John Dvorak asked: "Does anyone know what a single piano player roll cost

in 1925 during the heyday?"



The easy answer, I think, is between 50 cents to $1.00 for standard 88-note

popular word rolls.  Reproducing rolls were about $1.25, I believe.



It depends on the brand and size of the roll. It depends, too, if you were

also buying a piano.  Typically it seems that dealers would throw in a

group of rolls with the piano.  So in that case they were free.



There were also roll-lending libraries because rolls were relatively

expensive at the time.  I recently read that Harrad's roll lending library

lasted until the early 1960s.



Also, 1925 may not be considered the heyday of the piano roll.  I know as

early as 1921-1922 music dealers were complaining about the impact radio

was having on sheet music, roll, and disc sales.



Paul Johnson