The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-10
Leo Fest Will Pay That Sum Each
Year to the Person Capable
of Picking Out One Song
Hit a Month

every large firm employs a corn n.
"pluggers." These men are i'm ro4,i,v
nothing more than reporters ur carsp,
takers.
Every Monday or Tuesday r... ara
sent out to cover all the big yauIo,Ho
houses and cabaret places whpr, ...-gs
published by their firm are h,.n. ,.,,,
They sit in the audience Tx. .a. ,,o1
business man, evidently en- Wing tho
show, but all the while their nnp,-s
are on the pulse Of the crowd noting
how the songs go. They are always nm
| the lookout for new acts vh.O. eould
use one of their songs to advau.gr,. and
every week they report t. the head
office exactly what is going on. A,nrc.
suit of these weekly reports the pul.
Usher knows which songs are going Nr.
which are falling down and cuu,,.
| quently need pushing and how tH. sales
are running in the big music sr.ro,
all over the country.
No baby ever had more tender or
| solicltous care and nursing than docs
the new popular song from fits clr.a.,
infancy until it reaches an aru v..ro
it is able to look out for itself ON no.
count of this elaborate system il may
| justly be said that n song is made, ru'
written. Many pieces far superior 90
those that have been immensely ruru.
lar hits are still languishinr uuhoal
| of on the back shelves of my store room
merely because they have not been
pushed. 1t was only by accident that
THE Curse of an Aching Heart ,-papsI
this fate, and how many other h.'- have
unconsciously been slowed awpy may
never be known.
| Around the theatre districts Of many
| large cities one can daily hear tho latest
ragtlme being sung and resung iu the
studios of the many music publishers
| All the best firms have their prufcs.
sional studios separate from the uus..
ness offices-generally being in or near
the theatre district to accommodate the
singers and artists. In the reception
rooms of these studios gather singers
artists and actors OF every age class
and distinction. These studios are made
up OF six or eight small rooms. In each
OF which are n plano, a pianist and one
OF the firms demonstrators Some We'll
known vaudeville artist rushes IN and is
! greeted with familiarity.
Hello, Joe! Glad to see you. Whats
new"
Forty weeks over the s. & c." r..
joins the newcomer jauntily. Give
me good look at some of your sure
fire hits-got a neat little act this sea.
son and we want a good song or two"
He is escorted into one of the small
rooms and composes himself in a com.
Portable chair while the pianist chooses
number Of the firms latest pieces
and with the help of the demonstrates
they run through five or six perhaps
Suddenly the vaudeville artist Jumps
out of his chair and leans over the
pianist's shoulder.
That's good stuff-play those last
few bars again.
His feet begin beating time his Shout.
ders sway in rhythm, and directly h, is
singing at the top of his voice. He
takes the song. and IL II happens 10 be
a brand new one that the firm wants
to advertise he is even paid for sing.
ing it. All day long they com. and
go, pianos are banging. singers sh'g'-
y ing. lyric writer's tearing in AMI nIt.
arrangers humping away at new rAr-
; monies, oblivous to their surrouudn-s
p, Compared to a professional studio 900 a
= busy day Bedlam is a quiet little pray
meeting
: Very often a big vaudeville hy1dun,r
:. or a musical comedy star drops into
: our Office to have a song written f"r
him. For this purpose we have -ut-
, cial writer one who has distinguished
= himself before, and this writer IS told
!, the exact needs of the particular star.
!, Sometimes he is given tickets 10 the
= show in which the star is appear ns
y and after a couple of days the new song
), is turned out and tried by the artist
:. II II proves satisfactory II is accepted
l.. 1.afVa
b a headliner is in itself a boost for the
a piece. In these cases the royalties run
: up into the thousands.
e There are more than 100000 pianos
It in the United States to-day. some one
= must supply music for them IhItS
/" why am in the music PUBLISHING hus'
= ness-piano sales are increasing a So
E called popular song becomes old IN
d little while and a very large majority
of the people who play on thes' l''Vv'
u 900 pianos cannot play CLASSIC h'S'''
70 nor would if they could, As soon as
IT they have learned brand new popular
|" song they yearn for another on.
lie That really explains the big demand
'e for this sort of music. There are some
ID who declare that a popular sons j. "''
ID music. l will not argue with '"'.'
~ But i Will say that TO one p''S""
lie can play a Chopin nocturnc ami ENJOY
it there are 1000 who cannot play il ahO
" enjoy 1t. They do get fun and pleasure
he and satisfaction out of popular s'"-s
lie whether they be the old fashioned Tag
/" time or the newer dance tunes.
=, ~ Then there are the ballads pa'h''
7 songs in minor strains. Thesr may no.
be music" but they touch hun''
40 hearts; they bring tears and sfH7 '"'
% exquisite pleasure to hundreds '' Il" ID
y sands, just as do the livclicr soa--
er Musical critics, the really a-.'. Nv
lg. chaps groan audibly, roll Their eyes '"
he toss their arms upward Over "
er our songs. These songs may '.'
IN. every rule of harmony-th" "''' rs Ian
go fearful liberties with rhym" AMI II. ..
at times--but they get over i"" '''
to make money for the writers
a The music publisher Of ,o-"'.
ir- not defend himself--his def'uD ' ,'n
lr- made. The people wouldn't buy -''y WV,
yer ma nj, mana .nnips of mN-|.Nl i''N'