Variety (Aug 1932)

•IV«!«<*r> Angnet 30, 1932. M m SI c VARIETY S3 New Music Men-Radio Deal Means Salvation from Bankruptcy for Many; (hKir $2|)IM^ ' It's a ieather in the caps of the Tin Fan Alleyites that the Nation- al Association of Broadcasters rat- ified the royalty percentage deal of three, four 'and 6% per year, on commercial programs; for the next three years for the use of thie music controlled by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Pub- lishers. It.means as much ethically to the music men. as does the . economic salvation 'which the new deal af- fords them. It evidences, that the radio interests .concede the vaJue and Importance of what- the. music men control. It was presented. to the NAB. that the nurturing of the talents of tho society was as much,, and more, ;to their own best Interes'ls) as to the music men. For without music, tho backbone Of radio would shrivel. Muelo men have repeatedly pointed out that broadcasting needs this new fund of popular music con- stantly for the economic survival of its commercial ballyhooing. fi50t000 Per Yr. Per Firm For the publishers, the new deal means a greater source of revenue and, It Is frankly conceded, the sal- vation from almost certain bank- ruptcy from the way things have been going over the ■ summer. It is hoped that Ultimately it will yield 9150,000 to $200,000 annually to a Class A publisher which will bo sufUcient of an income from these performing rights—basically a by- product—to underwrite the publish- er's business, for another year. Bight now the average, quarterly dividend to Class A pubs is around $'9,000, or uiider. $40,000 a year. A Class A songwriter who has been getting a little over $6,000 a year from his society dividends will likewise receive a larger annual in- come with the prospect that within another few T'eers, under ia new deal beyond.'1935, these performing rights ior. a copyrighted music .will assume even greater value to ail concerned. Too ConMfyative Broadcastlng'a Sncom0 from com- mercial sources ia conservatively es- timated at $60,000,000 for the cur- rent year. Assuming that business will reach that level through 1933, iond certainly there' is nothing to Indicate that radio's income has as yet attained Us peak,' the cut de- rived by the society should come within $2,000,000. That, of course, would not include-the fees collected on sustaining programs. As part of the new contract with the broadcasters the latter assess- ment has been appreciably revised downward, so that the ma.Jor por- tions of the tax load will be carried by the higher powered outlets. And eince a heavy share of these big wattaged transmitters are owiied or controlled by the chains, most of tho $2,000,000 Will come from the CBS and NBC exchequers. Society's estliilates of its. income under the new'percentage deal were given as $1,5D'0,006 the 'first year, $2,000,000 for 1934 and $2,600,000 the third year, iii addition to the sus- taining charges. It is obvious that these ilgures had ]>eeh based on a 150,000,000 gross Income for the en- tire broadcasting Industry. This figure is not only'too conservative but completely out'of line With the facts at hand. NBC and Columbia themselves as based upo^ the increases. for the first six monthis of the current year, should easily make up that $60,000,000 total. With this as a fiubstantlal istarting point, it can be circumspectly estimated that the Income derived nationally the suc:- ceeding year will range between $70,000,000 and $80,000,000. That's oyer $2,000,000 to tho inusic men at the first year's 3 % computation. PRISON PBOaBAH Wayne Husted (25451), Michigan State prison, Jalckson, etherized a erccial program' from the prison hall dedicated to the late Tommic Malle, armless songwriter, via ■WIBM. . Mitchell Banovv-ski batoned the or- chestra. Program -was gotten up by .Uustcd and Louie i^unger. Those $1 Fines Lois Angeles, Aug. 29. r Russ Colombo, Henry Busse and Benny Rubin may not know it, but Los Angeles iriu- slclans* local hafl slapped fines on them. Jazz boys have been\«ocked a buck each for falling to re- port changes of address. Studios, with Pidoip For Writers of Toiies Hollywood, Aug. 29. Increased picture production has brought more. activity to studio music departments than at any time during past year, with Fox,, Metro, Radio and Paramount calling wri- ters in to compose and score filmB now