The Western Music Company (WMC) was a music publishing and

retailing Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

firm based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1930 by Herbert Drost, the company was initially a retail store for sheet music but soon expanded to include records and instruments to its merchandise. The company also operated branches in Winnipeg, Manitoba (1938–56), Toronto, Ontario (1948–55), and Victoria, British Columbia (1945-9 and 1954–73). In 1970, the company was acquired by Leslie Music Supply of Oakville, Ontario. In 1937 WMC began to publish sheet music; much of which was published for use in competitions/festivals and for school and church use. The company was the sole Canadian agent for Novello & Co, J.B Cramer & Co, Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd, and other British firms for many years. In the United States the WMC's publications were sold by the British-American Music Co of Chicago. By 1960 the company had published more than 450 original works by Canadian composers like W.H. Anderson, Dalton Baker,

H. Hugh Bancroft Henry Hugh Bancroft (29 February 1904 – 11 September 1988) was a British organist, choirmaster, and composer who was organist of five cathedrals. He was born in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, and studied music with E. P. Guthrie and J. S. Robinson ...

Keith Bissell Keith Warren Bissell (12 February 1912 in Meaford, Ontario – 9 May 1992 in Newmarket, Ontario) was a Canadian composer, conductor, and music educator. He was particularly known for his choral music, which often implemented elements of Ca ...

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, George Coutts, T.J. Crawford, Arthur Egerton, Robert Fleming, Leonard Heaton, H.E. Key, Burton Kurth,

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Bernard Naylor Bernard Naylor (November 22, 1907 – May 19, 1986) was an English and Canadian composer, conductor and organist. Early life Bernard James Naylor was born in Cambridge, England, on November 22, 1907. His father, Edward Naylor, was an English ...

, Clermont Pépin, Max Pirani,

Alfred Whitehead Alfred Ernest Whitehead (10 July 1887 – 1 April 1974) was an English-born Canadian composer, organist, choirmaster, music educator, painter, whose works are held in a number of important private collections, and an internationally recogniz ...

, and

Healey Willan James Healey Willan (12 October 1880 – 16 February 1968) was an Anglo-Canadian organist and composer. He composed more than 800 works including operas, symphonies, chamber music, a concerto, and pieces for band, orchestra, organ, and ...

among others. The firm also published the treatise ''Full-throated Ease'' by James Terry Lawson (1955). In 1934 WMC began issuing a monthly magazine, ''Western Music News''. The magazine was primarily a promotional vehicle for the company's merchandise but did also include articles on musical life in Canada and profiles on Canadian musicians. The magazine became a bi-annual publication in 1941 and ceased publication after 1955.

References

{{reflist Publishing companies established in 1930 Canadian companies disestablished in 1970 Music publishing companies of Canada Sheet music publishing companies Defunct music companies Canadian companies established in 1930 1970 disestablishments in British Columbia 1930 establishments in British Columbia