[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
This is an interesting discussion!
I almost hired a person on the list who clearly is not on the same page as I,
the composer.
When I hire an engraver, copyist, I pay him/her and expect the files. We
send them back & forth for revisions. and that can be by pdf file... but I
expect the final final after I send in the check, to get the files.
I surely do NOT do this to be competitive or take the style of the engraver.
I had one excellent engraver for serveral years. But after not doing my work
and putting me off for several months, he suddenly told me he was going to do
other things, leaving me without the work I really did & do need.
What would I do if I didn't have those files to continue the work?
Further, I'm an electronic music composer too. Often I turn Finale files
into midi and change the patches creating unusal sounds with the precomposed
music. I MUST have the files to do this.
If the engraver is paid for her/his work, I cannot understand the desire not
to give the composer the music files.
Because I am always changing things, and it costs me a fortune, and I think I
might be a pain to the copyist with all the changes, yes, I pay for them, I
feel like I doing the copyist a favor by doing these little things myself & not
bothering him/her.
One point which is often brought up here is that the Finale files are
much like the negatives that a photographer keeps when hired to
photograph your wedding. I disagree with this and I think the copyright
office might disagree with that concept also -- the photographer has
created a work of art which is indeed copyrightable totally separate
from any agreement he/she may have to provide the client with a fixed
number of prints. The wedding isn't copyrightable but the pictures are.
A person working with Finale is merely creating a different
representation of the copyrighted material owned by the composer/client.
I can see both sides of this issue -- I quite agree with Vivian, but I
also can agree that an engraver does himself/herself out of future work
when the client gets the Finale files because then the client may well
find cheaper help for future revisions. But I can also see Vivian's
point that when an engraver has kept the files and decides to get out of
the engraving business, the client is really screwed.
On the other hand, once the client gets the files, the engraver can get
really screwed when some horribly inept engraver starts working on the
files, and it is generally known that Engraver A did the engraving, and
generally not known that Engraver B got his incompetent hands on it for
some revisions. So the reputation of Engraver A can suffer immeasurable
harm.
It's a no-win situation, unless, as is always wisest and best, these
things are discussed beforehand and written into the contract so that
all parties know just what is being provided, when it is to be provided,
how much will be paid and when it will be paid.
--
David H. Bailey
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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