Variety (Jul 1946)

Wednesday, July 24, 1946 ORCHESTRAS-MUSIC 49 BANDS SCRAMBLE FOR SURVIVAL Cosmo Eyes Buy of ARA, National Mercury Disk Cos. With Stock Coin Chicago, July 23. Cosmopolitan Records, New York indie label which recently floated a $375,000 stock issue through Wall street underwriters, is negotiating for the purchase of two, and possibly three, rival platter firms, it became known here during' the convention last week of the National' Assn. of Music Merchants. Cosmo is on . the verge, according to the dope, of closing deals whereby the ARA and National labels will be merged with its own. Third firm mentioned in the talk is Chi's own Mercury out- fit. If Cosmo acquires ARA, a Holly- wobd-born and operated outfit, and National, which has its plant at Phillipsburg, Pa., it's probable the fwo labels will be discarded. Cosmo seeks to purchase them mainly to . acquire'the production facilities of each. National is said to have the better setup. Artists tied to each i 'rl be a great help, too; National h;i> Billy Eckstine, among others, and ARA several good names. Talk about the Cosmo purchase of ARA and National, and possibly Mercury, was not the only conver- sation relative to sales of indie Arms at the merchants* meeting. At va- rious times, a goodly number of the long list of independent firms were offered to representatives of the va- rious major and secondary firms here for the meet. Capitol's . rep, Glenn Wallichs, who came on from the Coast for the shindig, is said to have'entertained several offers of a deal. He look none. Where Cosmo will acquire the money for the purchase of ARA and National, if the deals jell, is not known here although there have been talks of a second stock issue now in the works. Hammond Leaves CoL John Hammond, who returned to Columbia Records several months ago after hia discharge from the Army, will sever connections with that outfit in another fortnight. His plans are indefinite. Cause of Hammond's split among Columbia lies in the production problems which still beset Columbia and the other majors. While there is sufficient materials, there is still a shortage of manpower to devote to anything but major talent. And there is no room for the develop- ment of new talent,.which normally is Hammond's course. SDI-ANC Racks On Block Again? Song Distributors, Inc., music rack operation set up a year ago in N. Y. by the. late Saul Immerman, may change ownership within the next few weeks. A bid has been made for the outfit by an undisclosed New Yorker, current owners including Moe Gale, attorney. Andrew Wein- berger and. American News. American News, which distributes SDI music to racks In opposition to the International News setup, the only major rack operation in the field prior to the advent of SPI, will continue to handle that end of the business. Only change in the setup would be on the governing end. Identity of the bidder for the . firm is being kept under cover. _ Some time ago, the Ashley music- jobbing outfit had a deal in the works for the purchase of SDI, but nothing ever came of it. Jordan, Adams Sued by Leeds Over Xaldonia Leeds Music Corp. finally began action in tfew York supreme court last week against publisher Edwin H. (Buddy) Morris, Berle Adams, Preview Music Co. and Louis Jor- dan over the song, "Caldonia." Suit lists six causes of action and seeks judgments totaling $300,000 in addi- tion to injunctions. Leeds' action over "Caldonia" has beeivhanging fire for some time.' It hinges on (1) an agreement Leeds claims it had with Berle Adams, Jor- dan's manager, to publish the tune, and (2) an agreement with Jordan to publish all his works. In this case, the writer of "Caldonia" is listed as Fleeoie Moore, name of Jordan's wife, but it's claimed by Leeds that Jordan himself actually penned the number. Cause against Morris music com- pany is for $100,000 on the charge that the latter induced Adams and Jordan to turn over publication rights of the song to Morris Music. Leeds seeks an injunction against Morris and Preview (firm owned by Adams) to restrain further publica- tion of the tune and to have it turned over to its own company. It's also asked that all profits derived from the song be accounted for and turned over to Leeds. All defendants made a general de- nial of the charges. TOO MANY OF 'EM, NOT IN UF DATES Various major band agencies are already beginning to' experience a few headaches in contemplation of the fall and winter season and the folding of the many summer opera- tions which have helped them to keep so many bands working. Most agency execs aren't too happy about the picture they see—a mad scramble for survival among the dozens of outfits that have been formed by maestros returned from service and the comparatively fewer new ones organized in recent months by for- mer siderr.en. Few have any sort of a reputation at the b.o. which might make them easier sales, and the go- ing figures to be plenty tough. Many, unquestionably, will, fall by the wayside. One of the major agencies feels so strongly about the future of new bands at the present time that it will not take on a single new property. That attitude can be momentarily changed only in the event a prospec- tive leader with some unusual talent hoves into sight. The other agencies feel much the same way. It's pointed