MUSICAL COURIER 20 May 3, 19 2 3 BROADCASTING ROYALTIES A society to be known as the National Association of Broadcasters has been organized in Chicago to oppose the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in their determined stand to protect their rights to copyrighted music. The question of performing rights, personal or mechanical, which was fought out some years ago, has, it seems, again to be fought out. No one can foresee the end of this struggle, but at least one may be permitted to philosophize on the rights and wrongs of the problem. How much right has a man to control the child of his brain? It is a most interesting question. Theoretically speaking, one would think that he should possess absolute control, and that he could sell that control to whoever he pleased on whatever terms he pleased. But, for some reason not easy to understand, that has never been the view of law makers. A man may own a block of land, and may let it lie idle forever if he likes, provided he pays his taxes on it. If anyone wishes to use it for any purpose, the owner can charge whatever he likes for that privilege, or can refuse to allow it to be used at all. But if a man writes a melody, even if it is one of the immortal melodies that are invented but once or twice in a generation, his only means of actually protecting it is to keep it in manuscript and never let it be heard. He can publish it if he will, and put a performing rate upon it, but that does not, apparently, prevent it being broadcasted, nor does it prevent it being reproduced on mechanical players of all sorts. Even the grind organs that wander about our streets present the latest melodies for the delectation of their customers. A law satisfactory to all parties has been made on a fixed royalty basis to cover this mechanical reproduction, yet it would seem that even that is merely a makeshift. The right of the composer to protect his property and to sell it to the highest bidder has been lost sight of, and it is probable that the singer of songs often gets more out of them than their maker, simply because the singer can refuse to sing unless he gets his price, while the composer has no such right of refusal. However, that has now become merely a theoretical question of right. Expediency has proved that the present arrangement is satisfactory, and it has proved highly profitable. Radio broadcasting has, however, thrown a wrench into the wheels of this well oiled machinery. People who can get all the latest popular hits through the air without cost are naturally wondering why they should spend good money on records and player-rolls. Sooner or later this is bound to cut down on the business done by mechanical reproducers, and will result in a cut of the royalties paid to the composers and publishers. It will also cut down the royalties paid to the artists who sing or play for the reproducing machines, in view of which fact it is certainly strange to find them all so willing to give their services to radio broadcasting stations free of charge. Developments have been so rapid that there has been no time for adjustment, but adjustment is sure to come. There will undoubtedly be performing rights for radio, and they will have to be proportioned to the number of people who listen in. And the time will come, too, when artists who are under contract to make records for certain reproducing companies will not be permitted to broadcast their interpretations. Perhaps also the time will come when artists will demand adequate recompense for their radio services (though if they do it will be the first time in the history of the world that artists have got together and agreed on concerted action! ) As for the advertising value of radio (which the radio people claim is worth more than the royalties would amount to) the fallacy of that argument lies in the fact that the radio broadcasters advertise (?) the things that need no advertising. In other words, they use the best sellers, plugs that have been put over at great expense by the publishers, arias from the Puccini operas, whole opera or concert performances sent out direct from the auditorium. These abuses should be stopped, and it would seem to be up to the artists, and the opera and concert managers, to join forces with the Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers to put this whole new industry on a business basis. beefsteak the less there is left, while the more you partake of the Beethoven symphony the more you find there is for you. It’s merely another demonstration of the parable of the loaves and the fishes.” -----<*>--- The Cologne Gazette • declares that MacDowell’s music was influenced by Grieg, Liszt, Raff, and Schumann. Now we know that MacDowell’s music must be good. -----«>---- A Times article of recent date says that the students of Princeton University prefer good music to jazz. What the Times means is that some of the students prefer it. And the Times also means that the same thing is true of Yale, Harvard, Cornell, Pennsylvania, and all the other colleges and universities. -----<$>--- There are not many silver jubilees celebrated in music, but on May 7, the Chicago Apollo Club is to give a large reception and banquet at the Auditorium Hotel in honor of the completion by its conductor, Harrison M. Wild, of his twenty-fifth season at the head of the organization. Mr. Wild’s work has made it one of the leading choral societies of America. Congratulations are due both to Mr. Wild and the club on their long mutual association. -----<$>--- There are two decidedly opposing groups of young composers in Europe at present, of a romantic and a realistic, or humorous, turn of mind respectively. Their influences are widely separated and one cannot see how a war between them can eventually be avoided. When it breaks out, no doubt one of