 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-11-25 15:00
TKS for the info and link, Ken . Lets hope the money-changers keep the high qualities of B&H's [et al] many years of service to music. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2003-11-25 15:36
This was announced four days ago. The press release is at http://www.boosey.com/downloads/CompanySalePDF.pdf
A lot is said about the importance to living composers of Boosey's survival. The argument seems to be that without publishers, living composers won't be heard and hence won't make any money.
I wonder how true this really is, at least to composers of orchestral and other large scale works. As I understand it, these composers don't make their money from selling physical copies of their works, which are often available only on hire in any case. They make their money when the works are played. It seems to me that they could make just as much by publishing their scores in electronic form for anyone to download free of charge.
Happy to be corrected on this one - maybe by an eminent living composer!
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: CJB
Date: 2003-11-25 16:54
David
But if works aren't published - even if the published parts are only for hire how does a composer get performed at all. Surely the role of the publisher is partly publicity and promotion of the composer as well as producing the physical copies of the music. - see the Faber music website to see what I mean.
It does have to be noted though that I know of at least 2 British composers of wind band music who have set up publishing businesses promoting their own and other people's music.
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Author: msloss
Date: 2003-11-25 17:43
As one who has composed, arranged, and copied parts by hand and by computer, let me offer a one perspective. Computers are without question the great democratizer when it comes to the dissemination of information. They are also great enablers of mediocrity. Every artist deserves to be heard/seen/read IMHO, but the publisher does serve as a quality filter on the end product. The publishers are far from great arbiters of what is "good" since profit has to factor in, but once they do get their hands on something, professional editors, copyists and typographers weave their magic to make the manuscript coherent, legible, and most importantly, performable. There is also the greater likelihood of a composer being widely performed if they are on a recognized and well-marketed imprint
How many people on this board have been handed a part copied either by hand or on computer by a well meaning arranger/composer with 16th note passages crossing page turns, key signatures marked only once, and at that only in the middle of a stave, automatically transposed sections that reach a 5th below the bottom of the instrument, etc.? Composers are not automatically great copyists, and frankly are not always as well versed as they should be on the range, capability and common notation appropriate to each instrument (pianists being among the worst offenders). The manuscript programs have wonderful capabilities that can wreak havoc when used by someone who doesn't grasp the fundamentals of printed music. B&H and others bring centuries of experience in turning the composer's vision into something that can actually be read and played by a professional or student ensemble or individual.
Now, if the traditional publisher model breaks down, and the typographers editors and copyists go directly into business with the composers on a broad basis, things get much more interesting...
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2003-11-25 18:04
CJB - I agree that the role of the publisher includes publicity as well as printing. But I wonder how necessary this role is in the Internet age.
The press comment about B&H implies that famous composers like Turnage and Birtwhistle would suffer if B&H collapsed. I really don't see why. It wouldn't seem too difficult for Turnage to set up www.turnage.com and make his works available for download. And to email every major orchestra and opera house in the world to tell them. Why does he need B&H?
Of course, Turnage has arrived. If you decided to set up www.cjb.com in the same way you might not get many hits. But there is nothing to stop up-and-coming composers clubbing together to create a site to promote their music, perhaps just as your wind band friends have done. It doesn't need the financial muscle of a B&H to do this.
The real question is, how does an up-and-coming composer get played? Does it happen when B&H take him under their wing and promote him? Or does it happen because he gets one lucky break, and a good review, and another conductor reads the review, and so on and so on? I conjecture - but I might be quite wrong - that word of mouth between musicians counts for a great deal more than the say-so of a publisher.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-11-25 22:09
Not since February of this year, when it was sold to the Rutland Fund and it became a member of The Music Group.
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