Variety (March 1932)

.- Tuesdaj, March 29, 1932 MUSIC-^NITE CLUBS VARIETY 69 lACAL NO. 802 SHARES IN DAMROSCH |300,000 ' The Musldana Unemployment Re- lief Fund controlled by Walter xyamrosch has . entered Into an ■ftgteement 'with Ne^ York's musl- "olans* union (No. 802) as to partici- pation In the dlistrlbutlon of about MtlO.OOO. The DamrQsch fund Is beln? ap- ^plled to the entire musical field, In- cWdlne non-union people such as operatic slngersi music teachers, conductors out of engagement, oth- - era In the musical arts and Ihstru- ijnehtallsts, the latter all being In union. ;. The'unlon's unemployed "will par- ticipate In the Damrbsch relief to an txtent of approximately one-slxth\of . the :total, or about $60,000. ■ Kdward Cannavan, president of iocai 802, stated that a series of ben- .«flt concerts had been arrang;ed, all given by: large bands or orchestras. Men are to be paid on a ratib of two-thirds to one-third, that Is If a musician's wage for the concert waa $15, the Damrosch fund would pay $10 while the union's relief would contribute |5. Same ratio applies for rehearsals pay. First series of benefits In which the dharlnp- plan applies are knowii as the McDowell concerts. . Teh are scheduled and about five, have al- ready been given.: Each concert en- gages 70 musicians. • April B at the Metropolitan a con- cert in which 200 ;musiclans will play, is the first of five such events. May 8 Is- the starting date for a cerles of military band concerts In the city's parks, 60 men being in the band. Other concerts may be added. Understood that the participating plan applies should the concerts show a (ieficit. The union has re- ceived about $15,000 from the Dam- rosch fund for its unemployed, hav- ing paid $5,000 from i^s own fund. Remick-Wibiiark Separate; Offices Are Too Tight Remlck will be separated from the Witmark offices and placed in Its own separate quarters within a month. • . About two months ago both Remlck and Wltmarks were pliyslc- lally combined in one . office, Remlck moving Into Witmark and Harms moving into the oifnces for- merly occupied by. Remlck. Short- ly after, Joe Keifs contract with Warner as Remick's gen. mgr. was settled. Now it has been decided to sep- arate the ofllces again diie to the personnel. and c ai t a 10 g being cramped In the one office.- It Is most likely that Remick's will be rtoved to 1650 Broadway, where Warner has a lease on a suite for which It Is paying but not using. Buddy Morris, head of the Warner publishers, will continue as active head of Remlck as well as Wit- mark. Only a pro. mgr. will be placed in charge of the Remicl: offices when they move, with about four profes- sional men now connected with Remlck. Golnmbia's 3 Bands Chicago, March 28. Local Columbia phonograph of- fice last week recorded three local . orchestras using Art Kasell, Danny Russo and Paul Specht. All three turned out four two-side discs. All drew flat, sums for the re- cordlngs^ the royalty plan largely passing out of the disc field diie .to the falling, sales. COLUMBIA'S NEW DISC Phonograph Co. Doubling-Tripling Names On Long-Playing Record Chicago, March 28. Columbia phonograph Is due to hit the market In about a month with a slz-mlhute record on the regular 78 revolutions scheme. It can be played on the standard machine. This Is . Columbia's bid for the long-playing record biz, following the Victor initial entrance in the field. The Victor lengthy, however, while running closer to 10 minutes, requires a special turn- table motor. These Columbia waxes are slated to bring three or more ace record names on each saucer, the plan be- ing'to spot on each disc two or- chestras and an ace vocal, or two vocals With a name band. Thus, Kate Smith is understood pehciiled to ride with Ben Selvln and Eddie Duchin bands on one platter. En- tire roster of Columbia; talent wiH be doubled and tripled on each plate. Price remains at the pres- ent standard at; 75 .kopecs, Roger Kahn May Pick Up His Baton Again Roger Wolfe Kahn is planninjg a comeback as a baiid leader. Otto's son laid aside his baton two years ago and hasn't picked it up since, confining most of his Interest dur- ing 'the past two years to aviation. Toung kahn Is slated to return from the South in about two:weeks. TJpoii his return be will set about to obtain ah orchestra for himself. HoDprood's Pansies Hollywood, March 28. Second pansy floor show is planned < for Hollywood by Gene Morgan. BBB 'announced the first. Morgan, whose