Hello from Maine,  There were no standardized norms for the player roll
industry regarding tempo.  The paper thicknesses, braking and transport
systems, design of the wind motor and other factors made it essential
for somebody to "be at bench" to _correct_ the speed, especially after
2-1/2 minutes of an arrangement.

Most players accelerate, to limits beyond one's musical satisfaction,
so a good rule of thumb is to lower the speed by increments of "5"
(i.e. six inches/minute of paper travel speed).  This can be done
easily by making the corrections at the end of a musical phrase or just
before the next theme is to be presented.  Every 1/2 minute, these
corrections need to be made in most cases from that point to the end
of the roll.

There are some 'weak sister' air motor designs, and, in these cases,
you would increase the tempo by "5" using the same criteria.  Such
players begin to slow down the paper travel, as the music is being
played.  Artcraft rolls say "Suggested Tempo" on the stamps, for this
reason.

Aeolian's "Tempo 80 for Singing and 100 for Dancing" is just a joke,
meaning "you are on your own".  That's a range for Andante to Presto,
in many cases!

When I key an arrangement to a specific audio recording, as in Max
Morath's "One For Norma", for example, there can be several tempo
correction stamps (all with "Suggested", along with the numbers).  That
roll begins at Tempo 75 (7-1/2 feet per minute).  The Trio is slightly
slower, but the paper has to travel at a faster speed to simulate the
effects of his audio recording, so it goes to Tempo 85; that is, a
slower musical tempo but a faster paper travel speed!  Finally, for the
melodic reprise, the roll is Tempo 65, due to the paper build up on the
lower spool.  Musically, Tempo 65 at the end of the roll is approximately
the same tempo of 75, at the beginning, due to this paper accumulation
situation.

The arrangement is phrased within each of these "tempo blocks", but, in
order to achieve the standards of his Vanguard LP audio recording, there
have to be these corrections stamped on the roll.  In the old days,
none of these details would have been added.

Those who put a roll on an electric player and then walk away aren't
listening!  A good player roll performance requires human monitoring
after approximately two minutes.  The arrangement stepping and the
diameter of the take-up spool are other variables, also.  The unattended
player action is not satisfying musically.

Hope the above helps answer that question about marked player roll
speeds.

Regards,
Douglas Henderson - Artcraft Music Rolls
Wiscasset, Maine 04578 USA
http://wiscasset.nnei.net/artcraft/