Fact #97449
When:
Short story:
John
Stillwell Clark, a music publisher based in Sedalia, Missouri, USA, buys the Scott Joplin composition Maple Leaf Rag, for fifty dollars plus royalties of one
cent per copy. This is said to be the first time in history that a
composer had earned royalties. It will eventually sell a million
copies, allowing Stark to open offices in St. Louis and New York
City, and enabling Joplin to begin full-time work as a
composer.
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