Variety (Aug 1932)

nnsic-^miTE CLUBS VARnETT RITZY SONfiS m MUSIC SALES It's the opinion 6£ JTlmmy Camp- bell, of the English flrm of Campbell gc Connelly, that the American muslo publishers have gotten them- selves Into "a. . serious' dilemma by ciateriiig top much to ifae likes of th^ ether daiice bands and, in the pro- cess, alienating their reial bread and butter, the potential buyers of s|ieet jhusic. Latter particularly goes tor the mass of piano players who have gone beyond the simple exercise (Stage. But the .extent of this mass is 'questionable, inasmuch as piano companies now also manufacture refrigeration.:. ^ :.•, i.^ - / .. . . ;- Campbell sailed for London Fri- day (12), on the Bremen, after a two weeks, stay, taking, along with him Harry Woods under ^ 'wrltinje contract that wJU i<ep ;'?^o"pds ' on., the other side; -jfor.: at^.'Jeast .two, months, -Whlie herie, ; . Campbell said; h^ noticed that imost b£ the pop znusic favored by the.b{inds on the air .and'played' over and dver 'attain were, the class, smart compositions. Kobby lyric^ and.<<;o.mpllcated rneio-; dies, that sounded swell coming out of tiie loudspeeikex 'aAd.'of tifte type of music enjoyablei:t«) listen;to, but not'of' the homely"-tyi)e \^rhich sells aon!g;*'sheets.. • • ''■ ".• ■ • '•:'• What the bandnmn,. wedded to a mikei 'may gloat eVer' as g^feat stuff, Campbell opined, turns out to be so much of a struggle, for, the heavy- tongued hinterlander and a still tougher hardship . on his ov. her Angers. Smart themes may giye the'.'i^dio •musician or. warbler a. chance to shine, but it's, the simple set 'of -^C-ords ahd' th6 ohe-flngered melodies that in tli^'Ahai' analysis, bring' in the quarters that keep publishers' in buslhessJ' In his face to get plugs on the air,-, averred^ Cailrfpbldll, the 'publisher ' laoB' tot:'- . gotten or overlooked the limited tat ents" yf this STieet'-feuylhg public. '' , Short Vitit- Ehou9h . That Campbell, as a visitor so quickly caught the,chief failing of America's tin pan alley deficiencies^ .brings .his deductions horiid^ forcibly,;. Campbell .js voicing, what -' the, American songwriters and publish- ers have known for- long—that they're all writing too much for thet . bands.' ' ;• •■. - '■ The writer squawlcs that he' must please the ultra .'da^c'e maes.tros, foi* that ether piiig, but at the same time knowing that intricate airs, such as "Lullaby .of the Leaves,' 'Silent Love,' et al., sell pitifully. And yet if they don't 'write '.em, their stuff will peyer , be played. Bobbins put but •Voice In ithe'Old; Village Choir,* which by Its title, evidences Its aim, knowing, it'll have, have atough time getting, it plugged- Bobbins alone influenced the im^- portant plugs to , glye the .■ hokum. •Village' tune some etherizing in exr change for past and present favors with-more sophistic(}.ted songs, but which 'Will eventually be outsold, by; •village Choir' just as aimple songs, like. •When the Moon Comes , Over the. Mqv>ntaln,'<.outsold many a more: sophisticated tune .constn;ictibn. . : ii^or PtfUkhen 1^(1 ITp 0^ Service Combo; Twa Holdouts A No, 2 merged music sales unit, similar to the Music Dealers Ser- vice, . Inc.,' 'Which has been formed by the 12 leading p^l^lishers tp ser- vice the lesser firms llkia ' Mario, Komhelser, Stept & .Powers, White & Ori^cn, Olman and others. They: may form their owti combined central shipping service. for. the same reasons that the 12 majors have organized. '• . There are two major holdouts, Joe Morris and Bobbins Music Corp. Both -wantied to go with the combi- nation fpr a trla.1 period of 90 days, but this offer hasn't been. a<;cepted by 'the newly organized central sKtpplhg service. Bobbin's because of its Metro- GoldwynrMaycf afniiatloh can't, as a matter of policy, join the combine; and Morris, like Bobbins, takes the