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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000019.txt from 2005/07
From: PhilFrei@-----.com
Subj: [DR-L] Retailing new music
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 16:02:19 -0400
Hi -
We've had two sheet music retailers close shop in the last year in the SF Bay
Area (Tupper & Reed, Byron & Hoyt). In talking to one of the store owners, I
was kind of shocked to hear that publishers often give retailers a sort of
"all or nothing" choice in carrying their product. (Welcome to the real world,
Phil!) This sort of bullying seems like it may be back-firing, if by doing so it
hampers efforts by the retailer to carry product it deems most relevant to
its customer base.
Also, at least as far as my experience browsing the oboe bins for new work, I
feel it is difficult to judge the quality of a new or unfamiliar work, and
this leads me to be very wary about taking risks with new pieces. It seems there
is a lot that could be done to create more of a comfort zone for customers
interested in occasionally trying out new works.
Some of my ideas (maybe some stores already do this): publisher could provide
a .MP3 or .WAV file or something that could be listened to as an example of a
performance; small practice rooms or keyboards with head-phones could be
provided for trying out music; at the least, the music itself could contain
written descriptions and/or endorsements. Concerning the latter, it seems like most
new music has almost no text at all, except maybe a list of University degrees
or Grants or Awards the composer has collected--not exactly the most helpful
or credible stamp of quality, I've found, as this often says vary little about
taste, more about ideology (IF one is familiar with the associated
institutions).
Maybe it is expected that a performer should be able to tell what they have
by reading the music in the store, but even with my University training and
composing experience, I find this only goes so far, especially with work that is
more complex harmonically.
It seems to me there are a lot of dedicated amateur musicians who would be
more willing to buy new music if there were some common sense provisions made
for them. Talking about the benefits of the "free marketplace" serving the
greater public good seems absurd, though if it is corrupted by the bullying tactics
I hear that are being used, rather than practices that actually help a
customer know what it is they are buying. Or maybe it isn't, as the retailers are
perhaps languishing as should be expected given the current practices.
- Phil Freihofner
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