out, however, that the current recession is no different than that experienced by most industries rind by the entertainment field spe- cifically. A factor largely contributing to the n.s.g. situation surrounding new bands is the inability of recording companies to take on ne_w properties as yet. This prevents proper devel- opment of b.o. names and resultant resistance in selling comparative un- knowns. Dreyfus, Others Reported Aiming For Higher ASCAP Increases On Basis of Boost to Irving Berlin Diamond Off Decca Board Milton A. Diamond, attorney for Decca Records and for some time a member of the company's board of directors,'-is no longer a member of the latter body. He dropped off the board a fort- night or so ago following a series of internal Decca executive moves made for undisclosed reasons. MUSIC TOPS LAND IN HEAP ON COAST Hollywood, July 23. Flock of music-world biggies are either on the local scene currently -?r due in. Frank Walker, chief of Metro's rec- ord company subsid, is here con- ferring with studio lights, accom- panied by his musical director, Mack- lin Morrow. Jack Kapp, Decca prexy, leaves N. Y. July 23 for a three- week sit-in, which will be his first j" a year. Georgie Joy, partner in Santly-Joy, due today (Tues.) for huddles with Coast rep, Dave Bernic, «nd Bill Coty, local handler of Ox- ford Music, recently formed S-J sub- sid. Herman Starr, prez of Music Pub- lishers Holding Corp., blew in over weekend for annual three weeks. Ben Barton, who" is chief of Frank Sinatra-controlled pub firm bearing former's name, is winding up visit. Eric Bernay, prexy of Keynote Rec- ords, is establishing Coast office ami 'wording setup. LARRY ADLER RAPS AFM IN HARMONICA DEFENSE Chicago, July. 23. Larry Adler. here last week to en- tertain at the National Assn. of Music Merchants' convention, took a healthy sock at the American Federation of Musicians for failing to recognize himself or other har- monicists as musicians. Adler pointed out that such com- posers as Villa-Lobos, Darius Mil- maud and; Ernesto' Lecuona have written, special compositions for the mouth organ. Also, Robert Russell Bennett is working on a special har- monica orchestration of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" for him, which will eliminate the piano passages. And the 1946-47 "Who's Who" lists Adler—the first harmonicist, inci- dentally, to be so honored. He's not particularly anxious to join the union, Adler told Vaiiiftt after his talk; he was merely harp- ing on the subject for the principle involved. Added he understood AFM's stance is prompted by the thought that every ham in the coun- try would be swamping them for admittance if Borrah Mlnevitch's Rascals, himself, etc., were let in. Aussie's Hit Tunes Sydney, July 11. Hit tunes here are: "Atchison, Topekn, Santa Fe;" "June Comes Around Every Year," "The Gypsy," "I'm Beginning to See the Light" and "Just a Prayer Away." SCA MEETING TO HEAR ZISSU ON ASCAP DEAL Hollywood, July 23. General membership meeting of Screen Composers' Assn. will be held (Tues.) at which) Leonard Zissu, counsel of organization, will give detailed report on progress he has made in getting American So- ciety of Composers, Authors and Publishers to grant more recogni- tion, and hence royalty payments, to film scorers. There are now 107 members"in SCA, representing just about all the active scorers working here for pictures. Zissu arrived 10 days ago from his N. Y. law office and since has had many closeted sessions with 13 board members of SCA, during which was plotted a plan, as yet unrevealed whereby ASCAP will be asked to segregate scorers from the. system which applies to regular songwriters in the Society's classification system Obviously, Zissu has obtained faint nod from ASCAP toppers that such a pitch will at least receive some consideration from ASCAP exec council. Last month screen scorers made greatest gain yet in ASCAP ranks, nine achieving membership ■ out of 17 names submitted. Enmembered were Bobby Dolan, DHle Butts, Maurice de Packh, Marlin Skiles, Dave Shell. Hans Salter, Eddie Kay, Cyril Mockridge and Nathan Van Cleve. It is known that Zissu per- sonally pushes each application made to ASCAP in N. Y. and that all turndowns of tilted classifications are appealed. 'AMUS. BOATS' SCALE UPS RATES TO $125 Hollywood,. July 23. Following queries from obviously interested parties, Musicians Local 47 last week finally arrived at a scale for "amusement boats." Rate is $125 per week per man for four hours nightly, six days per- week leader, $187.50. Scale is absolute tops for any nitery or ballroom or location site hereabouts. While union execs' dis- cussion of matter always confined references to vague term "amuse- ment boats," it is known that what actually, whs bruited was scale for gambling ships, which have been spasmodically propping for opera tions off California coast. M-G Flattery Inks Top Stars, Keeps Names Shrouded Hollywood, July 23, ' Metro's record company subsid already has secretly signed up at least half-a-dozen names, it's be- come known with arrival here over weekend of Frank Walker, waxery's chief. Outfit is keeping identity of those, pacted completely under wrrps on premise firm can make bigger'splash by revealing lengthy string of cohtractees at later date. Walker will spend three weeks here, getting