further attitude that, th* Jobbers like Lyon & iHtealy, Jenkins, Bich- inpi)d, • • Plaza,. a.nd', Sherman,-Clay, with' whom they've done buginess for GO long, are entitled .to some consideration. .. '. ., The": Ji(BW shipping service,! -would pradticaljy eliminate them 100% and siitcie.; the • new-. plan,. tor- 'all ,. its plausibly outlined modus oj^erandi, has.'yet to, prove itself, prac.ticilly, both' of these firms feel that they'd prefer t,o^ string, along bp^h'wlth- thp hew' coihblne and theli- oli music jobbing standbys. . " " . ' . Although it is understood that; the i sheets , retailing -at a ; quarter are -td go t'b" the 'dealers at'.lSc, the publishers distributing^ .thrpugh^the ;MDS will not be; re3tficte,4 from listljng .whatever numbers" they .choke ;%t higher price l^V.^lPt J : . ,. ' if! a publisher figures a particular coniposition should sell for 35c in-, stead of two bits the former price will be so marked on the cover and d^ler will be given the advantagie of the difference that formerly went to the jobber. fljarntis,.. particularly, 'with its 's'^ml-production riuinbers' or Cd'n-' tlnehtal imports, is forced, to hold put for a ^igher wholesale price. Old! Sol Wins Hollywood, Aug. 15. Because six members of his Tjand fell in love with Gflli- ifornia's ^sunshine and refused to go east, Irving Aaronson' had to cancel five weeks for BKO at ?3,000 per week. Band yfaiB scheduled to open at. ' the Orpheum, Denver, Thursday ( II). Aaronson and Harry I Weber, who arranged the roiite, worked on the six sunStruck members of the combo until two - hours before train time, but bo^s refused to pack their horns. Dates set for band were filled in by New York office. Roiins, Keit, Morris Bow Out Song\mters llltnimf^ ^ Tkeatens Riglits #the Dutch Copyright .Row With French at End •The Hague, Aug. 6, . The lonlB^flght between the two rival:, copyright bureaus iii Hol- land, dealing with royalties oh mu- sical copyright, has come to ah end. Dutch government took the side of the. national institution—the. I?. U. M. A.—arid the French bureau, - S. A. C. E. M., threatened to withr. held all French -works from repro-': ductioh iri Holland. Peace has now been declared be- tween managers of the opposing forces. apd a compromise reached. B. U. M. A. will act tis agent for S. A. C. E. M. in Holland." The bill, which was passed by Parliament, but not yet approved, by> the Cro-wn, ponding this controversy, will get the Queen's signature this month. Par*8 Musicftl Advisor Hollywood, Aug. 15. ., Steve Pa9ternackl.,b^ck bi,€nre ttqm Detroit with a year's contract as a musical a:dyisoi' .'for. Paramount.' •. Firiit ' productioii ' osslgnmeSnt 'is •Honest Finder.' the Lubitsch film which will have an original opera Bequenc'e. Arthur Johnston stays at Para- mount for an aditlonkl year as musical advisor, with no salary^ change. Currently working on six different' features. BOSEHTHAL SUBBING : Harry.' Bosehthal is substituting for a fortnight at the Central Park Casino, New York, where Eddy Duchln is vacationing, Rosenthal stays periiiahently at the Casino commencing Got. 9 for the Sunday night supper club diiri<:es at thk new Music Box.' Tills will be a tollPw-up for the Saturday night sessions, at the .Plei'-^ retfe In the H6t6l Pierre; to ^vhl,ch Hosenthal returns' in' the fall. $12,000 DAMACE CLAIM BY LEADER VS. LUNA PK. Permission to examine the oper- ators of Luna jPark before .trial was grafted ^Joe Cappii 'bahtf 'leader,'by supreme Court Justice.