> I've been selling my compositions as paper sheet music for years, but I'm > getting more and more requests for PDFs. I feel a little uneasy about this > since a PDF (even with a password) can be posted online or emailed to anyone > who wants it for free. > > Any thoughts on this from publishers, composers, or engravers currently > selling PDFs? > > Thanks for any insight! > > Paul Hayden > > > Magnolia Music Press > <www.paulhayden.com>
For most of us, the royalties from performing far outstrip the income from selling scores. Look at the phenomenal success of "In C," which was a free score inserted in the original LP packaging materials. Ok, maybe that's not a great example for a variety of reasons, but the principle is the same. My publisher (ACA) keeps pdfs of our music. Printing on demand is fast and easy (and can take place anywhere). They also like to sell pdfs -- minimal costs, more profit. I am reluctant to allow it because I think a nicely printed score on good larger-than-8.5x11-paper with a good binding means the performance experience is a better one, and can translate into more performances -- or at least something staying in a performer's library. On the other hand, I'm meeting performers, particularly younger ones, who want music ONLY in pdf format. And for perusal scores, there is nothing better. I think we'll come to a time fairly soon when most performers will have an iPad-like device with a full library. The software out there now already allows annotations, has good foot-pedal page turners. But I personally still REALLY like paper. Even when I get something for quick study from imslp.org, if I want to do anything serious with it, I print and bind it on nice, oversize paper and staple bind. Finally, I also understand pdfs as a wonderful way to get things quickly around the world. If I'm traveling to a large ensemble performance, I no longer feel the need to bring along a set of backup parts. If someone loses a part, I can get the pdf almost instantly, and print a replacement. My instructions to my publisher are not to advertise that they will sell a pdf of my music. But if someone insists, I tell them to go ahead and do it. David Froom _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
