JEROME H. REMICK & Co., The COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH COMPANY, New York. GENTLEMEN: Kindly make for us 250 records of "Good-Bye Maggie Doyle” as soon as possible. GENTLEMEN: Kindly make for us, as soon as possible, 250 records of “ "Cheyenne." Yours, very truly, JEROME H. REMICK & Co. JEROME H. REMICK & Co., New York, April 14, 1906. Mr. DEMAREST, Care of Columbia Phonograph Company, New York. DEAR SIR: Will you kindly call up Mr. W. A. Forbusch, at the record department, Twenty-sixth and Sixth avenue, and he will explain regarding XP record, M. 630–2, "Is it Warm Enough For You?" Yours, very truly, JEROME H. REMICK & Co. JEROME H. REMICK & Co., New York, April 26, 1906. The COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH COMPANY, New York. GENTLEMEN: Kindly have made for us, as soon as possible, 250 records of "Good Advice," 250 records of "The Poor Old Man," and 50 records of "When the Mocking Birds are Singing in the Wildwood." Your prompt attention to this order will be appreciated by, Very truly, yours, JEROME H. REMICK & Co. Now, gentlemen, what do these orders mean? Why does the Jerome H. Remick & Co., members of this Music Publishers' Association, who claim that we are stealing the product of the composers' brains, use the Columbia Phonograph Company to the extent of ordering from us and paying for 250 to 300 records of every song as soon as they publish it? For the purpose of selling the records? No-absolutely not-but to give them away to the owners of penny arcades in consideration of their putting them on their automatic graphophones, so that the public will become acquainted with the tune and buy the sheet music. Here is a letter received from my house which will prove interesting: COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH COMPANY, New York, N. Y., December 5, 1906. DEAR MR. CROMELIN: Referring to the question of records made for the Jerome H. Remick Company of this city, our Mr. Zeigler called on the Automatic Vaudeville Company to-day, and in course of conversation was told that records which we had furnished to the Remick Company were given to them for use in their various amusement parlors and in order that Remick's publications might be featured in that way. The Automatic Vaudeville Company operates a number of amusement parlors in New York and other cities, and probably used the entire order placed with us by Remick, of 250 of each selection. We further find that the Automatic Vaudeville Company is featuring selections published by two houses only, the Jerome H. Remick Company and the Helf & Hager Company. Sheet music is offered for sale by the Automatic Vaudeville Company so that the publishers of the sheet music obtain the full benefit of the advertising obtained from use of our records on the slot machines. From conversation with owners and managers of other amusement parlors we find that they are invariably in very close touch with the music publishers, and are offered inducements from the publishers to feature their publications, either by use of our cylinder records or otherwise. We trust this information may be of service to you. Mr. PAUL H. CROMELIN, COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH COMPANY, By R. F. BOLTON. Vice-President, 1212 F street NW., Washington, D. C. Mr. TINDALE. Will you answer a question there? Mr. CROMELIN. I can not be interrupted now. I will be very glad to answer any questions you may wish to ask later. Here is another letter from a member of the Music Publishers' Association, the Vandersloot Music Publishing Company, of Williamsport, Pa. They write as follows: COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH COMPANY, VANDERSLOOT MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY, New York, N. Y. GENTLEMEN: We herewith hand you copies of our great song hit, "Just at the Break of Day." We have had at least twenty-five parties write to us to know where they could get records of this song. Don't you think it would pay you to make records of it? Sincerely, yours, VANDERSLOOT MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY. Now, I come to the Gus Edwards Music Publishing Company, of New York City. Gus Edwards is one of the best-known writers of popular songs. Mr. WEBB. He is not a member of this association? COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH COMPANY, GUS EDWARDS MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY, City. New York, May 12, 1906. GENTLEMEN: Kindly let me know how cheap I can get a phonograph, complete, recorder, and quote price on blank records. On account of mutual interests for your business and our business I should expect a very low price on everything. You Under separate cover I am sending you our latest publications for band and orchestra. Would like you to feature some of them in the very near future. will find among them some already very popular ones. Awaiting an early reply, I remain, Yours, sincerely, Here is another: COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH COMPANY, GUS