 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: WoodwindOz
Date: 2011-07-20 16:07
On an online auction site, there is someone selling CDs of PDFs of solo music for all instruments, including oboe and cor anglais. I thiought it sounded like a good deal until I looked at the list of repertoire, and it all seemed vaguely familiar...
I realised it was the IMSLP list of solo repertoire, which, of course, is public domain and available free for download. I admire the seller's entrepreneurial skills, and also am well aware of the fact that all of this music is still for sale through various publishers, but there seems something slightly morally not quite right here. Aside from the issue of charging people for something that is freely available, many people have invested their own time free of charge to get this repertoire online.
It just struck a chord with me, but does anyone else feel the same?
Rachel
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Author: Bryanwalker
Date: 2011-07-20 17:11
I may cast the dissenting opinion here, but this is the business major coming out in me.
I think its genius what he is doing. He is getting the music that is free via an online source, compiling and selling it. You can think about paying him not for the music, per se, but rather paying him for him time and service of gathering the music, transferring it to PDF files then burning it to CD's.
If the music is out of copyright, whats the issue?
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Author: Dutchy
Date: 2011-07-20 17:26
He's not, strictly speaking, "charging people for something that is freely available"--he's creating a new product, namely his CD collection of PDFs. The music itself may be freely available, but he's got them all together in one place, so in effect he's delivering a service to consumers. Not everybody wants to rummage through the IMSLP in order to print things out for themselves.
I have no problem with it.
If he had midi files to go with it, I'd basically pay him whatever he was asking for it.
There are many other vendors in the oboe world who are selling music that's in the public domain; it's all in the packaging. I don't see what difference there is between him with his homemade CD that contains the Mozart oboe concerto and, say, Sheetmusicplus.
I understand your point about him profiting from the labors of the folks who worked hard to scan and upload materials to the IMSLP, but that's the whole idea of Wiki Commons, that you're donating your time and effort to make things available to everyone free of charge; what they then do with it isn't supposed to concern you. There are people who use the Wiki Commons artwork for their own profit purposes, too.
Post Edited (2011-07-20 17:27)
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Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2011-07-20 17:32
Interesting perspectives! Now that's why oboe players are so cool! =D
Howard
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2011-07-20 18:20
And interestingly enough, if the cd has no editing done and you're not contractually bound,. you could probably redistribute the cd for free or for profit.
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Author: RobinDesHautbois
Date: 2011-07-20 19:28
In the world of open source software, most licenses allow taking the program-code, modifying it (or not) and selling the resulting program, even though it was initially free. The caveat is that credits must be given along the entire line of origin to final modification and the final program code must usually (not always) be available for free for more reuse, including producing the program you had to pay for.
This might sound very strange, but it works great in the world of computer software. For copyright and IMSLP, it depends on their license agreement.
It makes sense for someone who uses computers/printers where the internet is not available.... but anyone using that service should be made aware of the free source.
Robin Tropper
M.A.Sc., B.Mus., B.Ed.
http://RobinDesHautbois.blogspot.ca/music
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Author: huboboe
Date: 2011-07-20 22:10
My recollection of the IMSLP landing page was that the contents may or may not be be protected in your country. It is up to the user to 1) determine whether the piece is, indeed, free of copyright, and 2) if it is under copyright, does his ethics condone his use anyway.
Unless the author of this assemblage has been very careful to insure that all pieces included are unprotected everywhere then he is opening himself and his clients to potential copyright issues.
That said, as long as (as Robin said) he says, "I've assembled this material from [source A, B, C...] and offer it to you for $X.xx, then, as Bryan and Dutchy suggest, I'd probably buy a copy myself.
Robert Hubbard
WestwindDoubleReed.com
1-888-579-6020
bob@westwinddoublereed.com
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2011-07-21 00:23
Citing sources is always wise.
I, like some other very conscientious types out there, feel this is sort of a 'stinky' thing to do, but probably not illegal or unethical. Just someone taking advantage of an opportunity (and also perhaps taking advantage of others others who are ignorant of the free sources??).
I wouldn't do it myself. But as the fellas note, if there's a market, and no specific injunction against it from the free source website, then it's in the fair play zone.
GoodWinds
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