Variety (May 1930)

Wednesday, tfay 14, 1930 MUSIC VARIETY 73 MUSIC SALES AND RADIO Columbia and Victor Working on Arrangement Despite Film Deals Pendlne deal between Paramount and Columbia Phonograph does not Involve or affect the Columbia Gramophone Corporation, which In- cludes manufacturing and distrib- uting plants throughout the worm. Columbia Phonograph is a subsid- iary of the international parent. Within the mechanical trade it is understood that a merger, or work- ing arrangement, between Columbia Gramophone and Victor is immi- nent. It is not generally known that while Victor has the edge In Amer- ica, the Columbia ojrganizatiori in Europe and other foreign sections has a big jump on everyone else. Acquisition of the far-flung Co- lumbia system, which has laboTa- tories strategically spotted through- out the world, is regarded as the logical step by the trade; Foreign market Is increasingly Important for disks with the American mar- ket now. in a slump. . Such a regrouping would have the 75-cent disk makers in a posi- tion to restrict present production. Columbia, Victor and Brunswick through numerous subsidiaries con- trol, a large number of the 125 "labels" in the 85-cent field. 4 Detroit Song Pluggers One Big Happy Family Detroit, May 13. Detroit has reached the last word In song plugging. Representatives of three of the music publishers are singing together in the pit of the Fisher theatre with the orchestra. Boys are given a screen Introduc- tion as being salesmen of songs. Explanation Is also given as to what "song plugger" means. Danne Engel of DeSylvia, Brown & Henderson, Whispering Will Col- lins of Witmarks, and Francis Mc- Gulre of Feist were the ones to pull the stunt. Act showed all week. Each boy Introduced his firm by name and then sang one ^f the num- bers. At the close all Joined in singing "Say it With Music" again with big briss finish. These same boys also do a song fest on the radio over WJR three times a week. Eddie Peterson of Red Star and Dave Silverman of Shapiro, Bernstein, also are Included In this radio hour. "St. James' Infirmary" Exclusive to Mills? Appellate Division has affirmed the Injunction obtained by the Gotham Music Service, Inc. and Mills Music, Inc., against the Den- ton & Hoskins Music Publishing Co. It restrains the defendant from printing and selling "St. James In- firmary or the Gamblers Blues" on the ground that it is an infringe- ment of the plalntifC's. copyrighted version of "St. James Infirmary" and on which It alleges it has spent $20,000. Mills based their case on a special version and alleged popular- ization of the number. Admittedly "Gamblers Blues" is an old gutter song of the Southern slums. Case will probably be a legal precedent In non-copyright numbers. Hamp at Westchester Hollywood, May 13. Ted Fiorita orchestra opens at the Ambassador Cocoanut Grove June 15. Johnny Hamp returns for the summer to the Westchostcr-Bilt- more. Team Back at F. N. Hollywood, May 13. Wolfe Gilbert and Abel Bacr re- tu: I to First National from Para- mount May 15. Bobby Crawford couldn't reach aoc'f])table terms for their loan to Foic. ■ Spoiled Hollywood, May 3. Some time ago they told the one about the song writer kick- ing on the service out here. Now, the composers are .start- ing to steal servants from one another. . Last week a song writer bid up the salary of a friend's cook and guaranteed, parlor, bed- room and bath as excess. The cook is now looking for a cook. WHITEMAN CUTS DOWN IN MEN AND SALARY At the close of the Roxy engage- ment, Jimmie Gillespie, gen. mgr. for the Paul Whiteman band, gave notice to 10 members. Tlie 18 Whiteman musicians re- maining were Informed a reduction of 15% In salary would at once go into effect. Ferdie Grofe, arranger for the band, will again go to the piano in the reassembling. Wliiteman's orchestra has been notably heavily overheaded among traveling bands. It is shortly to go into the new HoUywogd road house in the Pelham section of New York. SOMETHING NEW Publisher Will Listen to Songs By Amateurs Radio Music has inaugurated a policy of ho^fling bi-weekly meet- ings to judge the merit of songs submitted to them by outsiders. Judges at these meetings are representatives of R-K-O, N.B.C., Victor, Feist and Fisher. Each judge checking off those which It considers the song deserves. A singer and a pianist sing and play each song submitted for the judges. All songs accepted will be pub- lished by Feist's. Restoring Orchestras Hollywood, May 13. Borros Morros, Publix general music supervisor, leaves Tuesday for New Orleans. He has lined up four coast the- atres for the return of orchestras and awaits further orders to pro- ceed on a survey of the middle west and Canada. Stage shows and pit music will probably be resumed in several other points. HERE AND THERE Eugene West, former Broadway song writer, now doing commercial broadcasting over WDSU, New Or- leans. West is on the Truly Warner hat program, working with Lillian Gerson, as Mary and Gene. Murray Wizel, formerly with Rob- bins, went Famous Music Monday (12). Murray Mencher, songwriter, ha.s Joined Shapiro-Bernstein for one year. Con Maffie, organist at the Para- mount, Omaha, switches to the Paramount, Portland, tomorrow (Thursday). J. R. Thomas, formerly organist at the Branford, Newark, steps into Maffle's shoes at the Paramount, Omaha. Lew Breese, previously pit or- chestra leader at the Saongcr, New Orleans, returned to the pit orflics- tra at the Paramount, New York, Monday (12). Sascha Kindler, on the same day, came in the Par, New York, as a.s- sistADt pit leader. 