The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-26
PROFITS IN POPULAR SONGS.
s.Hiawatha" Ran Into an Edition of
100000 Copfes.

When the Italian impresario with the
street piano grinds out the rafting,
changing strains of ''Hiawatha, re-
member that so far in the history OF
that burst of melody 400, 600 individuals
have bought copies of the piece. When
the impresario turns another thumb
screw and Eberates the melody of I'm
the Good Old Summer Time" 1t may
soften ones grief to know that 250, 600
copies of the piece have been disposed
of 10 an eager public
Those figures indicate the CONNER
cial value Of music in the United States.
There are so many songs sung in vau-
deville and on the comic opera stage
that one sometimes wonders where they
all came from But, after all, few songs
ever reach widespread popularity and
few song writer's have become wealthy.
The most popular song, from a pub
fishers standpoint, composed within the
last twenty years, was After the Ball"
1t is never heard now and few of the
younger generation would recognize it
if they heard it played. Yet 100000
copies of the song were sold in the
few months in which 1t was popular
favorite.
Next in point of popularity was ''On
the Banks of the Wabash composed
by Paul Dresser. 1t sold to the extent
of $4,000 copies. Dresser also wrote
Just Tell Them That You Saw Me"
and 100000 copies were disposed of be-
fore the public was stated. No one sings
either Of these now.
''Bedelia,'' a song which has been
whistled and sung for three or four
months, was recently valued by one
music publishing company. which sold
it to another. at $4,000. Already AGO.
900 copies of it have been sold
Still another composition now pop
ular in the west, IAN intermeZZO march
two-step." THE Gondolier." was sold
for $1,000 in cash.
"Hiawatha," the reigning success of
last summer, was bought by one house
from another after it had been pub
lished but six months. for $4,000.
ASLEEP in the Deep" popular bass
solo, brought its author and composer,
W. II. Petrie, $1,000 1t has sold to
the extent of 100000 COPIES.
These things coming SO near together
all within year-are calculated to
cause the author Of more serious and
what is intended to be great litera-
ture to look about him in amazement-
! Horwitz and Bowers. western young
men. who had previous experience in
this field, wrote Always and Be
cause" large sellers in their day Ford
and Rratton. another song writing
team" entered the lists and scored
successes with only Me" and Sue
/ After them came BREASTED and Car
| ter. authors of THE Girl I Loved in
Tennessee and "She Was Born in Old
Kentucky" Won Tilzer and Lamb, who
wrote The Bird in a Gilded Cage" and
Down on the Farm" George Evans
ana ben Cn16iQS- NduQeNllle WIZ
scored with In the Good Old Summer
Time" and THE Sweetest Flower That
/ Grows in Tennessee and Helon and
Hief whose How Would You Like tC
Be the Iceman?'' was large source OF
! profit.
/ Others followed until it seemed as il
the opportunity for scoring song sue
cess was really open TO all.
Compositions such as any one of those
mentioned by the long list of song writ.
! ing teams have realized from 5000 tC
$4,000.
Songs are sold to jobbers and retail
ers by the publishers at Z cents to 1;
cents each. OF this the author gets
ing and the regard the publishers have
for the future work he may do.
An author drawing 4 cents on each Of
100000 copies would have $4,000 to spend
+ If he scored such a success as After
/ the Ball'' or "On the Banks of the Wa
BASH he would have $4,000 40 1000
! These are large returns for little
| work When one contrasts the returns
with the work done it seems out of pro
portion No author works long over {
real song. He may spend time tinker
ing and trihing with one thing and an
other, but the real melodies and the
real composition which take hold upoI
4 the popular fancy are of short labor
j Paul Barnes states that he composed
i Dolly Gray in three hours. Jerome
!; and Schwartz own to having composed
/ t'Bedelia" in one day.
! Compared to the rewards of literary
i effort these profits are enormous. A
book such as KIM on which Kipline
spent a year, netted him $4,000. The
!; book sold less than $4,000 copies, and
! Kipling received a royalty of 20 pei
1 cent
When Knighthood Was in Flower,
also the product of much more than {
years work, sold about 100000 copies
and brought the author something less
than 10 cents a copy. This yielded
60. ], IL