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39-681: The Theodore Presser Company is an American music publishing and distribution company located in Malvern, Pennsylvania, formerly King of Prussia, Pennsylvania , and originally based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania . It is the oldest continuing music publisher in the United States. It has been owned by Carl Fischer Music since 2004. Theodore Presser was born July 3, 1848, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , to German emigrant Christian Presser and Caroline Dietz. As

78-690: A central role in managing this vital asset. Successful songwriters and composers have a relationship with a publishing company defined by a publishing contract. Publishers also sometimes provide substantial advances against future income. In return, the publishing company receives a percentage, which can be as high as 50% and varies for different kinds of royalty. There are several types of royalty: Publishers also work to link up new songs by songwriters with suitable recording artists to record them and to place writers' songs in other media such as movie soundtracks and commercials . They will typically also handle copyright registration and "ownership" matters for

117-444: A female householder, 7.2% had a male householder, and 21.1% were non-families. The average household size was 2.3. Of Mount Airy's residents, 19.5% were under the age of 18 and 19% were 65 years and over. The median age was 42 years. 54.4% of residents were female. 45.6% of residents were male. The median household income was $ 72,685 and the per capita income was $ 48,997. The area is recognized by many civil rights groups as one of

156-719: A fraction of what it was worth – or earned in the following years. A large factor in the Beatles' breakup was when their publisher Dick James sold his share of Northern Songs , the company they'd formed with him in 1963 (then taken public in 1967, with shares trading on the London Stock Exchange ), to Britain's Associated TeleVision (ATV) in 1969. Neither the Beatles nor managers Lee Eastman and Allen Klein were able to prevent ATV from becoming majority stockholders in Northern Songs, whose assets included virtually all

195-474: A given artist or writer, financially and emotionally. R&B legend Little Richard was largely cheated on his music publishing and copyrights, as were many performers. Brian Wilson and Mike Love of The Beach Boys were crushed to learn that Murry Wilson (father to three of the Beach Boys, Love's uncle, and the band's music publisher) had sold their company Sea of Tunes to A&M Records during 1969 for

234-744: A parochial school. Private schools in nearby Germantown include the Green Tree School (special education, ages 6–21), Germantown Friends School (K–-12), William Penn Charter School (K–12), Greene Street Friends School (K–8), and the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (ages 3–17). Universities and colleges close to Mount Airy include Arcadia University , Chestnut Hill College , La Salle University , The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia , Thomas Jefferson University , and Saint Joseph's University . Free Library of Philadelphia operates

273-517: A section of Germantown Township that had been set aside so that the owners of lots in the center of Germantown could have access to an equal share of land in the entire village of Germantown section of Germantown Township. The portion from which Beggarstown grew covered the area from Upsal Street to roughly Sedgwick Street, Stenton Avenue, and Wissahickon Avenue. As the Germantown village filled up, settlers began to move northwest along Germantown Avenue. By

312-634: A teenager, he worked in an iron foundry helping to mold cannon balls for the army during the Civil War . This activity proved too strenuous for his young physique and in 1864, at 16, he began selling tickets for the Strokosch Opera Company in Pittsburgh. At the same time, he began working as a clerk at C.C. Mellor's music store in Pittsburgh. He eventually rose to become sheet-music department manager. Presser began his musical studies by learning to play

351-455: A trolley line), 53 (formerly a trolley line), H, and L. In 2011, The New York Times described the influx of new businesses to Mount Airy as a "cultural revival" buoyed by "the neighborhood's reasonable housing costs and relatively safe streets." In 2013, CNNMoney named Mount Airy one of America's top ten best big-city neighborhoods. The political tone of the neighborhood is predominantly progressive. One prominent Mount Airy politician

390-446: Is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music . Music publishers originally published sheet music . When copyright became legally protected, music publishers started to play a role in the management of the intellectual property of composers. The term music publisher originally referred to publishers who issued hand-copied or printed sheet music. Examples (who are actively in business as of June 2019 ) include: In

