The talking machine world (July-Dec 1928)

UAHKmOLMIISI Weymann Features "Dusky Stevedore" in Attractive Display Triangle Music Publishing Co. Reports Gratifying Response to Campaign on "Dusky Stevedore" — Dealers Report Demand for Sheet Music and Record Releases T HE special campaign on "Dusky Stevedore" now being conducted by the Triangle Music Weymann Display of "Dusky Stevedore" Publishing Co., New York, is meeting with great success, according to Joe Davis, head of the company. Many dealers have co-operated with window displays, tying up with record releases of this song made by the principal mechanical companies. One of the most attractive of these displays created by music dealers was the one used by H. A. Weymann & Sons, Inc., 1108 Chestnut street, Philadelphia, where an entire window was devoted to the single song with very satisfactory results. Executives of the Weymann concern are firm believers in the value of window displays in building up demand for songs, and much drop-in business in the sheet music department is attributed to this source. The "Dusky Stevedore" window contained a large poster, portraying a scene from the lower Mississippi River, which is in the mood of the song. Several dozen copies were distributed about the window as well as phonograph records of the song. On December 14 the Victor Co. will release a vocal record of "Dusky Stevedore," made by the Revelers, and about the time a new Brunswick record will be released, made by the Clevelanders. A new Columbia dance record of the song has been made by Thelma Terry and Her Playboys, with a vocal chorus by Joe Davis, and will also be released this month. Mr. Davis anticipates a big sheet music demand in view of the new recordings, all of which are second recordings in the catalog of the company, introduction of the song it has Since the proven exceedingly popular with radio entertainers. Dan Winkler, sales manager of De Sylva, Brown & Henderson, Inc., New York City, has finally left for his much-needed rest and is now basking in the sunshine of Florida on a long delayed vacation. Robbins Corp. Leads Vitaphone Royalties The Robbins Music Corp., New York, is receiving the congratulations of the trade in securing for the second successive year the highest Vitaphone royalty earnings assigned to any music publisher. The Robbins organization leads the list on the point computation system, each point representing the use by Vitaphone of a selection being valued at $30.73. This year the sum of $9,526 or practically onetenth of the entire $100,000 paid out by Vitaphone to seventy-five separate publishers was earned by the Robbins Music Corp. Last year the Robbins concern received $8,777 out of a total of $93,599. The two-year record is a compliment to J. J. Robbins' pioneering work in picture music, for, whereas the other publishing firms had extensive catalogs of popular hits to offer, the Robbins contributions were chiefly standard, demonstrating the substantiality of a musical catalog of this nature. Discussing the latest Vitaphone statement Mr. Robbins had the following to say: "The results are especially significant when it is taken into consideration that the men who built the foundation of our catalog, such as Erno Rapee, Dr. William Axt and others, have used less of their music in synchronizing than have other synchronizers. It is, therefore, not a case of these men showing partiality to their own compositions." New Ballads Issued by Berlin Standard The Irving Berlin Standard Music Corp. has been extremely successful with the exploitation of its new high class ballad series. The releases included the beautiful song "To Be Forgotten" by Irving Berlin, and a new ballad by Westell Gordon and J. Will Callahan entitled "Down the Highway of Dreams." Mr. Gordon will be remembered as the composer of "Far Away Bells" and "One Little Dream of Love," which have enjoyed unusual popularity. Another new high class ballad that the firm has just released is "Ceasing to Care," by Westell Gordon and Granville English. This song has just been recorded by James Melton, famous tenor of the Seiberling Radio Hour and recording artist. Mr. Melton introduced "Ceasing to Care" for the first time on the air over Station WEAF on the Seiberling program, December 13. FIVE RECORD RECORD RREAKERS / m m m a a a m m\ /ar mmmamMMil wLM m m m # k m mf\ ft PALS JUST PALS % mam a ~m a m » g \ ym m m a m m m MF M AT AT AT JT & AT ^.w m m m m a m m THE SPELL OF THE BLUES fi wmmajiamm \//_AT M AT M M AT AT i ABOVE SONGS FEATURED BY ORCHESTRA AND VAUDEVILLE ACTS FROM COAST TO COAST IRVING BERLIN INC., 1607 Broadway, New York 111