Klarinet Archive - Posting 000092.txt from 2003/06

From: "Anthony Wakefield" <tony-w@-----.uk>
Subj: Re: [kl] Law - sense or senseless?
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2003 18:07:29 -0400

Bill Hausmann:
> I did not mean to denigrate lawyers themselves, but really the legislators
> who write the laws, many of whom ARE lawyers. It seems that they
> deliberately write laws in as vague and ambiguous a manner as possible, in
> order to insure they will have jobs back at their old law firms when we
> finally wise up and throw them out of office.

Such cynical wisdom. Such grievous truth. If Bill were anything other than a
musician, he himself would have been thrown out of office for uttering such
'black' pearls.

I do believe that most music publishers are revising their policies towards
photocopying, or more precisely in the way that their music is sold. Choirs
for instance have to purchase each and every copy, but the sets have
decreasing prices as the number of parts required is increased. It`s
certainly better than being caught out.
There is some unfairness tho` as organisations such as the BBC are allowed
to photocopy piano/vocal copies ad libitomato to pass on to arrangers`, when
there is a broadcast to earn royalty from; so the publishers turn a blind
eye to this. On the other hand, when a choir decides to record something
which brings in an equivalent amount of royalty for the publisher, they in
their unfortunate capacity as amateurs, still have to pay for their
'original' copies.
All amateur performing groups are to some degree unfairly treated. The
publisher doesn`t earn a fortune from hiring out music, and does seem to
want to restrict its usage somewhat, when the same amateurs are in fact
performing a publicity service for the publisher. Yet when a symphony
orchestra wants to perform a one off, the publisher will fall over backwards
in their eagerness to help. At EMI Music Pub. we used to have to rush an
arrangement through to a BBC light orchestra, when all it would get is one
performance, and then get chucked on the library shelf to gather dust. This
service provided free of charge.
It does stink, but the publisher is all powerful, and will indeed hold
regular test cases, not so much to recoup lost earnings from the prosecuted,
but for publicity purposes in disuading the majority from enjoying a 'free
for all'.
It is indeed a funny business.

Copyright 2003 by AW Music. All rights reserved. Photocopying of this
document is strictly not allowed under section 2b para 5 of the World Rights
Agendi.

I`ve had only one reply re the tiny Ab(?) clarinet so far. And this has been
kindly donated, strangely, by a copyright lawyer. Any other offers please?
What if any, music has been written for this instrument?

Tony W.
http://members.sibeliusmusic.com/anthonywakefield/

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