name has been oyer the Pyramid Club since the boulevard spot's reopening, has of- ficially taken ovier the Dl Marco lease. D'ALLESSANBBO-EAHN COMBO John D'Allessandrd and 'Sammy Kahn of the Original Versatile Sex- tet are reorganizing a large stage band combo with the sextet as an Integral unit. Kahn, as Allen Kane, has been a Publlx m.c. and D'AIlessandro has been with Irving Aaronapn'a Com- manderjs and others. KIAPHOLTZ BACK Ernest Klapholtz is back on Broadway orchestrating and arrang- ing after three years with Pathe studios in Hollywood. Klapholtz's partner, Arthur Lange, is still on the coast. Meantime Klapholtz and Merlin Schuyles. have formed a musical partnership. SYMPHS SWAP Waterloo, la., March 28. I^esidents here will bear the Cedar Rapids Symphony orchestra and Cedar Rapids residents will hoar the Waterloo Civic Symphony or- chestra. It's a swap Idea and going over big. . Olsen Doubling George Olsen opened a fortnight's doubling into RKO houses at. the Kenmore, Brooklyn, this week, and may extend It further. Can't leave town owing to his deal with the Montmartre cafe, where he is regularly engaged. Organist's Razz Los Angeles, March 28. Gay lord Cai-ter, organist dt Warner Bros.' Hollywood the- atre, has a screen novelty called 'Ballyhoozis.' Between song verses Carter has slides razzing various ads. Recently he picked on a per- fume niainufacturer. collar company, and a patent med- icine sold aa a morning 'cock- tall/ - Names of the companies were used. ■. 18-POINT S. P. A. PACT DEPENDS ON ONE CLAUSE Before publishers will agree to the 18-poInt proposed slgreement between songwriters and publish- ers, the Songwriters* Protective Association will have to eliminate from its constitution the. clause whereby all writers assign all their, rights to the S.P.A. The publishers strongly object to entering into any basic .niinlmum agreement but aire willing to agre6 to a standard form of . contract. Pubs insist the S.P.A.. will have to abolish thie writers* rights assign- ment clause before they will agree to the 18 ipolnt proposed agreement. Nothing official was done, about the 18 point proposed agreement last week excepting that at an in- formal luncheon meeting between Slgmund Romberg, president of the S.P.A-, and about five publishers, the proposed agreement was dis cussed. LILLIE'S CLUB BID Likely for El Patio, Class Spot"—at $1,500 dr Half Price Bcatrie Llllie at $liM0 may go into the El Patio. 'rhafs 50% of her past nite club salary, which gives us an idea, as the I'atio is one.of the few remain- ing couvert cafes. BOB£BTSON^L0F£Z Dick Robertson, vet radio and recoiOing singer^ has joined the Vincent Lopez orchestra as vocal- ist. Robertson will be on WEAF thrice weekly with the band, c Band has started on a. six-week vaude tour. HERE AND THERE Ted Cook band now getting a WMAQ, Chicago, wire out of the Frolics cafe, first time this station has tied in with the southside Chi nitcrje. Kitty O'Mera's Dancing Colleens and Morrie Hoffman's orchestra In the floor show at the Ambassador Inn on the Albany-Troy (N. Y.) Roa:d. Blue Vayey Butter radio discs have been placed on two Chicago stations, WAAP and KTW, the former for afternoon sessions, and the latter for the nighttime. Leo Erdody, New Tork concert master, has returned to Chicago to devote his time to radio. . Irving Mills returned from a six weeks' trip to the coast yesterday (Monday).' ;. Ted Black's orchestra opened at the New Lido Club, New York, Sat- urday (27). Band,. NBC booked, will rcceivie an NBC wire. . Only Increased Radio Rates Can Save Many Publishers from Quitting Audition Gag for Bands Grows in Eastern Halls An audition gag involving little or no salary has become a fav stunt of numerous small dancchalls in the east. The- small tinie creep Joints practising the trick prey upon starving musicians exclusively. Con- stant repetition cuts band expenses to almost nothing. Routine involves; the engagement of a band on the 'make good' con- dition, necessitating in some in- stances a full week's; work i under scale.. When tho audition is over, the band is (summarily dismissed on the grounds, of laying an egg. When the leader tries to collect lie's paid oft short or told to come around next week. l "There's no recourse icor the baiid, since ia. formal complaint would rer veal the fact that the musicians agreed' to work under scale and re- sult in loss of union membership. LINK ALLIES With 'Keit & Ensd as Partner Also Prof. Mgr. Harry Link has become a third partner in. the firm of Kelt & Engel yesterday (Mon.). His position-is professional inanager. , Link resigned from Santly Music on . Saturday (26) after holding an interest In the firm since its Incep- tion. Link disposed of his share when he resigned. Link's interest In Kelt & Bngel lis. ^qual to that of Harry Engel, with Joe Kcit, who recently bought but NBC's Interest, holding the majority interest. Loinbardo, Fiorito Both 'Sweetest Heavenly Music' Culver City, March 28. When Guy Lonibardo played Chi- cago, Asih ton Stevens wrote that his was 'the sweetest music this side of heaven.