositions are not mechanical in process. An element of genius is involved in this line of endeavour which finds expression only in certain people. While the art may be cultivated, if vet must be inherent to obtain any reasonable development. The musical composition starts in the tuneful soul of the composer. — It is not due to any inspiration furnished by the musicless head of a music trust, or the hum-drum noises of the printing press. But, in the present system of presentation, genius is subordinated to the extorting processes of the trust, and merit entirely set aside incases where the same cannot be made to serve the dollar mark scale of the trust. The Loss to the Nation. Separate entirely from the impositions practised on theatre owners and others by this trust. the loss to the nation in this throttling process cannot be caleulated in dollars. It robs the people of the harmony that soothes, nerves, renews and reinvigorates, and is made to count in the redoubled effort of the pleased and edified masses along other and more material lines. How much American genius has been submerged and destroyed in this way will never be known, as the baneful influence of the trust has been felt everywhere. = The dollar alone marks the time for the music trust. Merit in composition from the standpoint of helpful stimulation, mentally and morally, has no place with this trust. Because its processes strangled lofty effort, it has held American musical tulent to the lower levels, and given us many compositions which tend more to debase than clevate, to demoralise rather than uplift and edify. This group has placed the -naticn on a jazz basis, because of its throttling influence along the whole range of musical effort. To what extent this baneful proccss has affected national morals is a question the people generally must consider. Google Bill to Modify Copyright Laws. While the world of better men and women consider music as a lofty attainment, almost heavenly in quality, having attributes which ennoble, exalt and beget greater excellence, and higher degrees of personal character and nobility, the musie trust put the dollar mark on it and commercialised in sordid, vulgar fashion this most magnificent of all our nation’s treasures. The embargo of the music trust stands before American musical genius like a thing of evil, and abridges free expression. The motion picture theatre owners of America have brought these facts before Congress, and Congressman Florian’ A. Lampert, of Wisconsin, the Chairman of the Patents Committee of the House of Representatives, has a Bill now before Congress affecting certain modifications in the copyright laws which will prevent the imposition of this music tax on theatres, and also, to a certain extent, loosen the grip of this music trust on American genius. A hearing will be held in Washington this month on the Lampert Bill, whieh draws the fangs of the music trust to some extent, and its passage will exert a favourable influence on music composing throughout the country. A Musical ‘‘ Clearing House.’’ Another phase of this music situation which has come to mind as a result of this music trust's strangling effect on American genius, is the advisability of providing a freer and more definite outlet for talent along this line. We have 15,060 motion picture theatres in the United States subject to the exactions of the music trust. All other theatres, hotels, musieal organisations, and even radiograph users, are also being made the vietims of this trust. We can, through the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America, establish what might be termed a‘ clearing house”? for musical compositions. Let us invite all composers in the nation to use our organisation as a means of getting their compositions to the public. We can guarantee them an outlet which will be nation-wide in character. Kstablish oa music department in connection with the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America. — Develop this so that definite connection will be had with printers who can handle musical compositions—and any competent printer can do this. Then arrange with the music stores to sell these compositions, und also sell the same to our members. We can advertise the compositions in our theatres, giving it the widest possible kind of publicity in this relation, and bring these musical selections to the personal attention, in demonstration form, of millions of people daily. Let us give musie to the public free of all levies, tax or bounty—just. charging for the composition the ordinary music store price. In this way we can crush the music trust, give a nation-wide stimulation to independent composers’ efforts, and revive good, inspiring musie in a manner hitherto unheard of.