Evening star., 1940-12-22

How inSeparable in your musical
association are Paul Whiteman and
his theme song Rhapsody in Blue?"
Fred Warnings Orchestra and the
traditional strains of "Sleep?" Amos
n Andy and the Introductory rendi-
ton of THE Perfect Song?"
The questions are not mere hypo-
thetical ones. BY January /, the
suggested separations will be real
tiles in the field of radio unless un-
foreseen developments occur. And
upon your answers, and the answers
of millions of other radio listeners to
these questions, many millions of
dollars are dependent.
Contract to Expire.
For midnight, December 81, marks
the expiration of five-year con-
tract between the National Asso-
citation of Broadcasters, represent
ing the three major networks and
hundreds of individual radio sta
tions throughout the United States,
and the American Society of Com
posers, Authors and Publishers, an
organization OF more than 1900
creators and distributors of music.
And when the contract expires the
station represented by the broad
casters association IN. A. b. will
no longer play the music produced
by the American society CA. S. c.
A. PD.
Of the network and N. A. B.
member station programs will GO
hundreds of familiar works by such
composers as Victor Herbert, George
Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter,
Rudolph Friml, Sigmund Romberg,
Rogers and Hart, Irving Berlin.
And denied to their radio listeners
will be thousands of special A. S.
C. A. P.-member arrangements OF
classical and semi-classical music.
But this does not mean that N.
A. B. radio stations will be without
music. Far from 1t. Thousands of
musical selections have come into
the public domain" on expiration
OF their copyright period. And many
currently popular songs will not be
affected by the ban. Still none can
deny-nor has tried to-that radio
music appears due for revolutionary
changes at the end of this month.
In fact, the changes have already
begun on widespread scale. Since
December / no A. S. G. A. P. music
has been played on any local sus-
tanning programs of stations of the
National, Columbia and Mutual
broadcasting chains. BY December
IS virtually all of the network sta
tions reduced the proportion OF
A, S. C. A. P. music broadcast or
q commercial scale to SO per cent
or less. BY January the transition
TO mona. s. G. A. P. music will have
been completed by all save a rela-
lively few independent station:
which have signed contract renew
ais with A. S. c. A. P.
There is a possibility that the
A. S. C. A. Pm. A. B. dispute may
be settled, in part, by long
dormant Department OF Justice
antitrust suit against A. S. G. A. P
First instituted in 1884, the cast
came to trial in June, 1885, ane
after a few days was adjourned 81
that counsel might attempt to reach
an agreement on stipulation OF facts
Nothing further developed until sew
eral months ago, when the Depart
ment of Justice, because OF "a mum
Der of complaints against A. S. c
A. P.," reopened the case.
Rumors persist that the anti
trust suit against A. S. G. A. p. ma
be settled by a consent decree OF tn
court involved-the southern dis
trict of the United States Court II
New York. Should this take place
both A. S. C. A. P. and N. A. E
officials agree, this would proVid
only partial solution for their con
troversy; at most, they say, sue
q decree would establish new basl
for negotiations between the com
posers and broadcasters. A. S. {
A. P. and N. A. B. would still hav
to reach an agreement before A. s
C. A. P. music could be played o.
the network stations.
But, to proceed with the mai
. issue, who is responsible for thl
battle Of radio music? Each sid
points an accusing finger at tn
other.
=. Neville Miller, president of \
A. B., asserts that the blame clearl