Ditson's Effect on the Industry

 Ditson’s growth and dominance in the publishing industry within the United States had effects on many different people. This exhibit has discussed the benefits for Ditson’s company, mainly being the opportunity to network and widely distribute his own products. Ditson was not the only one to benefit from the arrangements. It would have been to the advantage for composers to partner with Ditson as well. For example, Canadian composer William Forsyth was able to sell his music in the United States through the Ditson company and its affiliates.

This consolidation of a publishing network may have had consequences for composers as well. It is worth considering if composers in different cities had similar opportunities for publication and distribution. For example, did composers in Philadelphia have the same publishing opportunities as those in New York? Did the Ditson network allow for the further spread of one’s work or may it have been in some way inhibiting? Further research on these questions would be required before jumping to any conclusions. It is my hypothesis that the consolidation of a publishing network would have been beneficial in allowing composers to reach a wider audience, regardless of what city they were in. Perhaps that is a research project for another time.