Western Music Company
Western Music Company was a Vancouver-based Canadian music retailer and publisher that supplied sheet music, records, instruments, and educational and festival repertoire.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Western Music Company (WMC) was a Canadian music retailing and publishing firm founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1930 by Herbert Drost. It began as a store specializing in sheet music, serving musicians, teachers, schools, churches, festival participants, and other institutional customers. The business subsequently broadened its merchandise to include commercial records and musical instruments, making it a wider music-products retailer rather than a sheet-music specialist alone. The company developed a regional Canadian retail presence through branches in several major cities. It operated in Winnipeg from 1938 to 1956, in Toronto from 1948 to 1955, and in Victoria during two periods, from 1945 to 1949 and again from 1954 to 1973. These branches gave WMC a presence beyond its Vancouver base, although the available historical record does not establish that all locations operated continuously or under identical formats. WMC entered music publishing in 1937. Its catalogue was particularly associated with works intended for competitions and festivals, as well as repertoire for schools and churches. The company also acted for many years as the sole Canadian agent for a number of British publishers, including Novello & Co, J.B. Cramer & Co, and Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd. In the United States, WMC publications were distributed through the British-American Music Co. of Chicago. This combination of original publishing, agency representation, and cross-border distribution connected Canadian musical institutions with British and North American repertoire. By 1960, Western Music Company had published more than 450 original works by Canadian composers. The catalogue included music by figures such as W.H. Anderson, Dalton Baker, H. Hugh Bancroft, Keith Bissell, Frederick Chubb, George Coutts, T.J. Crawford, Arthur Egerton, Robert Fleming, Leonard Heaton, H.E. Key, Burton Kurth, Kenneth Meek, Adelmo Melecci, Bernard Naylor, Clermont Pépin, Max Pirani, Alfred Whitehead, and Healey Willan. The company also issued the 1955 music treatise Full-throated Ease by James Terry Lawson, illustrating that its publishing activity extended beyond compositions into music-related books and instructional material. WMC also promoted its commercial and cultural activities through Western Music News, a monthly magazine launched in 1934. Although the publication primarily promoted the company's products and services, it also carried articles about musical life in Canada and profiles of Canadian musicians. It shifted from monthly to twice-yearly publication in 1941 and ceased after 1955. In 1970, Western Music Company was acquired by Leslie Music Supply of Oakville, Ontario. The available reference material does not specify the purchase price, the precise post-acquisition operating structure, or the date on which the Western Music Company name and activities ended. Accordingly, the company's present legal or trading status is not established here. Historically, WMC is notable for combining Canadian music retail, publishing, educational and festival repertoire, British publishing representation, and cultural promotion during the mid-twentieth century.
History
Western Music Company was established in Vancouver in 1930 by Herbert Drost. Its initial business was retailing sheet music, a sector that served both individual musicians and organized musical activity in schools, churches, competitions, and festivals. The company later expanded its retail range to include records and musical instruments, broadening its role within Canada's music trade. The firm grew through a combination of branch retailing and publishing. Its known branches included Winnipeg, operating from 1938 to 1956; Toronto, operating from 1948 to 1955; and Victoria, which had one operating period from 1945 to 1949 and another from 1954 to 1973. These locations indicate an effort to serve customers outside Vancouver, although the historical record does not provide detailed information about staffing, revenue, store formats, or the reasons for opening and closing individual branches. In 1937, WMC began publishing sheet music. A significant part of the catalogue was directed toward practical institutional use, including works for competitions and festivals and music for schools and churches. The company also represented British publishing houses in Canada. For many years it was the sole Canadian agent for Novello & Co, J.B. Cramer & Co, Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd, and other British firms. Its publications were sold in the United States by the British-American Music Co. of Chicago, giving the Canadian publisher an external distribution channel. The company's publishing programme helped document and circulate Canadian composition. By 1960, it had issued more than 450 original works by Canadian composers. The named contributors included W.H. Anderson, Dalton Baker, H. Hugh Bancroft, Keith Bissell, Frederick Chubb, George Coutts, T.J. Crawford, Arthur Egerton, Robert Fleming, Leonard Heaton, H.E. Key, Burton Kurth, Kenneth Meek, Adelmo Melecci, Bernard Naylor, Clermont Pépin, Max Pirani, Alfred Whitehead, and Healey Willan. WMC also published James Terry Lawson's 1955 treatise Full-throated Ease, showing that its catalogue was not limited to individual musical compositions. Promotion and editorial activity formed another part of the business. In 1934, WMC launched Western Music News as a monthly magazine. It served chiefly as a vehicle for promoting the company's merchandise, but it also featured articles on musical life in Canada and profiles of Canadian musicians. In 1941, the publication became bi-annual and continued until after 1955, when it ceased publication. In 1970, Leslie Music Supply, based in Oakville, Ontario, acquired Western Music Company. The available reference does not explain whether WMC continued as an independent operating unit, whether its publishing catalogue was absorbed, or when the name disappeared from commercial use. Its final status is therefore recorded as unknown rather than definitively defunct. The surviving historical account presents WMC as an important mid-century Canadian music business whose activities linked retail, publishing, music education, community institutions, and Canadian cultural promotion.