* Lombardo later adopted the quotations. Ted Fiorito, now • broadcasting over KFWB, from the local Frolics cafe, was in Chicago at tho tlmo and liked the slogan, too. ,«3o lie's using it out here. Whiteman Staying East Pa.ulWhitcnian plans to remain around New York, for which pur- pose he' has established himself in an apartment, counting on his NBC tie-up for Ills immediate most im- portant activity. Whiteman has further stage of- fers, but is loath to leave the blj; town. If the raise In radio rates doesn't como through soon It will be too bad for many publishers. The pub- lishers say that during the past tiiree months the sheet music busi- ness has been worse than th^y can remember. .And most of them can remember. . AfcoUt. silt of the smallei' pub- . Ushers iare known to be operating purely on credit, unable to Vaise cash. These may. shortly be forced to fold. . \ , The radio plug angle also has the publishers wOri-ied. At one time they were sure that a few days after getting a few plugs on network programs they would receivie orders for 1,000. or more copies. Today these orders after network pluffs are getting scarce. . Publishers say that when name air attractions use a good song the same night and they are Sure that about 20,000^000 listeners Jieiir it, the publisher can expect an order within a few days for 1,000 copies, But in the majority of ihstahccs, after top plugs)' they get orders for 200 copiies or so. . No Life Left It is an admitted fact thiat there Isn't much life left in the sheet! music.business anymore, despite tho. intermittent hits that show! \\X). These infrequent successes, say the publishers, are freaks and. cannot be relied oh to carry the sheet music industry. All eyes are turned toward radio as the salvation. Publishers, nay that they must get and expect, when the new rates are put into effect, at least twice and nearly three times as niUch annually as they are cur- rently receiving from radio. Pub- lishers declare that guaranteed a fair income from radio, they can af- ; ford to continue to publish isheet music at a loss, but otherwise it will be a losing fight for the music lovers.' To date the American Society of Composers, Authors Sc. Publishers has taken no action on the liroposejj. =< new radio rates, which it was sup- posed to settle Feb. 1, last, its radio committee, appointed during the early fall to decide the best means of entering into a new radio con- . tract, has been convening with E. C. Mills, gen. mgr. of the American Society, regarding radio, but noth- ihg definite has resulted. Neither has the radio situation been dis- cussed by th*) Board of Directors of the American Society, as far as in- creased rates are concerned. GBOFE'S TABLOU)' Perde Grofe, who has come under Jlmmie Gillespie's management, is planning a concert tour, during which he will featuro 'Tabloid,' a symphonic Impression of a news- paper. Work will be given a bally- hoo when introduced at .Sympliohy Hall, Boston, nest summer. Walters Follows Kent Billy Walters next week roplaoos Dave Kent at Donaldson, Douglas &' Gurhblc. VaUee Ends $1,0(10,000 Pira(? Suit With $250 Los Angeles, March 28. Sum of $250 settled the $1,000,000 suit of Roberta McKay against Rudy Vallce for alleged piracy of the song, '"Vagabond Lover.' Charles K. Feldman, Vallee's at- torney, settled tho case out Of court, but tlie amount must now be ap- proved by the court as the McKay woman since filing suit has been adjudged incompetent. Caby Marie's Platters Baby Rose Mairie pl .^ed unUei- her flrst recording cont-act. The baby singer will, make six records for "Victor. i THE BIGGEST SONG HIT IN AMERICA TODAY SOMEBODY LOVES YOU By CHARLIE TOBIAS and PETER DE ROSE We Are Grateful to All Who Are Responsible for Making This the Number One Song JOE MORRIS MUSIC CO. IRVING ULLMAN Woods Theatre Building, Chicago ARCHIE FLETCHER 1587 Broadway, New York