429-521: Is called "Philadelphia" or "Phila". However, the 19119 ZIP code is almost entirely coterminous with the cultural-consensus boundaries of Mount Airy. There is no official boundary between Mount Airy and Germantown . The most common consensus is that Johnson Street is the de facto boundary; however, the West Mount Airy Neighbors and East Mount Airy Neighbors organizations consider Washington Lane to be Mount Airy's southern edge. The question

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468-576: Is former Republican mayoral candidate Sam Katz . There are three Jewish congregations in Mount Airy ( Germantown Jewish Centre , P'nai Or Jewish Renewal Congregation of Philadelphia, and Chabad -Lubovitch of Northwest Philadelphia) and the national office of the Jewish organization The Shalom Center. A Hare Krishna community is located on West Allens Lane. Mount Airy's main commercial district lies along stone-paved Germantown Avenue , which also serves as

507-713: Is interred at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd , Pennsylvania. Presser's need for music content within The Etude resulted in his establishment as a dealer and publisher. Following the purchase of the John Church Company in 1930, the Theodore Presser Company acquired the Oliver Ditson Company in 1931. Through this acquisition, Presser traces its origins to 1783, when Batelle's Book Store (later

546-794: Is moot, however, as the two neighborhoods blend together very gradually. Historically, the entire area was part of the German Township . Many buildings in Mount Airy carry the identity and even the name of Germantown in one way or another. For example, the Unitarian Society of Germantown, the Germantown Jewish Centre, the Germantown Christian Assembly, and the Germantown Montessori School are all in Mount Airy, yet also belong culturally to Germantown. Parts of

585-569: Is part of Fairmount Park . Beyond this lies Chestnut Hill . On the west side is the Wissahickon Gorge , which is also part of Fairmount Park , beyond which lies Roxborough and Manayunk . Germantown borders the southeast of Mount Airy, and Stenton Avenue marks the northeast border. Beyond Stenton Avenue is Cedarbrook (which is considered to be part of Mount Airy by some) and West Oak Lane . The USPS does not officially correlate neighborhood names to Philadelphia ZIP Codes , each of which

624-675: The Battle of Germantown in 1777 occurred throughout Mount Airy. The special relationship linking the two has its roots in the time before the Act of Consolidation , when Germantown was a borough separate from the City of Philadelphia, and its rural environs were what is now Mount Airy. William Allen , a prominent Philadelphia merchant and Chief Justice of the Province of Pennsylvania , created his summer estate and mansion on Germantown Avenue at Allens Lane in 1750, and

663-564: The Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. His philanthropic zeal is continued to this day through his foresight in forming the Presser Foundation in 1916, nine years before his death. Each year, the Presser Foundation awards scholarships, grants, and funds specifically to further the cause of music and music education in America. Music publisher (popular music) A music publisher

702-470: The music industry , a music publisher or publishing company is responsible for ensuring the songwriters and composers receive payment when their compositions are used commercially. Through an agreement called a publishing contract , a songwriter or composer "assigns" the copyright of their composition to a publishing company. In return, the company licenses compositions, helps monitor where compositions are used, collects royalties and distributes them to

741-458: The 1680s. Throughout much of the 18th century, this area of Germantown Township was known in the land and tax records as simply Cresheim or Cresham. It was at the beginning of the 19th century that the name Mount Airy began to replace Cresheim. Beggarstown (also Beggars-town or Beggar Town), an area centered along Germantown Avenue between Gorgas Lane and Cliveden Street, was formed out of the so-called "Sidelands" of Germantown. The Sidelands were

780-608: The 1730s and 1740s, the Sidelands area was subdivided into smaller house lots. An account published in 1770 states that the area received its name as a result of its first resident's begging for money to build his house, which later became the home of the Germantown Church of the Brethren . The name for this area disappeared by the late 19th century, and it was sometimes called Pelham, Germantown, or Mount Airy. Much of modern Mount Airy

819-640: The 1890s), East Mount Airy's Gowen Avenue (the James Gowen Estate development from the 1880s), Sedgwick Farms (an Ashton S. Tourison development from 1905), and Stenton (a Frank Mauran development from 1905) areas. As of the U.S. Census Bureau 2021 American Community Survey, Mount Airy had 29,206 residents. Of those residents, 57.4% were Black or African-American, 33.2% White/Caucasian, 2.8% Hispanic, 1.3% Asian, and 5.3% were from other races or from 2 or more races. There were 12,564 households. 50.5% of households were married couples living together, 21.2% had

