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Publishing Band Arrangments?

6K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  bobsax 
#1 ·
I have an aspiration to one day (hopefully) publish some of my band arrangments (if they are worthy) for distribution. I know nothing of this process at all. I'm not too interested in money, but it would be nice to know all the details. How do I get a publishing company to publish the music? What else goes into this process and how long does it take? Does anyone here have experience with this? Also, once I have a company to publish it, where do I go for sales (places like JW Pepper). How do I get them to advertise it for purchase?:?

Thank you all in advance,
bluesaxgirl
 
#2 ·
Send your scores to the publishers and they'll take it from there. They make all the copyright arrangements and handle advertisement and distribution. It's probably best to send a cover letter with a brief description of your background.
 
#4 ·
Thanks guys. I think you all make it seem easier than it is. :) How would I get it unto a major website? (like J W Pepper?)

Another question: Would I need a pen name, I would use my real name "T. S. Johnson", but everyone thinks it is too common.

I appreciate your comments in advance because it might be a few months before I'm even finished with one of them in its entirety.
 
#5 ·
First, you need to protect your arrangements with a copyright. That is very important. If they are in fact "arrangements," you also would need to obtain the usage rights to the music if it is copyrighted.

As for getting on J.W. Pepper, that is probably not a goal you want to reach for. The major band publishing companies that are represented there (C.L. Barnhouse, Kjos, ect.) are mainly interested in educational music. So unless you are writing music for middle school bands or your name is either Swearingen, Huckeby, or Holsinger , they most likely wont buy your arrangements.

Instead of worrying about major circulation of your work, reach out to local musicians and composers and have them look at your work. Word of mouth is still the best publicity.

Most of all, keep practicing. Get some books on harmony and counterpoint, and listen to lots of music. You may think that these compositions are worthy now, but in a years' time you very well may look back at them and laugh.
 
#6 ·
I have it on good authority that having a tape or cd of a band playing the song, especially at a concert will really help you out. At the end of the year when your band does nothing you might want to ask your director about having the band work on and record your song.
 
#7 ·
saxmanglen said:
Danny Baer owns Walrus Music Publishing. He plays trumpet in one of the bands I play with regularly. He'd be able to help you with what your wanting to do.

http://www.walrusmusic.com/

There's a phone number at the bottom of the site you can call if you want to talk to him.
A friend of mine, Steve Kessler, has just gotten his jazz band arrangements published at Walrus Music, and those arrangements are now available at JW Pepper.

I have two beginning band pieces that I will be sending out after I edit them, and make a recording. I have no delusions of grandeur here, and don't expect to get rich, it would just be really cool to be published.

Steve
 
#8 ·
Regarding: "First, you need to protect your arrangements with a copyright. That is very important. If they are in fact "arrangements," you also would need to obtain the usage rights to the music if it is copyrighted."

If you are dealing with a major publisher you do not need to do any of that. They are not going to steal your arrangement and they will also make the appropriate arrangements with the copyright holders.
 
#9 ·
saxymanzach said:
As for getting on J.W. Pepper, that is probably not a goal you want to reach for. The major band publishing companies that are represented there (C.L. Barnhouse, Kjos, ect.) are mainly interested in educational music. So unless you are writing music for middle school bands or your name is either Swearingen, Huckeby, or Holsinger , they most likely wont buy your arrangements.
lol. You forgot Pearson.
 
#11 ·
saxmanglen said:
Danny Baer owns Walrus Music Publishing. He plays trumpet in one of the bands I play with regularly. He'd be able to help you with what your wanting to do.

http://www.walrusmusic.com/

There's a phone number at the bottom of the site you can call if you want to talk to him.
Glen, or anyone,

Is there an email address for Walrus Music? I'd like to contact them regarding some of my own arrangements, but calling them is not really practical from Australia. I looked but couldn't find one on the site.

Thanks,
Dan
 
#12 ·
danerida said:
Glen, or anyone,

Is there an email address for Walrus Music? I'd like to contact them regarding some of my own arrangements, but calling them is not really practical from Australia. I looked but couldn't find one on the site.

Thanks,
Dan
I'll be playing a gig Saturday with the band he and I play with but he's arranged a sub because he's at IAJE or some other educators thing with an exhibit.

I did find the following email for Danny Beher

dbeher@E-ZNET.COM

I hope it helps you.
 
#13 ·
It all depends how "big time" you want to be. If you want to interest the major publishers, you have to produce product that they think will sell a lot of copies - the cynical view is that they are more interested in making money than music. If you are more interested in doing your own thing, you can either publish it yourself (it's not too difficult to produce the printed music these days, but distribution is a pain), or go with a small-time more specialised publisher. This latter approach is what I take with my student string orchestra pieces, which are published by a specialist education publisher (Middle C Associates) here in Australia.

In the case of my choral pieces, I decided that the chance of getting publishing contracts was slim, so I just put them up on the net, and they are publicised mainly through the Choral Public Domain Library. I don't get any revenue from sales, but I do get some from performance royalties, and more importantly I get immense satisfaction from seeing these works appear on concert programs in various other parts of the world. A couple of my arrangements recently appeared (via performances in Italy) on YouTube - no money, but a whole pile of satisfaction.

Now, if you want to earn your living from it it's another story - then you have to be prepared to do what the customer wants.
 
#15 ·
It all depends how "big time" you want to be. If you want to interest the major publishers, you have to produce product that they think will sell a lot of copies - the cynical view is that they are more interested in making money than music. If you are more interested in doing your own thing, you can either publish it yourself (it's not too difficult to produce the printed music these days, but distribution is a pain), or go with a small-time more specialised publisher. This latter approach is what I take with my student string orchestra pieces, which are published by a specialist education publisher (Middle C Associates) here in Australia.

In the case of my choral pieces, I decided that the chance of getting publishing contracts was slim, so I just put them up on the net, and they are publicised mainly through the Choral Public Domain Library. I don't get any revenue from sales, but I do get some from performance royalties, and more importantly I get immense satisfaction from seeing these works appear on concert programs in various other parts of the world. A couple of my arrangements recently appeared (via performances in Italy) on YouTube - no money, but a whole pile of satisfaction.

Now, if you want to earn your living from it it's another story - then you have to be prepared to do what the customer wants.
Great comments from Tasmania !
How cool is that? :)
 
#14 ·
There are companies and web sites that have been mentioned and Walrus is a very good one to go with. I've bought a number of charts from them. There is an email contact someplace on the site 'cause I've used email to ask about charts.

Another site I would suggest you look at is www.pdfjazzmusic.com which is run by Jim Martin. He does his own arranging but he's also got charts by other folks available by pdf download from his site. I've also obtained charts this way and this a really good way to distribute stuff.
 
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