No legislation is needed in this matter unless you intend to deprive
the composer or his assignee of the right to control the public
performance of his work. Should this be done it will lessen the value
of the composer's efforts and of necessity restrict the production of
important musical works because of less encouragement to the composer,
and consequently restrict the business of all the trades now employed
in supplying it to the public.
The 6,000 retailers of music, as well as the composers and the 500
publishers of musical works in our land, are vitally interested
in whatever tends to deprive them of their occupation and its
compensation. In the face of what all other enlightened nations are
doing to protect, encourage, and reward the genius of their countrymen,
will the United States take this backward step and thereby begin to
discourage the tardy development of its citizens in musical learning
and progress?