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858-1282: The Eleanor C. Emlen School. Zoned K–8 schools serving sections of Mt. Airy include Charles W. Henry School, Henry H. Houston School, and the Anna L. Lingelbach School. Residents assigned to Henry, Houston, and/or Lingelbach are also zoned to Roxborough High School ; they were previously zoned to Germantown High School . Other nearby schools include Academy for the Middle Years, Parkway High School, and Martin Luther King High School . West Oak Lane Charter School and Wissahickon Charter School are two Mt. Airy area K–8 charter schools. Charter schools in nearby Germantown include Imani Education Circle Charter School (K–8), Germantown Settlement Charter School (5–8), Renaissance Charter School (6–8), and Delaware Valley Charter High School (9–12). Private schools in Mount Airy include Blair Christian Academy (PreK–12), Revival Hill Christian High School (9–12), Islamic Day School of Philadelphia (PreK–5), Waldorf School of Philadelphia (PreK–8), Project Learn School (K–8), Classroom on Carpenter Lane (K–2), and Holy Cross School (K–8),

897-572: The Lovett Square Branch at 6945 Germantown Avenue. Two SEPTA Regional Rail lines connect the neighborhood to Center City . The Chestnut Hill West Line runs through West Mount Airy with stops at Upsal , Carpenter , and Allen Lane stations and the Chestnut Hill East Line runs through East Mount Airy with stops at Mount Airy , Sedgwick , and Stenton stations. The neighborhood is also served by bus routes 18, 23 (formerly

936-906: The Oliver Ditson Company), began a music-publishing business in Boston, Massachusetts . In 1972, the Theodore Presser Company acquired Elkan-Vogel and its locally represented agencies (including Hamelle et cie., Henry Lemoine et cie., and others), making the Theodore Presser Company a major distributor of French music in the United States. On August 31, 2004, Presser closed its retail music stores in both King of Prussia and Center City Philadelphia. The company now focuses primarily on publishing and distribution activities from its headquarters. In 2017, Presser acquired Columbia Music Company, founded by Sophocles Papas . Other subsidiaries include Editions Orphée, Elkan-Vogel, Falls House Press, and Merion Music. In addition to its own catalog, Presser represents

975-451: The area eventually took the building's name, Mount Airy, as its own. Before this, the area which makes up the modern neighborhood of Mount Airy was part of two sections of the original Germantown Township (which covered all of Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill), Cresheim and Beggarstown . The village or Dorfshaft of Krisheim (also known as Cresheim) has its origins in the original land divisions of Germantown Township in 1689. It

1014-518: The boundary between East and West Mount Airy. The neighborhood has a variety of independent shops, restaurants, art galleries, clothing stores, coffee shops, a gastropub , wine bar, fitness centers, and professional offices. Mt. Airy also has two tented farmers' markets . The Sedgwick Theater , notable for its art deco style, has been a cultural center in the past, and now houses the Quintessence Theatre Group. The Weavers Way Co-op ,

1053-422: The composer. Music print publishers also supervise the issue of songbooks and sheet music by their artists. Traditionally, music publishing royalties are split seventy/thirty, with thirty percent going to the publisher (as payment for their services) and the rest going to the songwriter or songwriters. Other arrangements have been made in the past, and continue to be; some better for the writers, some better for

1092-408: The composers. They also secure commissions for music and promote existing compositions to recording artists , film and television. The copyrights owned and administered by publishing companies are one of the most important forms of intellectual property in the music industry. (The other is the copyright on a master recording which is typically owned by a record company ). Publishing companies play

1131-696: The first successfully integrated neighborhoods in America. Mount Airy residents organized to resist blockbusting , panic selling , and redlining , especially during the period from the late 1950s to the early 1970s when those practices were prevalent. It continues to be a well-blended neighborhood and was cited in Oprah Winfrey 's O magazine for its racial diversity and neighborhood appeal. The community has also been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for racial harmony and balance. The School District of Philadelphia operates area public schools. Zoned K–5 schools serving sections of Mt. Airy include