EDWARDS. GUS EDWARDS MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY, 353 Broadway, New York. GENTLEMEN: We have been holding your letter of May 23, as Mr. Edwards has not yet decided as to the purchase of machine, and at present can not tell you exactly as to his intentions, but there is no doubt of his purchasing the outfit for his personal use. In accordance with the second paragraph of your letter, we are sending you a complete list of our publications to-day, which we would be very glad to have you forward to your record-making department with view to use, and should be glad to hear from you on this point. With best wishes, very truly, yours, GUS EDWARDS MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY, There is another name on this list of members of the Music Publishers' Assciation, the Victor Krémer Company, of Chicago. I think that we ought to hear something from our western friends. They write me personally under date of 19th of February as follows: Mr. WEBB. They are members of the association? Mr. CROMELIN. Yes. The letter is as follows: Mr. PAUL CROMELIN, New York, N. Y. VICTOR KREMER COMPANY, Chicago, February 19, 1905. DEAR MR. CROMELIN: Our Mr. Thompson has requested us to send you a copy of the song and orchestration of "Will the Angels let me Play?" for the purpose of making records of this number. We intend to use quite a lot of these records, and we are herewith placing an order for 100 records (we understand the price is 25 cents per record) as soon as they are completed. We thank you very much for your kindness in putting this number in your catalogue. We assure you that this is appreciated, as it has been very hard heretofore for us to get our numbers on records for the reason that we are a Western publishing house. We have a very large catalogue, and are doing a big business, and the people of the West want our publications, and we therefore thank you again for starting our publications on records. With best wishes, we beg to remain, VICTOR KREMER COMPANY. Very apparently they did not want the New York firms to get a monopoly. Then there is another, the Harris Music Publishing Com pany, who write under date of March 20, 1906, as follows: COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH COMPANY, HARRIS MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY, March 20, 1906. 90 West Broadway, New York City. GENTLEMEN: We are receiving communications almost daily from trade all over the country, asking why they can not procure records of our songs that we are publishing. We have sent Mr. Emerson copies and orchestrations of some of our best numbers, and failed to hear anything further in the matter. Our southern representative leaves for the South in a short time, and he is very anxious to have you make records of our best numbers, so that he can inform the trade to that effect, and we earnestly believe that you will have a sufficient business on these numbers to satisfactorily imburse you for your trouble in the matter. If we can make any arrangement with you whereby we can accept orders for our songs on your records, we will be pleased to hear from you in reference to same. Hoping you will give this your attention, we are, Very truly, yours, HARRIS MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY. We have to very carefully consider the various selections offered in order to meet the popular demand and give the public what they want. The Thurber Music Publishing Company, of Boston, write as follows under date of May 23, 1905: Mr. V. H. EMERSON, THURBER MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY, 56 West Twenty-sixth street, New York City. DEAR SIR: We have running here two popular songs, which are making quite a hit, entitled "Meet Me" and "Mother," and write to ask if you would not like to have them for your records, as we feel sure that there will be quite a call for them. We shall be glad to hear from you favorably on this subject at your earliest convenience, and remain, Very truly, yours, THURBER MUSIC PUBLISHING CO. Now, I understand that Sol Bloom is a member of this Music Publishers' Association. Mr. TINDALE. No; he is not. Mr. CROMELIN. Oh, I beg your pardon. His name is down. Possibly he is not in good standing. Mr. BURKAN. He has withdrawn. Mr. CROMELIN. Under date of New York, April 25, 1906, I have the following letter from S. Clarence Engel: Mr. VIC EMERSON, Twenty-sixth street and Broadway, City. NEW YORK, N. Y., April 25, 1906. MY DEAR MR. EMERSON: No doubt you will not recognize the signature underneath until I mention the fact that I was connected with Sol Bloom for five years. However, I am now with the above firm, and will feel obliged if you can find it convenient to make an appointment with me to call down and see you some morning to play and sing over one or two of our songs for the purposes of putting them on the phonograph. Awaiting further word from you, and with best wishes, I am, Sincerely, yours, S. CLARENCE ENGEL. MAY 16, 1906. Mr. S. C. ENGEL, New York City. DEAR SIR: