Tin Pan Alley
Monroe H. Rosenfeld wrote a column in the New York Herald that first used the phrase Tin Pan Alley in 1903. The article described the clashing sounds of many cheap upright pianos playing different tunes at once. Reporters called this noise like banging tin pans in an alleyway to describe the collective sound. Harry von Tilzer later claimed he modified his Kindler & Collins piano with paper strips on the strings for a percussive effect. A journalist told him his instrument sounded exactly like a tin can and named the area after it. The name became firmly attached by the fall of 1908 when The Hampton Magazine published an article titled Tin Pan Alley about West 28th Street. Some sources say the Online Etymology Dictionary lists tin pan as slang for a decrepit piano from 1882. The term evolved to mean a hit song writing business by 1907.
Willis Woodard and T.B. Harms were two enterprising publishers who moved their companies to New York City in the late 19th century. They specialized in popular songs rather than hymns or classical music which had dominated earlier markets. Witmark was the first publishing house to move to West 28th Street as the entertainment district shifted uptown. By the late 1890s most other publishers followed their lead to that specific location between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Isadore Witmark previously sold water filters before entering the music business while Leo Feist had sold corsets. Joe Stern and Edward B. Marks had sold neckties and buttons respectively before becoming music moguls. The commercial center of the industry changed during the course of the 19th century starting in Boston and moving through Philadelphia Chicago and Cincinnati. Small local publishers often connected with commercial printers continued to flourish throughout the country alongside big New York firms.
Song pluggers were pianists and singers who represented music publishers to promote sales of sheet music. George Gershwin Harry Warren Vincent Youmans and Al Sherman worked among the ranks of these pluggers. An aggressive form known as booming involved buying dozens of tickets for shows to infiltrate audiences. Louis Bernstein recalled taking his plugging crew to cycle races at Madison Square Garden where they sang a song thirty times a night. They used a large horn to amplify their voices so people walking out would be singing the tune. Second- and third-rate performers paid for rights to use new songs while famous stars received free copies or payment to perform them. Publishers knew this exposure was valuable advertising for their catalogues. Aspiring songwriters came to demonstrate tunes hoping to sell them to the houses on West 28th Street.
A group of Tin Pan Alley music houses formed the Music Publishers Association of the United States on the 11th of June 1895. The association unsuccessfully lobbied the federal government in favor of the Treloar Copyright Bill which sought to change copyright terms from 24 to 40 years. The American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers founded ASCAP in 1914 to aid established publishers and composers. New members were only admitted with sponsorship of existing members within that organization. The term and established business methodologies persisted into the 1960s when artists like Bob Dylan helped establish new norms. Dylan proclaimed in 1985 that he put an end to the dominant conventions of early 20th century music publishers. He stated that people could record their own songs now rather than relying on the old system. Congressmen quarreled over proposals to exempt musicians from the draft during World War II to keep morale high.
Tin Pan Alley and the federal government teamed up to produce a war song intended to inspire the American public during the Second World War. The Office of War Information believed this sector contained a reservoir of talent capable of influencing feelings and opinions. Kathleen E. R. Smith wrote in God Bless America: Tin Pan Alley Goes to War that escapism seemed to be a high priority for listeners. Composers struggled to write a war song that would appeal both to civilians and the armed forces simultaneously. By the end of the war no such song had been produced that could rival hits like Over There from World War I. John Bush Jones argued there was strong documentary evidence that output of American war-related songs during World War II was unsurpassed in any other war. Jeffrey C. Livingstone claimed the opposite suggesting more songs were released during World War I. Stateside artists continuously used available media to promote the war effort throughout the conflict years.
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated five buildings 47 through 55 West 28th Street as individual landmarks on the 10th of December 2019. This action followed a concerted effort by the Save Tin Pan Alley initiative of the 29th Street Neighborhood Association. Project director George Calderaro formed the Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project after successful protection of these historic structures. On the 2nd of April 2022, 28th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue was officially co-named Tin Pan Alley by the City of New York. A plaque now commemorates the location on 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue. The section of 28th Street from Fifth to Sixth Avenue is also officially co-named Tin Pan Alley today. Several buildings on the street are protected as New York City designated landmarks while others remain active cultural sites.
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Common questions
When did Monroe H. Rosenfeld first use the phrase Tin Pan Alley in a New York Herald column?
Monroe H. Rosenfeld wrote a column in the New York Herald that first used the phrase Tin Pan Alley in 1903. The article described the clashing sounds of many cheap upright pianos playing different tunes at once.
Who were the enterprising publishers Willis Woodard and T.B. Harms who moved to New York City in the late 19th century?
Willis Woodard and T.B. Harms were two enterprising publishers who moved their companies to New York City in the late 19th century. They specialized in popular songs rather than hymns or classical music which had dominated earlier markets.
What date did the Music Publishers Association of the United States form on June 11 1895?
A group of Tin Pan Alley music houses formed the Music Publishers Association of the United States on the 11th of June 1895. The association unsuccessfully lobbied the federal government in favor of the Treloar Copyright Bill which sought to change copyright terms from 24 to 40 years.
When was 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue officially co-named Tin Pan Alley by the City of New York?
On the 2nd of April 2022, 28th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue was officially co-named Tin Pan Alley by the City of New York. A plaque now commemorates the location on 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue.
Which buildings received landmark designation from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on December 10 2019?
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated five buildings 47 through 55 West 28th Street as individual landmarks on the 10th of December 2019. This action followed a concerted effort by the Save Tin Pan Alley initiative of the 29th Street Neighborhood Association.