1 KILLING OFF Hits Reach No Sales Pro- portions of Former Times —Publishers Have Rig^ht to Shut Tunes from Air— Many Arguments, but No Solution S. P. C. BLAMES TRADE A paradoxical situation has been created within the music trade by radio. Publishers, song-writers and mechanicals, each from their own viewpoint, have the same complaint Despite that never before has the demand for music been so great., the revenue of the music trade it self is cut to a fraction of former times. Summarized the squawks of the music trade are: (1) . That constant repetition over the radio as many as eight and ten times from one station in a single day has the effect of killing songs. (2) . That potential hits are ac- tually "old" in three weeks as a result of the air. (3) . That the music trade derives no revenue from the radio angle except the dry bone tossed to the American Society of Composers. Several song writers agree that from the standpoint of the men who create hits the Income Is only 26% of what it formerly was. A hit nowadays seldom goes beyond 200.- 000 copies and 50,000 discs Is a big showing. This compares to figures of over a million in both depart- ments that were customary for hits formerly. Song writers are thus under the necessity of having four or five tunes moving simultaneously to earn as much as formerly with one hit. The Real Problem Publishers have a real problem. Their reduced, grosses are in face of the fact that never before have they made such outlays for ar- rangements, orchestrations and other Items of overhead. Most of the increased overhead Is a result of catering to radio bands. Mechanicals tell the same story and blame it all on radio. Nobody will buy a disc any more than a copy of sheet music of a song, how- ever lilting. If that tune Is drum- med Into their ears Incessantly through the ether. Here is the crux of the new problem So many stations, so many bands, have created a false demand for music. They devour music and keep calling for more songs, always more. Meanwhile the writers and the publishers who supply the radio demand are deriving less and less income. One .songwriter claims that where formerly the rnusic trade considered the sheet copyright Its greatest asset and the performing rights just a sidelight, it Is now reversed. Performing rights which yield al- most no revenue are actually the key to the new sot-up. Asked what solution can be ad- vanced, the manager of one me- chanical company stated there must be restrictive regulations that will keep radio from killing the goose. In other words, no station could play any one song so often that the reaction would make the public sick of it in a few weeks, Hits That Ar« Not • Disgruntled music men are frank in charging they are playing a los- ing battle against radio. After wait- ing for hits the hits arrive and no longer mean what they u,sed to. Some of the most reliable compos- cra haven't had a hit in two or three years. It's an open sf-crot about the condition of some of the bigger publishers. Another angle is the freak dfvfl- oped on radio. The devouring ap- Radio Playing WEEK ENDING MAY 9 , (Stations WEAF, WJZ, WABC, WOR, WMCA) Checked from 6 p. m. to closing; Times Number played '■Fxnclly Like You" (Shapiro) 30 "Moon Is Low" (Robbins). . 20 "Sing You Sinners" (Famous) 27 "Market for You" iRed Star) 27 "With You" (Berlin)... 26 "Blue Is Night" (Uobliin.s) 26 "I Never Dreamt" (Santley) 22 "Danger in Your Kyes" (Borlin) 22 "If I.had a CJirl Like You" (I-VM.'jL) 22 "Get Happy" (UcmloU) 20 (Above figures are selected from a detailed chart. Among other facts it shows "Exactly-I.,lko You" was played 10 times the night of May 6, and ' t^ing You Sinners" seven times the night of May 6. Five times a night is commonplace.) petite has lately taken to reviving old numbers in an effort to make up for the death rate among songs. Requests for new orchestrations on old numbers are being made by radio stations and b.ands wltli the music men pointing out that here, too, the convenience of the radio is served, but the pocketbooks of the composers and publishers are not fattened. If the air can be harnessed and not allowed