1170-460: The group's song copyrights. Losing control of the company, John Lennon and Paul McCartney elected to sell their share of Northern Songs (and thus their own copyrights), while retaining their writer's royalties. ( George Harrison and Ringo Starr retained minority holdings in the company.) Mount Airy, Philadelphia Mount Airy is bounded on the northwest by the Cresheim Valley , which

1209-440: The music industry. The most unscrupulous type of music publisher is the songshark, who does little if any real "legwork" or promotion on behalf of songwriters. Songsharks make their profit not on royalties from sales, but by charging inexperienced writers for "services" (some real, such as demo recording or musical arranging , some fictional, such as "audition" or "review" fees) a legitimate publisher would provide without cost to

Theodore Presser Company - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-466: The music of more than 70 U.S. and foreign publishers, including Universal Edition , Peermusic Classical, Éditions Alphonse Leduc , and Bärenreiter . The publishing company that Presser founded was so successful that in 1906, Presser was able to express his appreciation to those who made this success possible by establishing the Presser Home for Retired Music Teachers located on West Johnson Street in

1287-587: The piano at age 19. The next year, he began studying music at Mt. Union College , where he stayed for a year, and then worked as a piano teacher at Ohio Northern University for two years. Further studies were completed at Miami Conservatory of Music , the New England Conservatory , and the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany under Reinecke , Jadassoh, and Zwintscher. His late start in learning to play

1326-1054: The piano handicapped his technique. He is credited as the founder of the Department of Music at Ohio Wesleyan University , where he taught 1876–1878. While there, he founded the Music Teachers National Association . His studies in Germany lasted from 1878 to 1880. He then became director of music at Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia . In October 1883, while working at Hollins, he began publication of The Etude music magazine with only $ 250 in cash. The immediate success of his new magazine prompted him to seek larger publishing facilities in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1884. Presser died in Philadelphia on October 28, 1925. He married Helen Louise Curran (1890; d. 1905) and, subsequent to her death, Elise Houston (1908; d. 1922). He

1365-566: The publishers. Occasionally a recording artist will ask for a co-writer's credit on a song (thus sharing in both the artist and publishing royalties) in exchange for selecting it to perform, particularly if the writer is not well known. Sometimes an artist's manager or producer will expect a co-credit or share of the publishing (as with Norman Petty and Phil Spector ), and occasionally a publisher will insist on writer's credit (as Morris Levy did with several of his acts); these practices are listed in ascending order of scrupulousness , as regarded by

1404-490: The writer, as part of their job. (By comparison, a bona fide publisher who charges admission to a workshop for writers, where songs may be auditioned or reviewed, is not wrong to do so.) Rock-n-roll pioneer Buddy Holly split with longtime manager Petty over publishing matters in late 1958, as did the Buckinghams with producer James William Guercio almost a decade later. John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR)

1443-499: Was a section of the township that was allotted to a group of original Germantown settlers who acquired rights to land either directly or indirectly from William Penn. It covered the area from Stenton to Wissahickon Avenues and from Mermaid Lane to roughly Sedgwick Street. The name is derived from a town known today as Kriegsheim in the Palatine in Germany which was the hometown of a few German Quaker families who had settled in Germantown in

1482-431: Was developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, spreading out from Germantown Avenue and two railroad lines. Large three-story, gray-stone Victorian, colonial revival, and Norman and Cotswold-style houses and mansions, with stained glass windows and slate roofs, are situated on many of the area's tree-lined streets. They dominated districts like West Mount Airy's Pelham section (a Wendell and Smith development from

1521-399: Was sued by his former publisher Saul Zaentz (who'd also served as his manager) over a later Fogerty song that sounded slightly like a CCR song Zaentz published. (Fogerty won in court.) Several bands and artists own (or later purchase) their own publishing, and start their own companies, with or without help from an outside agent. The sale or loss of publishing ownership can be devastating to

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