Replying to your letter of the 25th ultimo, I beg to say that I would be pleased to have you call in to see me any time in reference to the songs. Very truly, yours, V. H. EMERSON, Superintendent. Mr. Engel knew very well that Bloom had been sending us out everything, and he thought he ought to get a little representation on our catalogue. Now, there are other music publishing houses in addition to our New York friends. Here comes a request from away out in Washington, just at about the time the Lewis and Clark Exposition was about to be opened, coming from the Ottis E. Williams Music Publishing Company, as follows: COLUMBIA AMERICAN GRAPHOPHONE COMPANY, HOQUIAM, WASH., April 11, 1905. Bridgeport, Conn. DEAR SIRS: I have mailed you two copies of my late march, ten parts and piano, "The Flyer." Will ask of your kindness to give it a trial, and if you will record it for me I would be very thankful. It has become very popular in the short time that it has been out, and you will no doubt have calls for it from this part of the country. I am also the composer of the Lewis and Clark Exposition March, which, if 'tis satisfactory to you, I will send it at once, on receipt of an answer. It will be in demand during the fair, as I have it for sale there now. Answer at your earliest convenience. I beg to remain, yours, truly, OTTIS E. WILLIAMS MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY, Then we have another important publishing company, The Barron & Thompson Company, of New York. I wrote to this firm when I received their request to put on the song "On the Pier at Dream land" last summer, and asked them: Does the sale of the talkingmachine records interfere with your business, or does it help you? It was after the arguments in June, and I received the following reply: BARRON & THOMPSON COMPANY, Mr. P. H. CROMELIN, New York, N. Y. DEAR MR. CROMELIN: In reply to your favor of the 13th, was more than pleased to hear from you. As we have already given arrangements of both our songs to such people as Byron C. Harlan, Arthur Collins, Bob Roberts, and Albert Campbell, we thought that possibly by this time records for these numbers were being made, as we wanted to buy a number for the phonograph parlors through the country. Our great summer song success, "On the Pier at Dreamland," is being featured by the biggest headliners playing vaudeville, such as Miss Emma Carus, Miss Della Fox, Spook Minstrels, Cooper and Robinson, Miss Flo Adler, Carroll Johnson, and many others of equal celebrity; and our coon song, "Throw Down That Key," is being featured by the Watermelon Trust, Tascott, Tom Moore, and many others. Knowing that the Columbia Phonograph Company was always alive to all the song hits, I wanted to call your attention to the fact that arrangements have been given to these singers. Regarding your question about the distribution of records interfering with the sale of sheet music or whether it promotes the sale of same, will say that the writer has been selling music for eight years and will be willing to go on record saying that the phonographs have materially helped the sale of sheet music and that I have, especially in small cities, received many orders for music where the dealers have heard the numbers on the records. The writer is such a great believer in the records that he is willing to buy a quantity and distribute them to the phonograph parlors for advertising purposes. I wish you would kindly take these two songs up with your record department at once and see if we can not get the songs on in the near future, as the writer wishes to use Columbia records, if it is possible. Thanking you for past favors, remain, BARRON & THOMPSON COMPANY, The Barron & Thompson Company also wrote me on May 3, 1906, sending this professional copy which I hold in my hand of the song "On the Pier at Dreamland." That is the kind of a copy they send out. In the early days Mr. Sousa sent to us his manuscript and we had thousands of records out and being played long before the composition was on the market. I will say to you further of Mr. Sousa's latest composition, "On to Victory," from the "Free Lance," that the Victor Talking Machine Company had records of and we had records of it prior to the date of its first public performance in New York, and Mr. Sousa had it in his power to prevent us if he wanted to do so very badly. Here is the Barron & Thompson Company letter: BARRON & THOMPSON COMPANY, Mr. P. J. CROMELIN, New York, N. Y. DEAR SIR: We take great pleasure in inclosing our great summer waltz-song hit entitled "On the Pier in Dreamland." This number is already being featured by such artists as Miss Blanch Ring, Miss Della Fox, and Miss Emma Carus. We Mr. Ted S. Barron, the composer, has already written four big hits, and, as this is his best number, wish you would kindly have it put on the Columbia records. are making you the first inducement. Kindly try it over and see what you really think of it. Thanking you for past favors, remain Very sincerely, yours, BARRON & THOMPSON COMPANY, |