Canadian Connection

Ditson's method of getting into the Canadian market is still somewhat of a mystery. Once he came to dominated the market within the United States, Ditson looked to go beyond its borders into Canada. It does not appear that Ditson acquired many Canadian firms, if any at all. Based on an analysis of his Canadian connections, and some of the pieces in this exhibit, Ditson seems to have settled for building a network through which he could distribute music farther north.

Of particular note is The Canadian-American Music Co. Limited, which was based in Toronto, Canada. This company was the connection between the American and Canadian networks. Ditson published some music by Canadian composers, an example of which is William Forsyth’s The Firefly in this exhibit. He did so through The Canadian-American Music Co. Limited, as it was his way of tapping into the Canadian economy and selling his music abroad. It was financially lucrative for Ditson to reach Canada in this way. The fans and supporters of Forsyth in Toronto were likely to purchase his music and contribute to its popularity.

During the early and mid 1900s, the copyright of sheet music in Canada was associated with the Department of Agriculture. Following its creation in 1867, the department was eventually tasked with housing copyrights. During the time when Ditson was publishing in Canada, many of his music scores were marked with “entered to the act of the parliament of Canada […] at the department of agriculture.” This continued throughout his era of his dominance in the publishing community. (ARCHIVED)