In. ::work. At Paramount, writing of back- ground music for /Blonde Venus' brought. Oscar Potoker, P. A. Mar- quardt and W. Frainke Hariing on the lot to aid John Liepold. Ralph Rainger, contract composer, left New York for Coast Wednesday (24) to. start scoring ;Blg Broad- cast* Max Steiner, in charge of lUidto's music section, is taking ^ over the second floor of building in which department is located and adding scorers and arrangers, first of whom is Bernard Kaun. Will Burton and Val Jason are Fox's iktest songwriting Acquisi- tions. This Eitudio is building Its tune department to greater propor- tions, with Burton and Jason tiie first team brought In since James O'Keefe. waa placed in charge. Metro inusle department is get- ting ready for series of two-r^el musically wblcb Jack Cummlngs will direct. Fox will Import foreign (songwrit- ers as part of its enlarged music department piftn. First picture to get 100% musicial background is 'Chandu, the' Magician,' now being synced. Studio has Arthur Langc^ Edward Kllynel, George idpschuHz, Reginald Bassett, J. S. Zamecnlcl^ Enill Friedhoiler and Cecil Copping In its scoring department. Two songs slated, for Hackety Rax,' one a title number, other a football tune. Sammy Lee using line of 30 dancers and 30 showgirls in same production, DRAWING DOUBLE $4,5<X>'for Calloway to Lay Off and .Make Fitni Sequences Cab Calloway and orchestra, slated for tjtie Brooklyn Paramount this week, . along . with the Mills Bros., dropped out biit is being paid his regular salary, $4,500. He's to hang around the Paramount Astoria lot to shoot, sequences . for 'The "Big Broadcast.'' Both colored acts were punKiisely booked' int 'BfOpl'lyn to be near the studio. While arrangements was feasible, for tlie Mills, Par decided it would nesed Calloway for longer time. sfretchee. Lay-off salary is In addition to the band's share for'the picture se- quences. ' Black Ball for Concert Sponsor Urged on A.F.M. Los Angeles, Aug. 29. Los Angeles Musicians' locar has Iietitloned the American Fedcation to put T. S. McFarland, concert promoter, On the Intemationar^ de- faulter's list. According to Louis Cd'stelluccl, leader of orchestra that played con- certs' at Long Beach and Santa Monica, McFarland scramine>l y/ith- out paying bills and after taking $250 from b. o. Uhion is holding Cr itclluccl re- sponglble for unpaid 31 larie.'?. Alfredo Venla.s and ]5oloro.'3 Mit- rovich, who are said to have issued a worthless pay check for $345 to musicians, also . slated . for .npot on International's unfair list if head body follows Ia A. recommendjatione. Trumpeter Gets So^t Bid at 400 Rubleg Per ' * . Los Angeles^ Aug. 29. Soviet government has relayed an offer to 'Vladimir Druckor, L. A. Philharmonic trumpeter, to toot solos . at the Academic theatre of I Soviet, Moscow, for a year at ' 400 rubles a month ($200). . This is said to be the only time r.nyone has been Invited without an audition as demanded by Academic regulations. BANDBOOKIG M BLOC COLD Band booking oflices are finding it tough this season to tie up the lin- portant hotel and cafe spots around the country on exclusive. booking contracts. Managements say they want tOv be free to pick their mu- sical jattractions In the open market and from any source that books a dance conabo which they figure can bring theiod a prof It at the turnstile. Argument of the hotel aiid cafe men is that the day of aligning themselves with a single booking or- ganization so as to aissure them- selves of an ample number of name bands is oyer. No longer, they aver, will the situation analogous tc the film block booking Idea bind their operations, when. In order to get certain name attractions they were compelled, to accept also several second and third rate cbnabos. New Situation Past year, contend the dance spot operators, has changed the picture completely. Orchestral names that mean money at the grill are not concentrated on the boaks of one organization but are pretty well dis- tributed among several band selling sources. Radio' has particularly served to change the complexion of the band business. It has built up previously minor riatlhg uiilts Into bands of exceptional drawing strength for certain circumscribed territories. For' Instancei a combo that has for a sustained period re^ celved a buildup out of WLW, Cin- cinnati, may not mean anything in the northern or western, spots, but through the south' its story at the gate would be entirely .different. And, it developa^ the majority of these combos with the localized di'4w are allied with the smaller booking offices.