their number will write a new musical manifesto, a modern Davidsbundler, and we recommend as title for the finale: Marche des Jazzbags contre les Scriabinieri. -------- Maybe many Americans do not know it, but the Summer opera seasons which an ever increasing number of our cities give each year, are the forerunners of permanent municipal opera companies in those and other communities. Once the general public has formed a real taste for the lyric drama, for the music itself, the rest will follow quickly. And that is the only basis on which grand opera can flourish successfully in this country without private guarantee funds. -----<$>--- According to the Sun, Irving Berlin characterizes some of his music as being “a musical pandemonium, accomplished by the musical construction of harmonic discords used in an ascending progression.” “The definition,” adds the Sun, “is a song in itself.” Applied to for enlightenment per telephone, the Berlin office explained that this definition refers only to certain phrases in Pack Up Your Sins, from the Music Box Review. It sounds good, whatever it means, but it does not sound as good as Irving’s music. Pandemomium though it may be, we like it. -----<&-—- Carl Engel, chief of the Music Division of the Library of Congress, writes as follows to the Musical Courier: “It would be rendering a great service to Dr. Hans Schoor, Queeralles 23, Klotzsche-Dresden, Germany, if you should mention in the columns of your paper that, being now engaged in writing a biography of Antonin Dvorak, Dr. Schoor would welcome and gratefully acknowledge any communications from persons who knew the Bohemian composer during his sojourn in America, or any copies of Dvorak letters which have biographical interest.” -----<5>----- Comment from the office of one of our symphony orchestras: “The music which meets with the most popular acclaim is Russian, particularly Tschaikow-sky. The music which had the least success was American. More than three times as many people bought tickets for the All-Tschaikowsky program as the All-American program. The unanimity with which Americans agree that American music ought to be encouraged is only exceeded by the unanimity with which they agree to let ‘the other fellow’ support it.” ’Nuffsaid! ----------- As announced in another column, Ashley Pettis, pianist, is preparing an all-American program which he will use at all of his recitals next season, beginning in California in October. This is the right kind of Americanism. Mr. Pettis begins with Mac-Dowell, as the greatest of American composers, and includes in his programs a number of works still in manuscript, the composers of which are comparatively unknown. If a few other artists will follow the example of Mr. Pettis, the justified howl of the neglected Americans will cease to be heard in the land. JV\VSICAL@VRIER U/eekly Review OF THE Worlds Music Published every Thursday by the MUSICAL COURIER COMPANY, INC. ERNEST F. EILERT.................................................Preside!,! 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The MUSICAL COURIER is for sale at the principal newsstands and music stores in the United States and in the leading music houses, hotels anc' kiosques in Europe. Copy for advertising in the MUSICAL COURIER should be in the hands of the Advertising Department before four o'clock on the Friday previous to the date oi publication. Entered as Second Class Matter, January 8, 1883, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. THE MUSICAL COURIER EXTRA Published every Saturday by Musical Courier Company Devoted to the interests of the Piano Trade. New York ~ Thursday, May 3, 1923 No. 2247 How can a press agent fail at his job? He always registers success. -----<$>---- The non-stop record interests dancers; but violinists are more concerned to win the double-stop championship. -----<$>---- According to a certain cynical singing teacher, vocal cords “are what I would like to hang some of my pupils with.” -----<&----- Many American cities hold what they call a Courtesy Week. Yes, it is supposed to include rival singers, teachers, and instrumentalists. -----®------ Some prima donnas are too frugal to employ a maid and have to get along with a mother, sister, or daughter on whom to vent their whims. -----®------ Maybe if speculators obtained a “corner” in American compositions, as some of them do in sugar and grain, American composers could make some real money. -----®—----- Baseball and grand opera at last threaten to become affiliated if the plans are carried out to give open air performances of lyric drama at the Yankee Stadium here this summer. ------------ There are two kinds of people in the world—those who like Bach and those who like Irving Berlin; and on the whole the Berliners think more kindly of the Bachites than the Bachites do of the Berliners. -----<8>—--- The Musical Courier doubts whether Jenny Lind ever looked prettier or sang better than did Frieda Hempel at her Jenny Lind recital in her Hippodrome recital on April 22. The enthusiasm of the vast audience left no doubt that it agreed with the Musical Courier. -----«>----- Considering the sums earned by artists like Galli-Curci, Paderewski, Kreisler, McCormack, Heifetz, Farrar, and others, it is interesting to learn that Dr. Struve, noted astronomer, was awarded a gift of 3,000 Marks (fifteen cents) not long ago by the German Government for his discoveries about the planet Saturn at the Babelsberg University. --------- In a recent speech about art and the role it should play in the lives of Americans, Channing Pollock, the playwright, said: “The difference between a Beethoven symphony and a beefsteak is that the more you eat of the beefsteak the less you want and the more you have of the Beethoven symphony the more you want. Furthermore, the more you eat of the