New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-21

"HE import Of the ticket section
Of the new revenue law, in
serted with such extraordinary
secrecy and dispatch by our Solons
q, Washington. fell Ike 400 milli-
metre shell into the ranks of our con-
cert managers and concert artists. Such
confusion has never before relgned IN
This ordinarily well behaved army, and
there has ensued the greatest hurry
ing and scurrying 10 find some corner
or nook Of refuge from the darts OF
this law. As things appear now the
business Of concert-giving, which OF
late years has in New YORK
grown to stupenGous proportions, is
in dire peril Of extinction as far as
il concerns all but the artists Of the
very greatest prominence. November
is the fateful day when the law goes
into effect. and after that date we
shall sec what we shall sec.
The giving Of concerts and recitals
by artists who are either entirely un-
known or whose reputation Is get IN
the making has rested on peculiar
tssis and has been in large measure
made possible only by the distribution
broadcast OF free tickets. The bud
ding artist must be known. ne or she
can be made known only through the
revspspcrs. and the seal Of metropolis
tan journalistic approval. or even
notice, goes a long way toward the
procuring Of engagements throughout
the country. Very few Of these young
artists find their New York concerts
other than a heavy financial drain.
What few tickets they may sell TO
their friends are but a drop in the
bucket toward paying the expenses
OF their concerts. In short, these
young artists in order 20 get public
notice in New York pay for the hall
end al other expenses out Of their
own pockets.
A concert, however. must have an
audience, and If an audience cannot
be got to pay for its admission 1t
must be inveigled into the hall by the
bestowsl of free tickets. Here 1t Is
that the artists manager goes forth
into the highways and the byways and
invites TO his clients banquet all who
are willing 10 come. As IT is, he is
rarely able 10 FIJI the hall. despite
the universal appeal of 81 worth given
for nothing Now the trouble comes
right here. The new law imposes 10
per cent tax Of the face value Of each
ticket presented at the door, this tax
90 be paid by the user Of the ticket.
The difficulty of getting audiences for
the concerts is already considerable,
but to get each member of such an
audience TO pay 20 cents TO sit IN the
orchestra. or 10 cents to sit in the
gallery, is probably insurmountable.
The really musical ones VIII prefer TO
save up their pennies TO hear kreisler
or the opera. and the unmusical ones
viii choose the movies"
1t may be argued that the solution
will be TO make all these concerts in
yltaton affairs at least all those for
which the ticket sale would be negli-
gible. The objection here set forth is
that whereas it is difficult 70 get an
audience to concert even where each
member gets ticket stamped two
dollars for nothing, it would be i'm
possible 10 get them TO the concert if
they knew 10 was altogether a free
affair. Such is the psychology of the
American people and. perhaps. Of all
other peoples The result Of the law
viii undoubtedly be a great reduction
IN the number Of the New York CON
eerts, how great a reduction the next
two months will tell.
The effect Of the new law is viewed
differently by different managers. Lou
don Charlton, for instance, and the
Wo!fsohn Musical Bureau DO not