The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-04-25
IN A SONG FACTORY.

There are several thousand people IN
the United States who would rather
! write the songs Of the country than make
| its laws-if one may judge b. the vol
unteer songs which are submitted for the
! consideration Of music publishers.
| several of the largest music publishers
have their headquarters and two. at
| least Of them receive an average of five
| unsolicited songs every day in the year.
| The fact that not one OF them out OF a
hundred ever gets itself published has no
| effect on the number, which increases
with each year.
A song which makes a great popular
hit-like Harris After the Ball" or Paul
! Dressers Banks Of the Wabash" may
make a fortune for its composer. but the
average song. even If among those which
are published, is lucky If it pays the cost
| Of its production.
Music publishers are by nature and ex-
| perience professional bears. Knowing
1 that ninety-nine out of every hundred
songs submitted are absolute rot. they
! look upon the aspiring composer with an
! icy eye, and, If they shake his hand at
all, 1t IS with clsmmy palm which
chills his ambition.
He was young man with unclipped
/ curls and buoyant manner. He took
( the elevator TO the second-story office
| Of music publisher on Dearborn street
and hustled in with the enthusiasm OF a
conquering hero. But as he opened the
! door chilly current of air seemed TO
/ rush out and envelop him. In moment
he had lost his cocky air.
4 want TO see the manager" he said.
Sorry, but the manager is busy" an
swered the girl at the desk.
Give him my card, please, and say
would like to see him a moment
The young man was discreet enough not
| to carry his tell-taIe roll Of music in plain
sight, and therefore got an audience.
I've got new coon song here that /
want you to hear right away" he began.
I'm busy today. Come back tomor-
row." said the manager. AS a matter of
fact, he was not particularly busy, but as
matter Of business ne never allows him
self to appear at all anxious. At the
worst he is playing q. hundred TO one shot
and there is small chance of his losing
anything, even if the composer does not
come back.
Perhaps IL the composer is persistent he
gets an appointment, after he has made
half dozen fruitless calls, to come to the
publishers office some evening and sing
his song to an extremely critical audi
ence of two men, one the publisher and
the other his chief musician and expert.
Or, it is more likely, if at one of the ear
Tier calls the publisher has gone so far
as to ask the title of the new compost
ton, he may be told that the market is
fun of songs Of that character and sent
about his business without a hearing
If the song pleases the publisher when
he hears the composer sing it, there is
likely to be further delay.
Yes. that seems to be fairly decent" is
as enthusiastic an expression as the music
publisher allows himself. IF you want
me to, III send it down to our New York
house and see what they think of it."
It is probable that there are 1000 manu-
scripts in the New York office which
must all be heard and passed upon be-
fore the new song gets its turn. There is
perhaps one chance in fifty that the deci-
sion reached by the New York critics
will be favorable. and then comes the
business of drawing up the contract. AS
q rule the author of the song is prom
ised 10 per cent of the nominal selling
price of the song. That is, If the nominal
selling price of the song and music is 90
cents, the authors share viii be five
cents a copy on all those sold, no matter
at what price. Most contracts contain
the further proviso that the author shall
receive no royalty on the first issue of
his song, which opens the door for trick
cry on the part of INSCRIPTIONS publish
ers. for there is no way in which the au-
thor can be assured as to how many cop
les are embraced in the first issue"
After a publisher has signed a contract
to publish a new song he sets his adver-
Using machinery to work If he thinks
the new song contains the possibility of
a great popular success, he first of all
writes TO some weli-know actor or actress
and asks permission to put on the title
page of the song the portrait of the song
bird, with the statement that the new
song is sung with great success by the
famous serio-comic soprano Miss SophrO-
mis- SaitO' Usually vaudeville actors and
actresses are willing TO allow the use of
their names in this way for the sake of
the advertising it will give them. And it
is said that hundreds of songs which bear
on their title pages the names and por-
traits of professional singers. with the
statement that they have been sung
with great success" have never. as
matter Of fact, been sung at all by them
II the publisher feels that certain
song has great possibilities he may even
go so far as to pay some well-know singer
to introduce it in the musical comedy or
comic opera in which he happens TO be
playing. In this way the merits of the
song may be tried at once, and If its mel
ody catches on" a great sale may fol-
low.
Each Of the music publishers has n