- Same goes, they point'out, for a flock pf the bands developed Into national import by rjuiio. By remaining unobligated' to a single booking orgahlzation, say the bright spot impresario^ they can step out and engage'an inille booked band that at the very rionient Is riding on the'crest and rates sure- fire in their localities. Freelance booking will also allow them to ad- just their band budgets to changes in their, business, especially in the slack periods when a pickup combo will do Just as well as a second or thii'd rate orchestra hooked in at a far. higher price level by an prgajil- zation holding an exclusive con- tr^fDt. ■ ■ • . Music-Radio AgreemeDt Starts Demand for New Cbssiiication Basis by Society for Mu^ Men 'Openings*' Metropolitan roadhouse. Is making a practice of chang- ing Its orchestras every three or four weeks. Idea Is an excuse for another 'opening,' with the first nights tapping the music publishers and song pluggers, and getting 'em plenty sore. Form Hoiietoiie Hosic Co., Sam Fax, G. M., to jkmdfe Foi Film Songs ; Hollywood, Aug. 29. As a clearing house for music from Fox pictures, studio has formed Movietone Music Publishing Co., with Sam Fox as genei-al man- ager, and Sam Fox Music Co. as agent and distributor. Officers of Movietone Music are W; C. Michel, president; Sidney Towell, vice-pres.; C. B. Richardson, treasui'er, and E<dwin P. Kilro.e, seii^retary. All are Fox Film men. Deal will not interfere with other activitle:^ 'of Sam Fox Music, which has headquarters in Cleveland. Fox, having formed new music depart- inent a.t studio, leaves for New York this week. REPORT SOCISTir m SETTLE Wm ROBBINS Reported that Robbins Music Corpj, suing the American ' Socliety of Composers, Authors and Publish- ers for a Class A ishare of the sor ciety's Income for the. final quarter of 1931 and the fir.-ist quarter of 1933, Will receive these disputed amounts through a' settlement. Robbins, af- ter being demoted to Class D, was reinstated to A and received the second Quarter of 1932 top class money. . - Understood that the society, not caring to make a court issue of Robr bins' charges, will offer full Class A money. STYMIED Drake Hotel, Chi, Can't Switch lU Band Bookers Witniark Catholic Club Convenes and Elects The Witnaark Catholic club, the names of whose members are plenty Celtic, had a special session last week for shacks and the annual election, at the Royal Tavern. No casualties except the squawks of retiring officers, mo.it of whom are actors. Without bleeding noses the new officers named arc: John Francis Xavier McLaughlin; president; John Leo Fogarty, vIce-preBldent; George Francis Piantadosl, isecre- taxy; Robert E^mmott Miller, treas- urer; Thomas Patrick O'Kelly, ser- geant-at-arms; Thomas Michael McLaug'.iUn, recording secretary, Rcsplivtion that the club would recogni::3 the 18th Amendment o;i a nodding basis only was then par ;cd. Mu.s!c publishers' club is bullish on Irish tenors and other Celtic warMerp. ODOMS VIEWIK6 COAST Hoilywood, Aug, 29. Clifi' Gdomd, former sales man- ager for Feist, hore for- a look ; round before jstojting round-the- v. orld trip. Lcavt's for China' middle b£ Sep- tember.'. ■'■ ■-> ■ n tm ^lJ ^n ii^^ . ^ . M,- '.- . Chicago, A ug. 29. Seal for tho Mills-Roc!:well office to take over the booking of the Drake, swank hostelry, wa.? .stymied by the local musicians union ruling that despite change of management the spot would; have to go on being booked by Kenhaway, inc. M-R outfit had Ted Weems lined up to step out of his MCA affiliations and. ta take over the Drake bandstand. Operating control of the hotel had recently been taken over by Ben Marshall, the architect, who wai under the'impression, wh3h opening negotiations: with Mlllr;-Rockwell, that the contract with Kennaway had . a 30-days' cancellation clause effective with change of ownership or management. Musicians local, after exa:mlnaiion of the document; Opined that the' thijhg liad three years to go and decided that the hotel would remain a Kennaway client regardless of the change in controlling interests. Conunanders Would Stick Around Coast Hollywood, Aug. 29. Irving Aaron.son- and bis Com- manders are laying off licre await- ing