Variety (October 1916)

'-".■■ VOL. XLIV, No. 6 NEW YORK CITY, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1916 PRICE TEN CENTS MUSIC PUBLISHERS MAY GET TOGETHER FOR PROTECTION Plan of 10-Cent Stores Syndicates Seems to Have Publishers Willing but Waiting for DisinterestedTarty to Propose Plan. "Payment System" Wrecking Popular Price Music Trade. That another gigantic organization, composed of the big eastern music pub- lishing firms, was being secretly at- tempted became known this week, al- though no announcement has been made concerning the preliminary moves. It was apparent, however, the proposed combine would not go through, judging by the attitude of several of the publishers who had been approached and sounded by the self- appointed organizer. -The idea was created in the brain of one of the heads of a 5 and 10-cent store syndicate and he immediately communicated with the publishers in turn in an effort to bring them together on. an agreement that would call for their co-operation in an attempt to' eliminate the existing evils of the busi- ness, the principal one being the "pay- ment system,"* which the publishers are frank to admit will eventually wreck the trade if allowed to continue under present circumstances. The organizer's plan was to form the publishers in a central body, each agreeing tc post a bond guaranteeing strict secrecy in all organization moves and each promising to immediately dis- continue paying professional singers for "popularizing" their numbers. The penalty was the forfeiture of the bond and a committee composed of outside men would decide whether the pub- lisher was guilty of a violation of the rules. If found guilty, the 5 and 10- cent stores would discontinue the sale of the violator's products, this being the extreme punishment possible to in- flict. The organizer claimed it was an easy matter to organize the various 5 and 10-cent store syndicates on a work- ing agreement of this kind and felt that a single example would forever abolish the "payment system." Several of the larger firms had tenta- tively agreed to combine under such ar- rangements, but a few professed to see through the plan the possibility of the store syndicate: securing iampfci-s ■€*»«- — troi of the selling end of all popular music, and they temporarily balked. These men argue that with a final court of appeals, controlled by the syndicates, any one publisher could be intimidated into decreasing the CQSt price of his product under a "suggestion" that the stores could no longer handle his out- put for any certain reason. With the publishers' organization in the hands of the buyers there would be no other ap- peal, while it was quite as simple for the publishers themselves to reorganize independently of the syndicates and after forming an association, appeal to the syndicates for their co-operation. It is gossip among the music men that the 5 and 10-cent store syndicates always advocated the payment of moneys to professional smgers, they claiming a better service was assured and the songs popularized more quick- ly and a demand for copies simul- taneously created. Just why the syndi- cate people should become suddenly in- terested in organizing the publishers seemed a problem to the veterans of the trade and they began looking around for the "friendly" reason. Their rest- lessness temporarily held up proceed- ings until this week it simmered down and to the opinion of many has perm- anently fallen through. That some working agreement must be arranged between the music pub- lishers is self evident, for the "payment system" is slowly but surely tearing- large chunks into their reserve bank- rolls. With the season just openin ■> this seems the opportune time for such a move, but because of the failure of the Music Publishers' Board of Trade to survive, everyone is suspicious of his competitor and until some disinterested party takes the initiative the present conditions will probably continue. The theatrical managers are in sympathy with the publishers, but must maintain a neutral attitude. It is understood another attempt will be made by an outsider to bring the publishers together in a final effort to organize for mutual protection, but the date of the proposed meeting is not as yet known. Should the latter plan ma- terialize, and it seems highly possible since the majority of the publi shers are ready tu »CTeT>raliYTost any proposition' that promises relief, it is understood the organization will immediately com- municate with the 5 and 10-cent store people to solicit their aid and will also try and come to some protective agree- ment