Tempo Music Company Records; Tempo Music, Incorporated Records
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974
setName: label: See more items in
content: Duke Ellington Collection
label: See more items in
content: Duke Ellington Collection / Series 3: Business Records
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1961-1973
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0301, Subseries 3.5
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents note
content: Contains royalty agreements, publisher royalty statements, royalty statement schedules, copyright registration certificates, correspondence, and miscellaneous bills and receipts documenting the general operation of Tempo Music, Incorporated. The records illustrate the daily operation and litigation activities of Tempo Music, one of several Ellington-owned music publishers, managed by his sister, Ruth Ellington. The records are organized into four groups. The first includes royalty agreements and publisher royalty statements. These records document the payments that Tempo Music distributed to its composers and arrangers and revenue paid to Tempo Music by other companies for the use of music included in its music catalog. The second group includes copyright registration certificates and miscellaneous Tempo bills and receipts, and miscellaneous records. These records identify the composers as the copyright holders to the music listed in Tempo Music's catalog. The records are arranged chronologically. The third group includes Tempo Music correspondence. These records document general correspondence between Ruth Ellington and Tempo Music's composers, accountants, and creditors. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically and then chronologically. The final group includes Ruth Ellington personal and Tempo Music, Incorporated, business bills and receipts that document the general accounting practices of Ruth Ellington as president of Tempo Music, Incorporated. These records are arranged chronologically.