to run wild as at pres- ent, publishers and mechanicals think that the day will come again when piano copies and records will again be profitable. Society's Explanation J. J. Rosenthal, attorney of the American Society of Composers, concedes the depression but does not regard radio as the cause or the explanation, although It Is a fac- tor, he admits. Over-production within the music trade itself, combined with the bad economic conditions of the country, Is the Society's Interpretation. As to the possibility of restricting numbers over the air, Rosenthal says this Is a privilege all publish- ers liave and It Is up to them In- dividually. Radio Is paying fees to the Amer- ican Society. Individual stations in New York are annually paying as high as $37,500 each. Some disagreement about the suf- ficiency of the radio payi^enta comes from the publishers' a'ngle. It Is suggested that the two major N. B. C. sUtlons. with accounts running to many millions a year, pay but $75,000 annually for the all-vital supply of popular music, and that this Is probably the moat inexpensive, despite the moat Im- portant, item It buys. E. C, Mills, now with an N. B. C. subsidiary. Radio Music, is credited with hav- ing fixed the radio schedule of prices, as he did for the Vltaphone, at $100,000 a year. Talking pictures with the inces- sant drumming of songs Is regarded by tlie American Society as starting the present unhealthy music con- dition. Until time permits the un- knotting of the problem, probably synchronized with national prosper- ity, Mr. Rosenthal feels there Is little that can be done about it. Overhead A shrewd pulse-reader who ih general manager of one of the most prosperous publishing houses, blames the music trade Itself rather than radio. vVhlle there Is a dan- ger of radio hurting a number by over-plugging, this executive says that any evils arising from the ra- dio angle arc a result of the short- sightedness and petty competitive chiseling of the publishers them- selves. Present stringency may force publishers to do what common sense Hhould have told them to do a long time ago: to get down to a busi- ness basis, stop paying bands with Ilrjuor, parties, clgnr.s, new hats and "special orchestratlon.s," Overh'.-ad must be reduced, he d.'xlm.H. Thf-rr; are too many oi. thf* p.'iyrolls at f.'xrir:y figures, Short Out and In Hollywood, May 13. Al .Short, who rc'Signcd a.s rnu.sifral dlr<"-'lr)r of 'j'lffany '..wo weeks ago, is \)urk on the lot again. Sani<; capacity. ., U. S. TRADE COMM. SETS UP SONG SUDE RULES Washington, May 13. Stereopticon song slide makers, one company in particular, have been under Investigation for alleged unfair business methods, leading to the Federal Trade Commission threatening action. Trouble was Ironed out by the company promis- ing to conform to new rules set down. One regulation forbids any maker marketing product In a way to in- fer the sponsorship of other com- panies which are more prominent In the trade. , * The Commission would not reveal the name of the company signing^ the stipulation. WAKING'S AT DELL'S Chicago, May 13. Fred Warlng's Pennsylvanians will open May 22 at Dell's, road- house near here, for three weeka. Followed there for the summer by the Coon Saunders band. Waring holds a contract with Loew's, secured by Johnny O'Con- nor, for a route with an option to follow the Ioca.1 engagement, or later after Waring should return from the Coast, If going there for a picture. Receivership Denied on Kordulas—But Can't Sell Supreme Court refused to appoint a receiver but Issued an Injunction restraining Anthony Kordula, Ed- ward J. Kordula, Herman Brinkman and the Kay and Kay Music Co., from selling, assigning or transfer- ring any of the music firm's prop- erty, copyrights and assets pending trial of the Issues brought against the group In a suit by Jerry Vogel. Under the order only thing they can sell Is sheet music. But have to make bi-monthly reports of sales and statements must be made to Vogel's lawyers, O'Brien, Malvlnsky & Drlscoll. Vogel Is suing on alleged grounds of fraud growing out of the sale of the company by John Franklin Sheridan to the defendants. Vogel had previously sued Sheridan and received judment for $24,095.77, but claims he never collected because .Sheridan now lives In California. While the suit against Sheridan was pending, It Is claimed by Vogel, the sale of the company took place. Attorney Paul Turner represented Sheridan and now represents the Kordulas. Sousa's New March Washington, .May 13. With the full Marine Hand to play it; tlie, Pr<-;Hldent and Lord Df?rby, the Kngllsh vl.'iUor, In the audli-rieo, John Philip Housa dedi- <■: tf<l his new march, "The Royal Wi'l.sli Fii.silli'T.s," on the White Ii'jM:i> lawn y -ilc-nhiy (.Motwiay). l'r;i'iir:,Uy i-vry high olllriai In I I'juri, t'l'i'i tf'*' l-riii h Amba-'sador, I were there, ^