On 1 July 1902, Narciso Vert and his nephew Pedro Tillett, now a partner in the firm, drew up articles of partnership with Pedro's younger brother John Hudson Tillett (with the agency since 1887) to establish and manage a branch of the agency in New York. Premises were rented from Boosey and Company at 9 East 17th Street at $500 per annum. The starting capital was £500, half put in by Vert and Pedro, the other by John who was entitled to an initial salary of £5 per week. Part of the contract stated that 'all rent, salaries and other expenses of the business shall be paid out of the capital until the profits shall be sufficient for the purpose', an assumption that was to prove crucial to the success of the venture. Vert had already had dealings with America, such as securing a contract for the soprano Margaret Macintyre to sing at the Cincinnati Musical Festival in 1898.