Variety (March 1952)

0ICng|HA^MUSX€ In March Decfine 'After a strong getaway the first two months of this year, music biz activity has begun to taper off dur- ing March. -Business slide is being felt both in- the disk and sheet music markets, the latter particu- larly failing off from the early and encouraging 1952* spurt in January and February. Trade execs ascribe, the falloff to j the usual decline in the pre-Easter season, which generally starts around three or four weeks before the holiday, and the lack of any spectacular hit in the pop field. While there are several good sell- ers currently, no tune has stepped out to the point where ifs. drawing customers into the stores where they frequently walk out with sev- eral’ disks and sheet music copies. Several nuiqbers' are now show- ing potential of stepping out with a resulting upbeat for biz as a whole! Numbers with the top po- tential re^'A Guy Is a Guy," "Gan- dy Dancers Ball," "Hambone" and *Ay-Round the Corner.” MERCURY ARTIST Soon to Appoar oh th« Nation's Top TV Shows Currant Hit; LOVE” WISHIN fff Racord No. 5784 and 5784X45 RETAIL DISK BEST SELLEBS National Rating Thfa Last wk. wk. v&izmFY Survey of retail disk best sellers, based on reports ob- tained from leading stores in 12 cities and showing com- parative sales rating for this and last week. Week Ending March 8 Artist, Label, Title b £ «• 3 £ « 3 2 oi v> n & 9 1 1 & & J I 8 ff CO CO S B M O >1Mneeda^ Merck "12, HAVERLIN SETS 40 NEW BMI PROGRAM CLINICS Broadcast Music, Inc., has sched- uled 40 program clinics in'36 states and four Canadian provinces in the two weeks between April 28 and May 12. A contingent of BMI ex- ecs and New York broadcasting toppers. will comprise the roster of speakers at the clinics along with local broadcasters. Among the execs making the tour of clinics wilt be BMI prexy Carl iHavelin, execvlce-prexy Bob Burton, general counsel Sidney Kayey-WGR vice-prexy ft. C. Mad- dux and others who are in th« process of being enlisted. Itinerary W^ll be; handled by 10 separate traveling teams of speakers under the guidance of BMI execs. St. Loo Symph Fund 50G Short; Tooter Jobs Hang $t. Louis, March 11. With the drive for the $175,000 symph society maintenance fund short by approximately $50,000, execs of the. organization an- nounced that hone of the 85 footers have been reengaged for the 23 week 1952-53 season, Although the 72-year old organ- ization has weathered periods of financial difficulties in former years, the one this year is especi- ally acute as all of the symph's re- serve funds have bee'p exhausted. FIVE TOP ALBUMS AMERICAN IN PARIS H«tfywo>»d Cast M-Gr-M ■ E-93 K-93 M-93 GUYS AND DOLLS Broadway Cast Decca DA-825 9-203 DLP-8036 * GLENN MILLER CONCERT Victor •LPT-16 WPT-25 P-25 YMA SUMAC Logond of Sun Virgin Capitol L 299 DDN 299 KFD 299 SHOWBOAT Hollywood Cast M-G-M M-G-M84 K 84 E 559 CLEFFING TEAM CLAIMS ‘WHEEL' INFRINGEMENT Laurel Music dorp., Bennie Benjamin and George Weiss pirated their _ copyrighted tune, "Wheel of Fortune,” songwriters Stan and Lee Russell charged in an infringement’ suit filed Monday (10) in N. Y. Federal Coutf. 7?hey seek an injunction to prevent the defendants from ''continuing to license and sell the number. Plaintiffs, who operate Stanley J. Russell Publications of Lockport, 111., claim that they wrote "For- tune" in September, 1950. Laurel, Benjamin and Weiss, according to the complaint, infringed by writing and publishing a song with an identical title. Papers filed by Abner Green- berg also name nine recording companies and two sheet music sales firms as defendants. They're Derby v Records, Capitol Records, Decca, Mercury, Loew’s (M-G-M), King,- Atlantic Recording uorp., Music Dealers Service and the Music Sales Corp. 4 ■ I ■ ■ !■■■ I Doc Berger Exits Leeds Doc Berger, disk jockey contact- man for Leeds Music, has exited the firm after an association of six years. ’ **' Berger is heading for a Florida' vacation before latching on to a new job. a Teddy Phillips Orch To Texas Dallas, March 11. Teddy Phillips orch are due in Texas for a series of dates next month. They open in Tyler on April 18, following with San An- Tonio for a series of dates during the Fiesta de' San Jacinto week. Band is* also slated for a tour of Army and Air Force bases and one country club date here. LATIN-AMERICAN CATALOGUE FOR SALE (CARIBBEAN MUSIC CO.) 425 UNPUBLISHED SELECTIONS 140 PUBLISHED SELECTIONS (with Engraved Plates) 99R RFI'flRniMPQ victor * Columbia - decca - capitol LLO IALUUIVUIIIUO vERNE - SEECO - (DAVIS-MGM), ETC. PRINCIPALS APPLY ONLY NO LAWYERS OR AGENTS PHONE OR WRITE FOR INTERVIEW Best British Sheet Sellers (Week ending March lj- London, March 4. Always Our House. .Connelly Mistakes Wright Little White Cloud.... Lennox Domino’ Leeds Loveliest Night Year F.D.&H, Enchanted Eve Williamson Down Yonder Feldman Why Worry ... .Macmelodies Because of You Dash Slow Coach Sterling Unforgettable .... Bourne At End of Day Chappell Second 12 Love’s Roundabout. Cinephonic Longing for You Sterling 1 Love Sunshine. New World Rollin’ Stone Kassner Shrimp Boats Disney ■4 Wanna Say Hello Sterling Allentown Jail Bourne Charmaine Keith Prowse If You Go Maurice Oodles of Noodles Cox Sweethr’t Y'st’d’y. .Cinephonic Only Fools Sun Hit SROADWAY JOE DAVIS (Phon«j Circle 5-745*) NEW YORK 19, N. Y. It's MhIc by JESSE GREER Program Today Yesterday's FLAPPERETTE MERCURY #5754 HARMONICATS (Mills Music) jjjji! mi SOL® HtT ON RECORDS ■ RADIO - TV A GUY IS A GUY • i Doris Day , .Columbia Ella Titzgorald .Dacca LUDLOW MU$IC, INC. 444 Hftfc Avo.. Now York IT, N. Y. Levant, Melton With Mpls. Symph Minneapolis, March 11.. * Minneapolis Symphony Orches- tra has scheduled two concerts to supplement its season subscription sfcason series and with Oscar Le- vant and James Melton as soloists. Levant will appear with the or- chestra March 23. Concert on April 6 will feature Melton. TA m J. rf America's Fastest -'Selling Records!