-Shientag in Capbi's '.breach - Pit cotttrict- suit against the amusement spot and the Colunlbia network. Cappl claims the par^ ajid, the . net;work < jointly owe him a $e&s6h'8>work or a total of. ^12,0.00, which .is. the amount of danikges named in 'the bill of com- plaint. Through the CBS Artists Service, Cappi alleges, he. and his band were engaged to play .at the park for the summer, but tlie Luna man- agement 'galled the deal- off before' he had a chance tp open; Both the pai-k arid the network's band' book- ing' department deny closing- any bontract'With-biin, or prolnising hinl ariything-. ' ^ ' What the defendants' stiy hap- pened was this: CBS had arranged an audition at the park' and the LUna'execs listened in.-s. All on the employing end- agreed'->that, his combo 'was satisfactory: and some- thing' was. said ;to . the , tefCect that, they would letTilm -Jtnow about thei ion tract ■later.. .Negotiations/ de- clarev'the park and the , network,,: yrare. never- .iiicked:^ up, from that point.-r.- . ;., ',• : Cappi's next scheduled. legal move: isi tci ask the. court for permission:to drop thP'^lutme 6t thO:.'Columbia l^oadcasltbig'Systepi' as, one of the ^eferidantis arid sub^titut^- the. Jiame 6f I the.)" 'Columbian. Artlstfi .Service, Inc.* Baiid man .found that he has been suing the wrong corporation,^ although they are affiliated. Publishers': distributing: .combine, t'h^ Miisib; iliealers' Service. Inc.,': Is J now s^^ to start bperating Sept. .1. Quarters.-for .the N^w-- 5rdrk end have b^en rented and ahionK those pickj^d for, the staff.are .three pres^ ent eriipioyees of the Biphhiond- -Mayer;! Job.bing putflt. ..:Tr^ con-, •«ists bf Walter kahs" the B-N manager;; ■ Dora . Alexander, buyer, and<Hl^lehe' Asher in the credit de., partment. ■. ■ - ;T.Wfelve .'publishing houses In- volved In the project ;bave each put lip .$1,000. to ; start it off.' Figured thBit it' 'Will! take at 16ast > 60' days before ' any of the* -flrmB"'",distrib- utlng through the MDS wlU begin getting their share of the money collected from dealers. [ As a re'r suit - of , this situation' some. 6' the publisljiars may have as high as $50,000., tied up in the 'Proposition by the' end of the two-months: pe- riod. - - .- . Although the .combine has ex- pressed itself as ready to handle the shfeets of eyery other pop' pub- lishlpg! bouse in the business on the '-viery .^m^ - basis as itk . owri-^ one pent abpve the publisher's price to coye^i the cost' 6f distri- 'butionii etc;^few houses outside the group haye as yet declared'their Ihteritions - to ccwne Im : • i. . . ofoe. Morris firm bas .changed its mind' about giving the proposition a 90-day trial, as'BObbins has of- fered to do, and now says it' -will qontlfiue serviclnjg; the dealers through Its present channels. Bob- bins' .offer ;hapn't been aPcepted. Another holdout is the niew pub- lishing flrhn of - Keit-Ehgel which would rather play ball-with all . mu- sic > jobbers and distributors. - For office: and shipping quarters the -MDS has taken over part of the' stock .'space of the HarmS- BiBiriick-Witmark group In' West' 64th street. Kane goes in as man- ager bf'the New York divialpn as :^oon-' ces Ills contract with Blch- morid-Miyer is adjusted, whiltf Miss Asher takes charge of the. entire unit's credit department. Bill Jacobs has. been re^in^d as general sales inan4ger." •' ' .For. the first month or two a cotiimlitee .of- -'publisher'-members will supervise the operations of the central bureau, meanwhile trying to dcicide lipoh a general - manager for • the' whole'wbrlc^. II. E. JEROME'S SOLO M. K. Jerome isn't joining his old writing i)artner, Harold Berg, on thia coast Dispatch from tliat end of the country said that Berg was on his way east to bring Jerome ba'ck with him. . It's the music publishing business hj^'s no'w; in, says Jerome; arid he's sticking alone with it. Warings Together Again . Waring's Pennsylvknlans will be augmented by Tom Waring, who rejoins his brother-maestro, Fred, in the ofchestra after ibsehc* of several years. Tom, a tenor sdlo- 1st, stepped out on his own in vaudc. Warihgs' "will tackle Botne BKO dates and are ai'so'gilng'radfo. Canned