Photos:
Charles K. Harris.
The strong sales of his hit "After the Ball," published by the composer
himself in 1892, made businessmen aware that incredible profits could be made
from popular songs.
SHEET MUSIC WERE ESSENTIAL FOR HITS: As mentioned above, before 1905 sheet music was essential for creating hits, since records were expensive. Of course, if a popular performer sang it before a large audience, the song had a good chance, but sheet music, transcribed for voice and piano, was much more reliable. The sheet music business started with Charles K. Harris’s “After the Ball.” He published it himself in 1893, and the good sales convinced others to join the trend. And so an entire industry was born, with excellent art on the covers, serious promotion, and many salesmen of sheet music, called “pluggers.” The industry’s hub was in Manhattan. At first, many of the publishers concentrated in West 28th Street, near Fifth Avenue. The William Morris Talent Agency, and The New York Clipper, the Vaudeville’s trade journal, were also there. The place was buzzing with activity and sound, and one day, journalist and songwriter Monroe H. Rosenfeld visited Harry Von Tilzer, who had muted his own piano with paper. Rosenfeld listened to the sound of the piano, and to the competing pianos all over the building and the entire neighbourhood, and commented: “It sounds like a tin pan.” Liking the phrase, Rosenfeld gave the title “Tin Pan Alley” to an article he wrote, and the name stuck. This happened in 1903, and in the 1920s most of the publishers moved to 42nd street and up. The famous Brill Building was actually built in 1931 at 1619 Broadway and 49th Street. But even though the publishers moved, they took the name “Tin Pan Alley” with them, and it remained attached to New York City music publishers. Of course, other cities had publishers too. Kansas City, for example, could boast that the popular 1987 song, Hattie Nevada’s “Letter Edged in Black” was published there. And there were also publishers in Philadelphia, Boston, St. Louis, and Chicago. But New York had the legendary firms, with incredible sales. These included Von Tilzer, Harms, Feist, Witmark, and Remick, though Detroit-based, had an immense office in Manhattan. Manhattan remained the center of the industry.
ASCAP WINS ITS FIRST BATTLE
Photo: At front, left,
Victor Herbert, a plaintiff in the class act lawsuit against Shanley’s
Restaurant, with John Philip Sousa, Irving Berlin, Harry von Tilzer,
and William Jerome. In the back row, between Jerome, and
Tilzer, is attorney Nathan Burkan, one of the original founders
of ASCAP. The photo is taken at Pennsylvania Station in New
York in 1924. The group was on its way to testify against the Dill
Radio Congress bill that would have allowed radio stations owners to
play music without paying musicians, composers and singers for their work,
including copyrights and royalties. Fortunately, the bill was defeated. It
was a great victory for ASCAP. From that moment, the courts confirmed
the rights of composers and musicians to receive conpensation and royalties
for playing their works on the air.