WHAT PANTOMIME SONG-WRITERS EARN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 11, 6 February 1909, Page 3

WHAT PANTOMIME SONG-WRITERS EARN.

SECUETS OF SUCCESSFUL SOXLIWIUTIXO, Aeeording t 0 some theatrical managers [ and artistes, there never Jias been such a dearth of good songs—humorous and sentimental—as thai which exists at the pi cseuL time, in spite of the hundreds of new dillie-i am! melodies which are being published every week, it is only a short time ago] for instance, thai the popular favorite, .Miss Winifrul Hare, failing to lind a good song, offered CltlU for a suitable composition; while a certain well-known comedian recently stated in the writer's bearing that lie would willingly pay a retainer of six guineas a week to any author and composer who could supply him with three successful songs to show that he understood lus requirements. I

WHAT And tile comedian would ecrtainlv- be ill pocket on the transaction, for it is estimated that a song which turns out a popular "hit" i s worth fIUOO at least to a leading artiste. A good song is. of course, the mainstay of a popular lavonte, whose reputation is seriously ,|eopardised_ if he does not have one in his repertoire which is certain to "draw" and amuse the public. A clever song-writer—that is, o':ie who is skiltul in gauging Hie public taste ami studying the particular abilities of an aitiste, does not make a bad living, in spite of the keen competition. He "nay receive a retaining lee of from £■> to i' 4 per week from an artiste, who thus gets hi'st oiler of all tbe work the author turns out, in addition to a fee of £lO or 112 for any song accepted. In addition, of course, the author is at liberty to make teruis with a publishing film and draw a royalty on every copv sold. £IOOO FOR IIALF AX HOUR'S WORK. Or bo may sell his rights for a fixed sum, as lir. Bennett Scott, the composer of that favorite music-hall and panto, ditty, "liv the Side of the Znvilcr Zee,'' did. Some 300,000 copies of'this song were sold, and when it was at the height of its popularity ill'. Scott sold the whole of his rights for £IOOO. And it only took him half an hour to sketch out the song! During the pantomime season three years ago when "Bluebell 1 ' was "all the rage," 300,1)00 copies were sold in six mouths, the composer receiving some thing like £SOO in royalties during that period. Hundreds of thousands of copies of ''The Honeysuckle and the Bee" were sold in America before the son* came to England, i'3ooo having to be paid for the publishing rights in the United Kingdom.

For one song that makes a "hit/' however, there are a hundred which the public never buy. in the words of Mr. Charles Warren, the London manager of the well-known music publishers, "Messrs. Wit mark and Sons, of Shaftesbury Avenue, it is at least .a hundred to one chance against making a "hit" with a song. "Any mail," continued Mr. Warren, "who says he knows that a song is going to bo a success either does not know. what he is talking about or is trying to deceive Jiimself. Mark von, we may feel that a certain song will succeed in catching the public taste if it is sung and boomed properly. If we have not this feeling, then we leave it alone. Cost of publishing and advertising? Oh, it cannot be properly done much under £IOO.

THE STORY OF "THE COSY CORNER GIRL." "It is curious, however, how ideas differ in regard to the merits of a song. 11 will give you an instance, When 1 I lirst saw 'The Cosy Corner Girl,' I felt convinced, in my own mind, that it was a song which would go. L showed it to Mr. Glover, the musical director at Drury Lane, with a view introducing it into the pantomime. lie said it was 'no goi;d.' Mr. George Edwardes wouldn't have it. Other managers refused it, and I began to despair of getting the trial for it of which I knew it was worthy, when Mr. Seymour llicks came along and asked me if I had got anything new. "Amongst other songs, he listened to 'The Cosy Corner Girl/ but it did not seem to impress him much, although h-' asked for a copy to be sent to him for further consideration, and 1 remember that after he had gone away I felt at war with the profession generally for not agreeing with me as io the merits of the song. Next morning, however, .Miss Ellaline Terriss came to my ollice, and said:

"'Mr. Warren, we cannot get "The Cosy Corner Girl" out of our head*. My husband and myself, not to mention the servants, have been humming it cilice it came home, lie Intends to use it in "The Earl and the Girl."' lie uid so. and we have sold—well, many thouNinds of copies; and Mr.«Artfrar Collins, of Drury Lane, ultimately sent to ask my permission to introduce it into hi-t pantomime. -LOVE ME AND THE WOULD IS MINE."

"A ran- pantomime favorite this year will be 'Love Me and the World is Mine'—one of the biggest 'hits' of MWS. In the ease of this song we have a striking illustration of one of the maxims of our house--viz.,'The song makes the singer, and the singer makes the .song. Mr. Dave Carter, the young Irish tenor, had few engagements at the time wlu-u lie went North with that song in his pocket a year or so ago. The song suited his voice, however, he sang il well, delighted his audiences, and in a few weeks everyone was humming the chorus: •[ care not for the stars that shinef f dare not .hope to e'er be thine, J only know 1 love you. Love me and the world i* mine. '•Now Mr, Carter is booked up 'for years ahead with a good salary, and the song is selling by thousands."