Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-02-03
Song Writers
Grab Tax for
Public Music
Hotels, Cafes, MOUies to Pay
Toll to Authors of Popular
Melodies.

Let me write the songs Of a nation
and I should worry who makes its laws, ."
was the sentiment expressed in the far
distant past by some wise old bird who,
ike Christopher Columbus Mr.. Calico
and Professor Langley, was so far ahead
OF hts time that he got the merry razz
from all Of his contemporaries.
But he was right just the same, and
were he living today undoubtedly he
would be one of the leading lights in the
American Society of Composers, Authors
snd Publishers and would be cashing in
on his musical ability at a rate that
would make a war millionaire look like
q street corner mendicant.
For it begins to look as If tine society,
which is composed Of practically all the
best known writers and publishers Of
popular music, has hit upon about the
softest money making scheme in exist
ence. It is demanding that hotels, mo-
ton picture theaters, cafes and every
other class Of business that uses music
as an attraction to increase business take
out licenses( from the society or cease
playing selections written by its men,
bers.
SONG WRITERS HAVE
CLOSE ORGANIZATION.
AS many of the popular song writer's
OF the day are members of the organiza-
ton it means that one of three courses
II open to the hotels and the other IN
fortunRtes. They can stop using music,
they can fall back on ''The Star-Spang led
Banner" "Suwanee River" and other IN
copyrighted musical selections or they
can pay the license fee.
At present there are a lot of pitiful
walls ascending to high heaven about
Shold-up" and strong arm" stuff, with
occasional threats to fight the license
question to the last ditch, but the So
eiety is strongly entrenched.
Edmund h Bingham, president Of the
Sompany operating the Colonial Theater,
summed up the opinion Of most Of the
picture houses and hotel people when he
Said yesterdays
There is nothing to do but to take
cut g license. I think it's a bad law,
but it's the law Just the same and all
we can do is to try to get 1t repealed
Here is the schedule Of fees asked by
The society in indianapolis, according to
B. 81. Shelke, director Of inspection, and
Edward o. Snethen, local counsel: First
class hotels, including Washington, Sew
erin, ClaypOol and Lincoln, $3.50 a year.
Other hotels and cafes. s125 down to a
minimum not given out
Picture houses, at the rate Of 10 cents
a year for each seat
The license for the Circle Theater, at
the rate set out, would cost $3.50.
PUSHING CLAIMS
THROUGHOUT Z. S.
;. When It is considered that there are
nfty-six motion picture houses In Indian
spolts in addition to the cafes. hotels
and public dance halls and that the So
c1ety intends TO push its license right
claims in every city, town and village
OF the United States, It can readily be
figured out that these musicians are fine
business people.
Along about the sixteenth century
GiuhO Coccini was mighty glad to get a
Ira or two for a piece Of music that has
lasted through the centuries, and since
then Haydn, Gounod, Verdi, Mozart and
other masters have fought bitter battles
against poverty to produce music that
nas lived. From a business standpoint
they certainly we're not in q class with
the modern composers who grind out pop
uIar music Ike the "Bootlegger Blues, -
'Shimmey- Shaking Sal" and Come
Break the Eighteenth Amendment With
Me" stun.
Protests made by musicians against the
payment Of license fee are based largely
on the fact that for years untold com
posers and publishers besieged musicians
In public places TO use their selections
TO popularize them. In some places high
Salaried music pluggers" were employed
to boost selections, and it is said that
In some instances Orchestras charged the
publishing houses for using their pub
Hcations
> But with the coming Of the talking
machine all this changed. Now, so the
story goes, the talking machine has sue
eeeoed the orchestra as a medium of
populariztng musical selections. Instead
OF an individual buying a piece Of mu-
sic because he heard it played in a hotel
OF cafe the hotel or cafe orchestra must
play certain selections because their pa
irons demand them,