jQood W^^ . . - ' • Mexico City, Aug: 11. : Mexico and Great: Britain have: gotten together for an Interchange bf, national -musiO' whicb ■will be broa'dc£ist' 'from radio. stations in the republic and the nionarchy as the result of arrangements made, betwieen. the • British legation hero and the National University of Mexico. . Seat of learning will send discs of Mexican mq.s}c to Britain and re-, ceive similar canned airs of the British Isles. ■ FRISCO BAIH) BiyALRY , San Francisco, Aug; K. Jess Stafford and band- follow Rube Wolf i&to the Wni^eld, open- ing Aug, 24. House's present band is on iibtlcd \yitb contractor, Emil Stilrmer, ' being txmmttxtei -to the |F6x Oakland In .same jbbb ; Idtatfordls i> the Mcond Intact baiDd to be booked thtp a, local house, Horace Heldt. having opened two weeks , ego at RKCVb. 'Golden •Gate, across street froih the War- field. • Gordoiii Thompson^ 1^ HayeiKey to Sing Prinling Worry Idea Old maintaining a printing plarit In Canada' to get ,at!OAin<|; the sheet miieic tax and rate of ex- change has been abandoned by the publishers on this side of- the'< bor-i- der;>: FoUbwing a . lenghty survey made by an agent In the' territory, for the M.P.p.A. It has been de- cided that the sates Itv je&iiaaa db^ not warrant going to all this ex pense and that it would' be better to absorb the rate penalty. / Pos^iblilty of sblyi9g!:th^';9ttvatipn is seen In[ another plan that will be discussed: with 'Gordon .Thompson, who - has '■ his Canadian publishing house, back from Radio Music Corp. (NBC subsid), when h^ gets in here for a visit'Iri a week or two. Pub- lishers sii,y that Thompson hM ■ ,a twist on ■ the., copyrijght law ; that may . eventually smbo&i .ptit the .dlfi* Acuity. ! COLDMBO OR KABN, KAY OR nSHER, Citf SPOTS Chicago, Aug. 15t Either . iRuss Columbo or . Roger Wolfe Kahh' is: the proSpeptlVe' booking at the Drake hotel for the fall.,. That ^verh plans to more'ac- tively'' compete In thei' d:ine-dance competition than heretofore. If Col- umbo cbmes in NBC 'will split com- missions with its erstwhile ally, Kennaway, which .controls the spot. A .change bf orchestra at a,hother important Chicago hotel, the Edge- Water Beach, Is scheduled for' Sept': 16, when Charlie'AgnW, a Keiiria- -w;ay. band, :will end .his long "en- gagement of nine, months. ,'FoS'Sl- bilitles are Herbie Kay, an MCA band, or Mark Fisher, under Kenna- way auspices. Under the hew NBC policy of not entering the band booking field it- self the .network's ; Artists Bureau will split comniisBlons -.with,; either MCA or Kennaway as the case may be. Mark 'Fisher, ia. member of the original.. Dan: Russp-Ted .Fiorito band pbpular six yciars' aga at the Edgewater Beiacih, Is favored for the job by' m&najget Dewey, of the' hotel. NBC has no expressed choice in the ihatter.'' ' Songwriter^ ikllied with the SPA are clamoring for action on the proposed hew contract with the , music publishers and their asso- ciation's, ^executive board is plan- ning to give :t to them. Unless the publishera niake a move to resume negotiations within the next %eek, the Songwriters' Protective Asso- ciation purpbses notifying ERPI and RCA, that the MPRA bias no authority to make any license : fee contracts for popiils^r nunibers pub- lished after Sept.. 4: Publishers recently called, off all palaver- with the writeris on thp grbunds that the outcome of the feontroversy with th» broadcasters niay so affect, th^ir relations with the authors tliat any contract eni .'! tered: into before then might prove \. bf .disadvar.tage : aU around^ SPA.. labels this explanatlpn 9. 