Brass Band Logo

NJH Music Logo

Some of the contents of the pages on this site are Copyright © 2016 NJH Music
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

RE: Photocopying

Right.

WE all know that this was an April fool wind up. A particualarly good one though
because it's a thing that if taken absolutely literally very few people can
really have a clear conscience about.

But there would be some interesting side effects from such a development.

I wonder how it would affect the sales of photocopiers.

Who ultimately has the bigger commercial voice publishers or photocopier
manufacturers.

People should realise that the warning about photocopying "denying the world
another fine work and the composer a livelihood" is really a case of crocodile
tears. Yes it does stop the exchange of money but let's be honest about it by
far the larger amount of this money goes directly into the pockets of the
publishers. Very little goes to the composer.

And as for denying the world another fine work. The only works that the
publishers are really interested in are those from which they can make a large
amount of money. "Fine" is not a thing which most of them are worried about.

I speak from very bitter experience having written a number of pieces, failing
to find a publisher who can offer me any regular committment to take work and
therefore denying me of a livelihood. I know that a number of people who
areplaying the free downloaded versions of my music from the Rothwell Temperance
Band website would agree that much of my work is as good as anything which can
be bought.

I don't advocate extensive illegal use of photocopiers I write most of the music
that my students use anyway so I don't need to resort to it. But I
certainly understand those who do use photocopies a lot. I
understand the illegality of it but I also understand the greed of
publishers. If people were to stop using illegal photocopies overnight does
anyone seriously suggest that the price of music would go down due to larger
sales. NO all that would happen is that publishers would make more money.

What always amazes me is that amount of well produced advertising which is
printed on high quality paper that is sent through the post, for music and other
products, that must cost very little to produce. As soon as people want a piece
of paper with something on it that is useful to them. The value increaae
astronomically.

There are certain publishers (notably French ones) that publish music that is on
plates that are some times nearl a hundred years old and charge more than five
pounds per single sheet of paper. Often these plates have lines missing from the
stave in places.

No the truth of the matter is that the only way to stop people photocopying is
to stop charging so much for music.

Steve Watkins



--

[Services] [Contact Us] [Advertise with us] [About] [Tell a friend about us] [Copyright © 2016 NJH Music]