This brief announcement about the launch of Mel-O-Dee Music Company
appeared in The Music Trade Review (MTR) of July 17, 1920, page 23a:

           MEL-0-DEE MUSIC CO. CHARTERED
    Incorporated With Capital Stock of $25,000 by
             H. B. Tremaine and Others

  The Mel-O-Dee Music Co., New York, has been incorporated with
  capital stock of $25,000 to engage in the manufacture and sale of
  music rolls.  The incorporators are H. B. Tremaine, H. B. Schaad
  and W. V. Swords.  Mr. Tremaine is president of the Aeolian Co.,
  Mr. Swords is vice-president, and Mr. Schaad is secretary of that
  company, which has for the past few months been marketing its
  music rolls under the Mel-O-Dee name.

I remarked in 130614 MMDigest that Mel-O-Dee Music Co., Inc., was
"a subsidiary of Aeolian Company".  Based on the succinct statement
in MTR it seems more likely that Messrs. Tremaine, Schaad and Swords
established Mel-O-Dee Music Co. specifically as a totally independent
firm simply to distribute piano rolls manufactured for Mel-O-Dee by
Aeolian Co.

With this maneuver they side-stepped the agreements made by Aeolian
with retailers and distributors granting them exclusive territory to
sell Aeolian Co. products.

A full-page advert in The Music Trade Review of August 28, 1920, page
18, proudly says that several big musical department stores would be
selling Mel-O-Dee rolls, including Lyon & Healy (Chicago) and J. W.
Jenkins (Kansas City).

The "MelODee" logotype that appeared on the labels of piano rolls
sold by Mel-O-Dee Music Co. in the 1920s was later used in the 1960s
on the labels of recut rolls manufactured by the Givens-Gourley Co.
of Wexford, Pennsylvania.

Robbie Rhodes, MMD

 [ Music Trade Review (MTR) and Presto trade publications are available 
 [ online via links at the MBSI web site, http://www.mbsi.org/ 
 [ Ralph Schack tells about the project in his MMD article at
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/Digests/200908/2009.08.03.02.html
 [ -- Robbie