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Re: Arranging - Copyright

Hooray - some common sense at last.

----------
> From: Adrian Drover (Brass Band List <saxhorn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Arranging - Copyright
> Date: 17 September 1997 01:00
> 
> I have been arranging now for more than 40 years. Most of my work has
been done
> for phonograph reproduction and broadcasting in the UK and other
countries. In
> all that time, I have never had the need to gain permission from the
copyright
> owners to make arrangements of their works. It seems that as long as the
owner
> is receiving PRS and MCPS royalyies from my work, they are quite happy. I
have
> even been successful on occasion, in persuading various publishing houses
to
> contribute towards the cost of the arrangement.
> 
> Publishing is another matter. It seems that the copyright owner requires
a
> commission on every piece of music sold, as well as the performance
royalties
> that the music might generate. That is fair enough, but just try to get
> permission to arrange or sub-publish their copyright. The answer is
usually a
> flat "NO", or an exorbitant advance on royalties, or reference to another
> larger publishing house who has been given the sole rights to sub-publish
their
> work. Sometimes, they do not even have the courtesy to reply to your
request.
> If you offer your arrangement to one of those larger sub-publishers, they
will
> probably tell you that they already have an arrangement of that title, or
offer
> you a buy-out fee well below the Musicians' Union scale for arranging and
part
> preparation. 
> 
> It is in this area I think, that the copyright owners need to lighten up,
> especially in the Brass Band World. It seems that every band has to play
the
> same arrangement of a particular title, simply because that is the only
score
> available. It discourages budding young arrangers from writing for the
brass
> band, for fear of suffering heavy financial penalties. It also
discourages
> bands from seeking out their favourite arrangers in order to attain a
level of
> originality. I have often been told by bands that they much prefer my
> arrangement to the one they have just bought from the publisher, but they
have
> to use the published version. That's the rules!
> 
> It is obvious that composers need to protect their work, but this could
easily
> be solved by setting up a collection agency similar to the PRS, to which
every
> arranger or arranger/publisher should be registered. Royalties on music
sales
> could then be collected either from the vendor or the purchaser and the
> proceeds directed towards the composer. Personally, I think that the
arranger
> should also receive a proportion of the performance royalty. After all it
IS
> the arrangement that sells the composition. 
> 
> As the situation stands, everyone looses out. The arranger is unable to
find an
> outlet for his talent. The band is unable to procure the arrangement it
wants.
> And above all, the composer is being denied the opportunity of having
> first-rate arrangements and varied styles of his work made, thereby
generating
> more performance revenue for him/herself. The whole music industry is
being
> strangled through over-protectionism! 
> 
> Adrian 
> -- 
>   ____    _ _
>  /    \ _| (_)___   _____ ADRIAN DROVER 
> |  ()  / _ | / _ \_( ___/ INNOVATIVE ORCHESTRAL SERVICES
> |__/\__\___|_\___/____)   http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/adios/    
> mailto business:     adios@xxxxxxxxxxxxx		     
> mailto personal: bossanova@xxxxxxxxxxxxx    (Glasgow, Scotland)
> 
> 
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