bookingf*. Several members of the band arc-opposed to going cast- on spec in view of local oppoi^uni- tics. Red Stanley, for ih itancc, has .1 bit in the Fox picture, 'Walking Down Broadway.' Aaronson's wife, ChriKiljcJMars- '.on, now in New York, <•. ic to at- lention when with tho C'Mnma::dcrs a dahce ifjoioist at tlm '.''rnlics nite club in Culver City. She i-ppoarcd on the .'jcreen in 'Hat Check Girl.' House cleaning from with'n the American Society of Composer j, Au' thors and Publishers is on the. tapis if tlie will of thej rank and fiSe of Tin Pan Alley counts for anything. So far It hasn't; c With the reali^tion of a long am- bition to make thia radio .interests recognize the value of copyrighted inusic for conunercial broadca':ting purposes, as ratified last week ^vlth tho 3, 4 and 6%. annual revenue frcm radio for the next three years, music men are in open protest against the operation of the ."society. That the' classification procedure will have to be modified or r£ j:cally amended Is a common c6nv<>!aint. This has long been a bone ot con- ter.tion among naembers. The 'perpietual board,' whlcl\ mote or less runs the society, wi:l have to facilitate matters, states the younger blood, so that th sy, too, mcy reap a fair i^are of the income. The sentimentality, which, for. ex- an:ple, kept as inactive a son9> writer-publisher as the late Charles K. Harris on the: board is desired rectified. Same gpep for som: of the present Class A members, both writers and publishers. ['_ While It may be true that even today the Estate of Victor Herbert has sufficient value, throufili the wealth of Herbertlan music to en- title the prolific composer's lieiis to a top cut lii the royalty melcr.:?. this is the rare exception. There are too many Inactives. among the big money-getters, complain the young- er members, who are gettir.g too b^ a portion of the Income. This 'taking care' of the inactive or ':not overly active songwriters ar.d pub- lishers cuts into the Income of the others. Too Many Dependentc It Is charged that where formerly the society was more or le:;o of n by-product propdsitlbn, and these things could happen without mu<ih annoyance to the. rank and file, t<H day there are too many compocera, authors and publishers depcndlng^ on that quarterly dividend from tlto society for ectfnomic survival to make thein as eltrulistic as in the pant. Besides, the annual tui-nov«r of over '11,000,000 places'the sbcle^ in the big business class. The socliety's deal with the Na- tional Association of Broadcnsters how being closed, this revenue means too much to all concer.icd aa* the result of the minimization ol in- come from .the normal channel': of mtiiic publishing .and mechanical recording. The more eucc::.~fiil members ctate that they wi?I .lee to it that the modus operandi oC the society cees radical change in fimo- tionlng. •The most chai-Itably inclined dep- recate the liie^Jt point-scoring nys- teni of computing royalty appri'.ion- mcnts. As one wprli!-famous songv.' -iter' publisher stated': 'It's all th(: way. your catalog I:; going. Ta>:c £o and so (mentioning a lyric writer); for example. Two years ago he, a.^ a member of the board, was agltr.ting that, sentiment shouldn't :by the board and th2^ .old-timers, wh^ built up .the industry, shoiildn't ;be fos- gotten even though their song hits have been ferr and far between of late. 'Today, as ariybody in tho trod© knows, this !?!£. ne fellow happen! io Lave a few gocd songs riding. Now he's dolnrr the squawking that by carrying 'loo niuch' deadwood In the •najor ro; alty divisions this \^ cut- ting into tlie larger shares he might have received if the royalty i^llcca- tion w:re strictly computed upon actual mass a:id pirollfic pe.Tcrm^ ance ever the radio, etc. So yc.i se^ It's l:o\v the(sho3 fits.' Ratine? Not Clear The manner in which the cki sllU catii^n of members Wjis. arrivc-d at his alway.s been a more or less niys^ ' tery to the music business in f^eiv^ eral. But l;avlrs no other alt'i nan tlvo 'tho ncclety, as the collr-'iion ■ agentiy for the major firms, is the only boi.y. the writers and publi. 'lerfl can turii to. Then Is mu<:'\ talk that whc-i' thei society".i . contract'cxplrcis in 1035, explain;n;? wl>,v tho NAB-A.'5(.*AP deal is only for three years, ar . vher performing rig) '-.a' collection aj ''ncy- may sec birth in competition lo the present Boeiety.