'stall/ de^ .i daring that ^ the : publishers , have , resorted' to the -radio Situation! fis-.' judt a'nother out- te' keep- the writers • hfthging oh' a limb.' Writers aver ': that they are .ixnaible.Hb. see whei^e'ln'; any of the prbposals 'made by '-thein ' iCor the new cohtract..can be aflCected \ by. a. revised deal with the brpad- casters. < •,,^:j:>. ERPI Lapses Sept. 4 . : " . j M.P.P.A.'s contracfWlth ERPr*3f-' pires feepti-4,. while the rights 'held by BCA 'has 'ittriipth.er year 'tb''',po.'., However, the :3PA .intends sending'; the warrilne^ to bptb equipraerit cpm^r-l- panies. Communication will be to. ; the efltect that the- writers have assigned to themselves the full syn'^< > chronlzlrig: rights to' all songs'v authored by. them after Sept. 4"arid'' tha^ any M.B.P:A?, contract •-•affect- iriV Btt'cH' huii'bei/6 .Will be in Vliofei'; tipn of the copyrights held'by mem- bers' of the SPA. ",, - iri the new; 4;oh.tract with the PuVr - fishers: the writers, are ,deman.dinff.i ^at a clause i^e inserted, giving them the full' return on all syh- chronizlri^ coin cbllected on songs copyrighted iafter 'Sept 4;" It IS'^tKe one, point tbat the 'SPA.' Insists,'.It will stand on .t'b'i'the 'finish, Belfpr^ . the 'get'-toseth6r/3 pn the .likw dbcii- ,, ment jv-erevliideilnitely .called off by,' ,the publishers, ft.- bad already- been-; :agreed that the 'w<riters.^cut:.6n•'^:- .humbers 'wbuid :be 1iZ%% 'both 'on'^ sheet sales and.mechanical^. nnderstpod that4)ie M.iP.PlA.'iind. ^RPt arb .bn the ' .yerfee ' p'< ;gett^nii' togethst pn. A dbal. for -the 1932.;86.' season! .Alsq^nearln'e settl^'naentf;'!^ the .'bootleg■iseat.tax'.dispute, 4>yer < Vhich ERPI is being Sued foi*<$800j-, poo. Contract being worked out 'jwith the'electric-win affect all pIc-:> ure companies using the ERPI service but Waiiier Brothel's, 'which Wlll 'mtike Its' b'Wh . deal'^t'lth t^e' Coslow Again Recording Hollywood, Aug. IB. After two years' absence from the disks, Sam Coslow has' resumed making yocal recordings, for 'Victor at its Hollywood plant. Just completed a 12-inch record- ing of Isn't It Bomaritic?'. the Rbdgers and Hart theme number from 'Love Me Tbnlgh{,' with the Nat Fihston Paramount studio ,pr- chestra. • BAHL REPLACING UARTIN •. Los Angeles, Augi IB. Ifed Dahl's orchestra, recently at KMTR, and now .on KFWB thtee nights a week, goes into the new Grand-Hotel, Santa Monica. Replaces Slim Martin's combina- tion which, was in on percentage and auit as result Pf small package. Orchestra will go over KHJ by re- mote control. LOBBY CONCERTIZING VidLiNlST JMIlHED UP : Mitchell Hoffmiah, Ne\ir, Tbrk vio- linist, has himself jammed up With the Cleveland musician^ local 'over' playing Ih^ the'Ohio theatre Ibbby as an added attraction tb an ekh'ibf'^ tl<>h of paintings by a Cleveland art group. Though the lad is Iol 'ih^riibetr of the' New' York Ip'cal,. the', Cleve- land union banned- Hoffipan, .from the lobhy on the grbtihds' that'it w^ a regular playlidg assigniineht :aii)l could liibt be !flned,'wiiii.out permis-:' flion of the Ipcal branch, " ' ' Hoffriian, who Is on ^iagitborid trail' to the .coast, happened In, on the lobby job.' .While looking dyer the paintings Hoffman got Into cofiT* versaflpn with the exhibit's. dife'e<*- torV'Walter Brough, whO'lnfrited ttfe 'Violinist to 'play during', lnteriii)|9* ^lohs of Jane Co'wl's 'Camilla* p'foV diiction. , ' .: ^ Violinist, at the Invitation of the Cleveland' press, will : gflve a peis- formarice at the Cleveland stadium/ Aug, 21, for the benefit of tbe \ai'. employed. '. ';' BAKBS SHIEI i Lbng Branch; N. J,', Aug. 15.! 'The l)ands sire shifting around tlie: Jersey.' coast again. Billy Ho'ward replaces Al Fielder ait Seia Girt Inn» Walter Clinton is back at Maxim's (formerly Shore Gardens), Asbuiy Park, replacing Veno Faulkner. ' , 'Chid' Shaw Is at the Mayflower Hotel, Belmar, and,Ppn prince at the Taf t Hotel, Asbury iPark. Henry Santrey.m; c,'d at Maxim's,; Asbury Park' nlte cliib, for two days| Inst week, , but tha.t ^f.as-a ".holdover as he was booked for only <)ixe night.!