Greensleeves

[Stenir]

As Christmas is right around the corner, here's an opportunity to listen to my arrangement of Greensleeves, for Concert Band.

As of today, this piece has been submitted for publication at Barnhouse. Cross your fingers it gets published!

[TheSorrowsPain]

Stenir,

Not to rain on your parade or anything, but aren't you supposed to provide a description of your work when submitting that cover letter. I also want to submit my work to C.L. Barnhouse and they have specifics on what to submit and when to submit on their website. You might want to check that over again.

Peace,

C. Winston

[Stenir]

Well, a description won't be that hard. I had to send myself the file at work anyway, since the description is here.

That and I couldn't get the mp3 through. If you have problems with that, they just told me you can just send the Finale/Sibelius file and they'll perform the creation of the "live" file (mp3, etc., audio file) on their end.

But thanks for hinting that to me. Better to have more than less.


EDIT:
=====
I've added my introduction/notes/instrumentation document to the initial post.

[Stenir]

After not much consideration, and a lack of me reviewing their catalog before submission, Barnhouse declined my submission. Not because it was bad, just because they are already the publishers of Alfred Reed's Greensleeves, and why compete with themselves?

A big "duh" on my part.

But here's the reply I got when I asked the question of whether the piece was still reviewed or just tossed aside when they saw "Greensleeves":

I did indeed look at it and listen to it. I thought the arrangement was good and the presentation good as well. You happened to pick a tune which is already one of the top ten bestselling concert band publications of all time, by a revered and ultra-famous arranger, potentially competing with a product which we don't want to generate competition.

Perhaps the most difficult reality of the band publishing world is that there's an overabundance of qualified composers and good music which could be published, but a very stagnant customer base. The number of schools buying music remains essentially the same; yet every year there is more new "product" introduced than before. More companies are sharing the same marketplace, making it harder on all companies to be successful. We enthusiastically welcome composers to submit music, and we take care to review everything we receive. But with market conditions as they are, we have to be extraordinarily selective with our new music. For something to really catch our eye (and ear!) it needs to be extraordinarily good. I hope you understand that I am not trying to be negative or critical of your work; you certainly understand band arranging well. For us to take something, it really has to be a "home run" for us, instead of a "double." I also realize that as an aspiring writer, it's very tough to get your foot in the door. I hope you will keep writing, and we will be happy to review anything else you'd like to send. Uniqueness and marketability without being too far-out is a broad general concept to keep in mind.

I like the part about "you certainly understand band arranging well" and the fact it was coming from someone as high on the chain as Andrew Glover (for those of you who know the name). But anyways, I think this is a lesson for all of us to keep in mind if anyone else tries to submit music.

[Vergouwen]

Why let the publisher be the judge of your music? It should be up to the customer.

Fair enough, publishers have the physical limitations of a paper catalogue: enter the internet. Publish your sheets online on www.myscorestore.com and be in control of your music your self.

[Boneman]

That is okay if you do not want to earn from your music, it seems like most of the stuff is posted for free.
If you feel that your music is going to generate cash try sibelius stores. Okay you have to pay $30 p/m but anything you get over that is earnings. It works for me and no doubt others.

[Vergouwen]

True, momentarily the initial small catalogue on MyScoreStore is provided by Mutopia, which is music for free. MyScoreStore allows people to set their own pricing ($0 - $xx) however.

Unlike Sibelius, MyScoreStore does not charge monthly fees (a saving of $360 per year), nor imposes a maximum how much to charge for your music.

Also, Sibelius will charge a fee of 20% or 30%, depending on where on their site the music gets sold. MyScoreStore charges a simple 20%. And to achieve this rate one does not need to bother building ones own store inside the website.

Next week a first live version of MyScoreStore will launch. An exception to the usual 20% fee will be available to an exclusive first group of composers uploading. Those who are interested please get in contact directly with info@myscorestore.com (to avoid such threads in this forum).

Sigh… I know, I know, no advertising on the forums. Mea Culpa!! (I will try and be more subtle ongoing :o)

[Boneman]

True but the sibelius stores have a large customer base whereas myscore store is in its infancy!

[Vergouwen]

Well yes. The point I’m trying to make, however, is that as a composer you have alternatives to sometimes not so ‘cooperative’ publishers. By publishing yourself, you stay in control, and with a bit of luck the internet may provide you even more sales than the hard-copy publisher can; even (or especially) with a well known piece like Greensleeves. Sibelius is one alternative but, with no additional costs and risk, MyScoreStore can be used in parallel.

Stenir, my apologies for ‘hijacking’ this thread. I just wanted to express my support for your work. ‘Uniqueness and marketability’ is one thing, but don’t let it affect what you want to write too much! One of the reasons I personally lost appetite for musicals e.g. is because producers always ‘play safe’, recycling known successes. The same goes for the few (local) publishers I grew up with playing in numerous bands: the same sound, the same music, over and over again.

Let the audience or musicians be the judge of the music. I can’t even start imagining what the world would like if throughout history people only had stuck to proven paths!