[Dixielandjazz] The Melrose Portfolio

[Brian Harvey]

TBW wrote......It is now generally accepted that the Melroses were leeches
who added their
execrable "words" unbidden by the composers of the works they published thus
securing a valuable portion of the copyright.

It is alleged that they 'stole' $3 million from Jelly Roll Morton alone but
in those days black artists had little or no say in their own affairs. And
as for ASCAP the I believe the American Government took belated action to
curb their
racialist policies but not before some black composers had died virtually
penniless.