of co-operation with the Vaude- ville Managers' Protective Association, DANIELS APPOINTED MANAGER. Cleveland, Oct. 4. Mayor Harry L. Davis has appointed Harry Daniels manager of the proposed Municipal Hall, for which Clevelanders voted $2,000,000 at the last election. It is to be an edifice seating 15,000, used for conventions, public gatherings and the largest of traveling productions, such as the Hippodrome, New York, shows, and so forth. There will be a theatre within the building seating 3,- 500. Four assembly halls will have their mission, with the big hall for con- ventions. An indoor circus can easily be accommodated. "The Plain Dealer" carried the ap- pointment announcement of the Mayor, who stated he did not know just where Mr. Daniels was at present, but be- lieved he was in South America. Harry Daniels formerly managed Keith's Hipodrome here, and is now attached to the United Booking Offices headquarters in New York City. JANE COWL IN MACK PLAY. A. H. Woods has decided to place Jane Cowl at the head of "King, Queen, Jack," the Willard Mack play, which is to be presented in New York when a house can be obtained for the piece. Mr. Woods is going to open "Her Market Value," by Willard Mack in Atlantic City next week. The leading lady is to be Jane Grey with the others, George Probert, Mrs. Stuart Robson, Nick Judells, A. Byron Beasley, Frank Allsworth, Julia Bruns, Noel Arnold, Jennie Eustace. BALLET, HELD SHOW FEATURE. The Shuberts are producing a ballet at a cost of $25,000, to be one of the outstanding features of the Anna Held revue. The ballet will be a transfor- mation in two scenes, one laid in Hades and the other in an East Indian palace. In all probability Doraldina will be the premiere danseuse. The chorus has spent the past four weeks in musical rehearsals. They were called for the first stage work Tuesday. Jack Mason is staging the dances. It is expected the show will be ready to open in five weeks. USING LOCAL TALENT. Chicago, Oct. 4. The shortage of vaudeville acts is §o marked in the middle west it is t re- ported out of town managers in m?ny instances have fallen back upon local TVlciiC Tu~niiTip ThcTToiitir PROHIBITION DOES IT. Montreal, Oct. 4. Business it good i burlesque vaude- ville and legitimate houses, due in part, the manageri believe, to the prohibition orders. CENTURY CAN HOLD $5,000. The delay in announcing the opening date at the Century is caused by the slowness with which the alterations, on a larger scale than supposed, are being made. About $255,000 has now been expended, it is said, on the remodeling of the house. This sum has been put in by the own- ers of the Century. A great deal of the rebuilding concerns the roof. The former roof theatre occupied but a cor- ner of the top, but the walls of the new roof theatre now extend to within six feet of the coping. While the box office is not yet open, money orders with requests for first night seats for "The Century Girl" ag- gregate five times the capacity. The top price for the downstairs show will be $2.50, giving it a money capacity of about $5,000 a performance. STAGE HANDS IDLE. The stage hands union is reported as having considerable trouble so far this season in keeping all of its men work- ing. The reason given at union head- quarters was the number of one scene shows on Broadway which use only a property man, electrician and a flyman (with the latter eliminated in some cases where the curtain is worked from the stage). Some houses where a large crew has been used in former years are now working with this small number. At the Empire (Margaret Anglin) the stage is being run by 20 less men than heretofore. The opening of the Century will, in all probability, relieve the situation through practically 40 stage hands, car- penters and property men being used. The Russian Ballet at the Manhattan will use about 20 men. WOODS' "LAW" PLAY. Col. Jos. Ewing Brady, head of the Vitagraph scenario department, and Arthur J. Mestermayr, a New York at- torney, sold to A. H. Woods a three- act drama, entitled "It Is the Law/' which they collaborated on. The cast will be engaged shortly. MARRIED IN BED. San Francisco, Oct. 4. Rather than to have their romance shattered, although the groom was con- fined to his bed after an illness of a year and is not expected long to sur- vive, Arthur Waldstein, a skater, was married last week to Pearl L. Hender- *^*»TT, "alsii"*3r"p*fO'iT3blO»'«a , i. " m " m ~ SONG DITCHED. Chicago, Oct. 4. Upon complaint at the box office that it was offensive, the song "Wiggy, Waggy, Woo" was ordered cut out of Anna Chandler's act at the Majestic