Tin Pan Alley facts for kids

Buildings of Tin Pan Alley, 1910

The same buildings, 2011

Tin Pan Alley was a special place in New York City. It was where many music publishers and songwriters worked. They created most of the popular music in the United States from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.

The name "Tin Pan Alley" first referred to a specific street. This was West 28th Street in Manhattan, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. You can still see a plaque there today. Some buildings on this street are even protected as historic landmarks. The street itself is now also called Tin Pan Alley.

Tin Pan Alley started around 1885. That's when many music publishers opened their businesses in the same area. It's not clear when Tin Pan Alley ended. Some people say it was in the 1930s. This was when phonographs, radio, and movies became more popular than sheet music. Others think it lasted until the 1950s. That's when rock & roll music became popular. The Brill Building then became the new center for songwriting.

What Does "Tin Pan Alley" Mean?

There are different stories about how the name "Tin Pan Alley" started. The most common story says it was a joke. A writer named Monroe H. Rosenfeld used the term. He said the sound of many "cheap upright pianos" playing at once sounded like "banging tin pans in an alleyway." This was in the New York Herald newspaper.

Another story comes from songwriter Harry von Tilzer. He was being interviewed about the music area. Von Tilzer had changed his piano to make a more drumming sound. The journalist told him, "Your Kindler & Collins sounds exactly like a tin can. I'll call the article 'Tin Pan Alley'." No matter how it started, the name was well-known by 1908.

Over time, "Tin Pan Alley" became a general name. It described the whole American music publishing business. The name even spread to the United Kingdom. There, Denmark Street in London was called "Britain's Tin Pan Alley." This was because it had many music shops in the 1920s.

These buildings (47–55 West 28th Street) were home to many music publishers. They were the heart of American popular music in the early 1900s. These buildings became historic landmarks in 2019.

How Song Publishing Grew in New York City

In the mid-1800s, copyright laws for music were not very strict. Publishers often printed their own versions of popular songs. Later, stronger copyright laws came out. This made songwriters, composers, and publishers work together. They all wanted to make money from their music. Songwriters would often visit Tin Pan Alley businesses. They hoped to sell their new songs.

The main place for music publishing moved around. It started in Boston, then went to Philadelphia, Chicago, and Cincinnati. Finally, it settled in New York City. This was because new publishers focused on vocal music. Two important New York publishers were Willis Woodard and T.B. Harms. They were the first to focus on popular songs, not just hymns or classical music.

These companies were in the entertainment area, near Union Square. Later, the entertainment district moved uptown. Witmark was the first publisher to move to West 28th Street. By the late 1890s, most other publishers followed them.

Life in Tin Pan Alley's Best Years

"I'm a Yiddish Cowboy" (1908)

The music publishers in Tin Pan Alley often had sales backgrounds. For example, Isadore Witmark used to sell water filters. Leo Feist sold corsets. The music offices in lower Manhattan were always busy. Songwriters, vaudeville and Broadway performers, musicians, and "song pluggers" came and went.

New songwriters would come to show off their tunes. If a song was bought from someone unknown, the company often added their own name as a co-writer. This way, they kept more of the money. Or, they might buy all rights to the song for a one-time payment. Many Jewish immigrants became music publishers and songwriters there. Famous songwriters like Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, and Scott Joplin often visited Tin Pan Alley. Successful songwriters were hired to work for the music companies.

"Song pluggers" were pianists and singers. They worked for the music publishers. Their job was to play and sing new songs to help sell the sheet music. Most music stores had song pluggers. Publishers also hired pluggers to travel and introduce new songs to the public. Famous musicians like George Gershwin and Harry Warren were once song pluggers.

A more active way of plugging songs was called "booming." This meant buying many tickets to shows. The pluggers would then sing the song they wanted to promote. At one company, Shapiro Bernstein, they took their pluggers to bicycle races. They would sing a song 30 times a night to 20,000 people. People would leave singing the song.

When vaudeville performers came to New York City, they visited Tin Pan Alley. They looked for new songs for their shows. Less famous performers often paid to use a new song. But famous stars got free copies. Publishers even paid them to perform the songs. They knew this was great advertising.

At first, Tin Pan Alley focused on sad ballads and funny songs. But it soon included new styles like the cakewalk and ragtime music. Later, jazz and blues were also used. However, Tin Pan Alley mostly created songs that amateur singers or small town bands could play from printed music. In the 1910s and 1920s, they published pop songs and dance tunes in these new jazz and blues styles.

Influence on Music Business and Law

A plaque remembering Tin Pan Alley.

In 1895, some Tin Pan Alley music companies formed the Music Publishers Association of the United States. They tried to change copyright laws. They wanted copyright for music to last longer.

The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) was started in 1914. It helped protect the rights of publishers and composers. New members could only join if existing members sponsored them.

The ideas and ways of doing business from Tin Pan Alley lasted until the 1960s. Then, artists like Bob Dylan changed things. In 1985, Bob Dylan said, "Tin Pan Alley is gone. I put an end to it. People can record their own songs now."

The Tin Pan Alley street sign, put up in April 2022.

Music During World War II

During World War II, Tin Pan Alley and the government worked together. They wanted to create a war song. This song would inspire Americans to support the fight. The Office of War Information believed Tin Pan Alley had "talent and skill" to influence people's feelings. They hoped for a song as popular as George M. Cohan's "Over There" from World War I. "Over There" was a very popular patriotic song during World War I.

Some members of Congress argued about letting musicians avoid being drafted into the army. They wanted these artists to stay home to boost morale. These artists were using radio and other media to promote the war effort. But others believed only those who made more important contributions should be exempt from the draft.

As the war went on, people realized the public's interest was elsewhere. Music took up a lot of radio time. So, it was important that songs matched the war message. Kathleen E. R. Smith wrote that people wanted "escapism" in music. Tin Pan Alley composers found it hard to write a war song that appealed to both civilians and soldiers. By the end of the war, no song was as popular as "Over There."

It is still debated if more songs were released from Tin Pan Alley during World War II than World War I. Some say World War I had more songs. Others argue that World War II likely had the most war-related songs.

Songwriters and Composers

Here are some of the talented people who wrote songs and lyrics for Tin Pan Alley:

Famous Hit Songs

Some of Tin Pan Alley's biggest hits included:

Lasting Impact

Historic Landmark and Street Name

In 2019, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission decided to protect five buildings on West 28th Street. These buildings (47–55 West 28th Street) were made individual landmarks. This happened after a group called "Save Tin Pan Alley" worked hard to protect them. After this success, a new group called the Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project was formed.

On April 2, 2022, 28th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue was officially given a second name. It is now also called "Tin Pan Alley" by New York City.

See also

In Spanish: Tin Pan Alley para niños

• Brill Building
• Music Row
• Printer's Alley
• Radio Row
• The Tin Pan Alley Rag
• Great American Songbook