Klarinet Archive - Posting 000355.txt from 2010/09

From: Joseph Wakeling <joseph.wakeling@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Gran Partitta source material
Date: Sun, 12 Sep 2010 08:39:21 -0400

On 09/11/2010 07:32 PM, Joseph Wakeling wrote:
> Yes. And both have copyright notices on them, I believe, which mean you
> are not permitted to distribute copies freely ... :-)

I'll expand on that point, briefly.

The broader argument is to do with issues I already discussed a while
back on the list in the discussion on copyright -- the way in which the
shift from print to electronic media has shifted from unavoidable
per-copy costs (which mandates charging per copy, and so supports a
model of rewarding contributors via a percentage of the sales price) to
one where the distribution and storage costs are virtually zero, and the
only meaningful costs are in the initial creation process.

The more specific argument is to do with scholarship, and making the
results of scholarship -- a public good -- available _to_ the public.
In the research literature we are seeing a gradual shift towards online
publications that are free at the point of access, and also often free
in the sense of _the freedom to re-use the material contained therein_,
as long as credit is given.

I'm interested in seeing if a similar approach can be taken to scholarly
editions of musical works.

The threat on a business level is, I think, less than may be imagined.
As you point out, the cost of the Baerenreiter parts for the Gran
Partitta is less than the cost of printing out those pages on your
computer printer. Not only that but the parts are higher-quality --
better paper, bound nicely, etc. etc. The demand for good print
editions won't go away. Having the scholarly work available freely in
principle makes it _easier_ for publishers to prepare editions at lower
cost.

The Gran Partitta may not be the most urgent work to target with this
approach, but the general principle seems to me worth pursuing.
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