acquainted with studio execs and listening to talent audi- tions. He revealed that only reason news leaked recently that Kate Smith had been, signatured was that chirp told.it herself. It is understood that other names obtained on dotted lines were tipped not to spill fact until Metro gave the high-sign. The M-G-M subsid probably will avail itself of recording facilities in studio at Culver City, as Walker has made extensive survey of same im- mediately upon arrival. He. also stated that plattery will open out- post here in autumn, but no reps have been selected. Among other Walker revelations are that platters probably will, not hit sales stalls until early 1947, that outfit is planning to add pressing plants one by one as adjuncts to spot acquired recently in Bloomfleld, N. J., and that the working-label of M-G-M for the platters is merely tentative and likely will be changed. As a label name, Lion definitely is out, now. Shortly the. 6ubsid will commence lining up distributors, on system patterned after Victor and Colum- bia, which use indies, unlike Decca and Capitol, which operate own of flees in strategic spots across the hinterland. MONROE MAY SHIFT N.Y. DATE TO 400 CLUB Vaughn Monroe, whose usual New York location haunt while with the William Morris agency was the Commodore hotel, may shift the scene of his N. Y. activity this fall. Negotiations are underway which may put his band, which went up the b.o. ladder fast last spring via hit RCA-Victor disks, into the 400 Club, N; Y. Sammy Kaye, whose only N Y. stopover the past couple of years has been the Astor Roof, where he opens next month, is also dickering for a 400 Club booking. Latter is unusual in that it would put a so-called "sweet" band into t - 400 for the first time. The 400, closed for the summer because of the lack of air-condi- tioning equipment, reopens Sept. 0 with Randy Brooks' and Louis Jor- dan's orchestras, plus the Latin com- bination of Monchito, which has been a fixture at Grossinger's, Fern, dale, N. Y„ hotel resort. Latter is an added starter in ah endeavor to snare some of the Greselnger trade, living In the N. Y. area. Disposition of Irving Berlin's fight With the American Society of Com- posers, Authors and Publishers for ah increased availability point rat- ing has not ended the upheaval it caused in ASCAP. Berlin succeeded in securing a 730-point jump from the 4,000 rating he was handed only after a sharp tussle with the publisher faction of the Society's board. His success; though he himself is still dissatisfied with it the wanted 5,500 points), has given other publishers ideas of their own. During the past week, there have been several well-founded rumors that firms owned by publisher-mem- bers of the Society's board, who bit- terly opposed Berlin's boost, would themselves seek increases on the basis of the boos*. Berlin got. Among those expected to ask for more points is Max Dreyfus, who feels his T. B. Harms catalog, now rated at 4,000 points, is the equal of Berlin's and should be on the same levels. These two had been the only- ones rated at 4,000. Since T. B. Harms is composed mostly of Je- rome Kern songs, Dreyfus' article is understandable. Another said to have filed for a boost, or about to do so, is Saul BOrnstein, Berlin's partner for 25 years, who drew a 2,750-point rating for the Bourne, Inc., catalog. Latter is composed of those songs originally in the old Berlin company which Berlin did not write (those he did went to form the basis of the new Berlin firm). Other firms also have ideas of seeking increased, ratings. Incidentally, Berlin will probably still seek to equal the 12 or so firms stationed at 5,500 points. Mclntyre Pegs 1-Niter Top at $1 Hal Mclntyre has advised the William Morris agency, which books his band, that hereafter all contract* written for his band covering one- nighter dates must carry a clause that admission prices be restricted to $1 per person, plus state and fed- eral taxes. This move will probably be followed by the lowering of guar- antees he asks from, one-night pro* moters. Currently he's asking any- where from ^1,000 to $1,500 per date guarantees, and higher in some in- stances. Private parties and college dates, which, of course, call for flat; salaries, are different Mclntyre's, ideas stem from the re- cent beefs from one-night promoters over high guarantees'. and resultant high admission prices to the" public. While he is not yet in the class of Harry James, Benny-Goodman, et al, whose n.s.g. b.o. in the east recently started the hullaballoo over asking prices, etc., Mclntyre was neverthe- less being sold to the public by cer- tain promoters at prices up to $2 per in some instances. He's believed this to be top high. MORRIS AGENCY HYPOS ITS BAND DEPARTMENT A. series, of shifts designed to strengthen the .band department is expected to be announced by the William Morris ' agency late this week.. Jack Archer, of the WM one-night unit, will probably go to the Coast office, with Phil Brown, currently with Don Haynes, replacing. Other shifts and addition of new personnel may also be announced. WM band business has been cut considerably since WiUard. Alexan- der took hli orch stable from the organization, and Morris agency heads will probably attempt to ex- pand activities, in an effort to entice more orchestras.