The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-05-09
MUSIC FOX CHARITIES
Benefit Performances Which
Are Bought.
MANAGERS RUN RISKS
Less Benevolence in Certain Operate
Benefits Than is Commonly Sup
posed-NeW Methods in Giving
Concerts Out of Town--Women
MANAGERS and Agents.

methods into musical management;
has been productive of much good
Artists who have not the monetary
value they claim for their services
are compelled to take what they are
really worth as the returns of the box
office show it.
The fact that the German Press
Club of New York, decided to give
an annual benefit performance I'M
der the management of Oscar Ham
merstein rather than at the Metro
politan Opera House called atten-
ton to this manner of raising money
for benevolent purposes. The Ger
mana made their choice purely for
business reasons.
Mr.. Conried wanted $500 more for
@LOhengrin'' than Mr. Hammerstein
asked for Carmen. AS the club has
to sell the tickets and wants to
make as much money as possible,
it was better business to take the
cheaper show
There is little benevolence in many
of these operate benefits so far as
the opera house is concerned. They
are just as commercial as the ordin.
airy performance. The French Ben
eyolent Society paid $4,000 for pro
duction Of "Lakme" and managed
to clear more than $4,000.
The singers and players are paid
just as they usually are and do
not abate one cent of their fees.
The management of the opera house
counts on a certain number of these
performances every year to use up
the number of appearances guaran-
teed to the singers.
Thre are other features of the
musical businss of which the public
knows very little. One hears for
instance that Smith or Brown, one
of the well known musical man
ayers has given concert in this or
that city outside of New York AS a
matter of fact the concert has been
given so far as the financial respon-
sibility is concerned by some mana
ger of club local to the city in which
it takes place.
The local manager or a club, us
ually composed of women hires a
pianist Or a violinist to play for
certain sum. The burden of raising
this money is not shared by the
New York impresario, who never
leaves his Office and merely arranges
for his artist to be on hand at a
certain date
Tho ~ he h. tf0y7 IF I1,a
musical managers. 1t is rarely pos
sible for them to engage the very
expensive artists, those that demand
from $1,000 to $4,000 a concert, but
they are easily able to engage in a
season three Or four musicians for
amounts ranging from 5000 to $500.
Throughout the West and South It
is principally to the efforts of these
clubs that the cities owe the posi-
bility of hearing the more or less
veil known artists
The managers of these artists who
are yearly brought from Europe find
1T much easier to handle with profit
the business of player or singer
satisfied with $500 or $500 a concert
and able to appear frequently. One
popular contralto is able to sing
seven times a week and travel be-
tween concerts. She has been known
to give two song recitals in one day
and to make a short trip to the Sec
ond city between the matinee and
the evening performances.
The singers in the $4,000 class, of
whom there are very few today, are
rarely able to sing more than twice
or three times a week. The mana
ger who works on a percentage OF
the sums paid to the singer is gener-
ally able to earn more from seven
concerts a week al moderate fees
than from three at much higher
prices
A popular singer who is willing 10
give concerts at from $500 to $500 is
profitable to manager There is
much less difficulty in placing nim
or her. To mention the sum of S.,
600 to one of these organizations,
however, is to precipitate virulent
attack of cold feet
There are every year fewer mana
gers in the smaller cities willing TO
guarantee a certain large sum TO, \
concert. That fashion of doing bust
ness was popular several years ago,
but there were too many unsuccess-
full outcomes of this kind Of bust
ness daring
The prima donna came, had a good
house due to the hard work of tbs
manager and went away with fat
fee guaranteed to her. Then the
manager wasle ft to try to make up
all the expenses and came out a; the
little end of the horn usually.
Rich men and women used to go
to the rescue of the manager, but
they grew weary, after a few years.
The result of these losses has been
to make the managers careful to
the point of coyness when it comes
| to a matter of guarantees.
In the Northwest music in the
| most important cities is in the hands
of very active business woman
who makes a good living for herself