- 1973
Victoria branch period ends
[1]The company's later Victoria operating period ended in 1973.
- 1970
Acquired by Leslie Music Supply
[1]Leslie Music Supply of Oakville, Ontario, acquired Western Music Company.
- 1960
Catalogue exceeds 450 original Canadian works
[1]By this year, the company had published more than 450 original works by Canadian composers.
- 1955
Full-throated Ease is published
[1]WMC published James Terry Lawson's music treatise Full-throated Ease.
- 1948
Toronto branch opens
[1]The company operated a Toronto branch from 1948 until 1955.
- 1945
First Victoria branch period begins
[1]WMC operated a Victoria branch during 1945–1949 and later returned to the city.
- 1941
Western Music News changes frequency
[1]The magazine shifted from monthly publication to a twice-yearly schedule.
- 1938
Winnipeg branch opens
[1]The company operated a Winnipeg branch from 1938 until 1956.
- 1937
Publishing division established
[1]WMC began publishing sheet music, particularly repertoire for festivals, competitions, schools, and churches.
- 1934
Western Music News begins publication
[1]The company launched a monthly magazine combining merchandise promotion with coverage of Canadian musical life.
Products and positioning
A Canadian music specialist combining retail distribution, music publishing, British publisher representation, and support for school, church, competition, and festival music.
Printed music · 1930
Sheet music
Sheet music was the company's original retail speciality and later became the foundation of its publishing business. WMC issued repertoire for general performance as well as practical institutional uses, including school, church, competition, and festival settings.
Music publishing · 1937
Original Canadian compositions
WMC published a substantial catalogue of original works by Canadian composers. By 1960, the company had issued more than 450 such works, helping circulate Canadian concert and educational repertoire through its retail and distribution network.
Music magazine · 1934
Western Music News
Western Music News was a company-issued periodical launched in 1934. It primarily promoted WMC merchandise, while also publishing material about musical life in Canada and profiles of Canadian musicians. It became bi-annual in 1941 and ended after 1955.
Music treatise · 1955
Full-throated Ease
Published by WMC in 1955, Full-throated Ease was a treatise by James Terry Lawson. Its inclusion demonstrates that the company also handled instructional and music-literary publications alongside scores and compositions.
Music retail
Records and musical instruments
After beginning as a sheet-music store, WMC expanded its retail merchandise to include records and musical instruments. The available source does not identify specific product models, labels, or instrument makers carried by the company.
Marketing campaigns
- 1934Western Music News
Canada
WMC used its own magazine to promote merchandise while also presenting information about Canadian musical activity and musicians.
Outcome. The magazine continued in altered twice-yearly form from 1941 and ceased after 1955.
Brand decisions
1970
Acquisition by Leslie Music SupplyM&ABackground
Western Music Company had operated as a Vancouver-based retailer and publisher with branches in several Canadian cities.
Action taken
Leslie Music Supply of Oakville, Ontario, acquired the company.
Aftermath
The available source does not establish the post-acquisition structure or the date on which the Western Music Company name ceased to be used.
1937
Enter music publishingStrategyBackground
WMC had originally operated as a sheet-music retailer and had expanded its merchandise into records and instruments.
Action taken
The company began publishing sheet music, focusing substantially on competition, festival, school, and church repertoire.
Aftermath
By 1960, its catalogue contained more than 450 original works by Canadian composers.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/western-music-company · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled