Choral publishers that grant text reproduction rights?
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    I was looking into singing J. Michael Thompson’s “O Cross” for 14th September, and then I stumbled on OCP’s reprint licensing, which mandated a $25 fee to reproduce the text for the congregational leaflet that we print.

    Then I looked over at Manz “E’en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come” for Advent, and I found (apparently) the same kind of deal: MorningStar wants $10 every time we print it for the congregation.

    Is it just me, or did it used to be that publishers granted reproduction rights for the congregation as long as you owned enough copies of the piece for the choir? (GIA, at least, *used* to do that for the congregational refrains and such.)

    And, more importantly, which publishers out there extend this permission today? I have neither the time nor inclination to send money to a publisher that makes me choose between giving the text to the congregation versus paying the equivalent of a small octavo order EVERY time we sing a piece of copyrighted music.

    (NB: We have no use for yearly reprint licenses, etc. All of our congregational music is either PD or already in the pews.)
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • francis
    Posts: 10,799
    Stick to PD or small publishers that will work with you.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,209
    Well, if you only use new pieces like those occasionally, the annual cost could be as low as $150 or so. The bother of making the payment is more a disincentive than the cost.
    Thanked by 3Adam Wood Andrew Motyka Liam
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    The octavo cost itself is $24 for 16 copies. $150 would cover 6 new octavo purchases yearly.

    It’s a sad state, but for what I’m wanting to do, I apparently just need to avoid original texts (or, in “O Cross”’s case, original translations).
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,209
    I'm not sure if I'm understanding this right.

    The choral octavos cost $24 for 16 copies, paid once, and the congregational reprint fee is $25 for -- several hundred copies, paid each time?

    I'm surprised to hear of such a low price for octavos, and such a high price for reprinting.

    Is that typical pricing in your experience?
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,187
    It's like printers ... buy a printer for about 80 bucks,and spend a fortune buying ink for it. Only this is, buy the music to sing for a few bucks, and spend a fortune everytime you use it and want to print the text.

    It's just sick.
    Thanked by 3francis Liam M. Jackson Osborn
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,973
    I use public domain works when I need to print something in a program. 80% or more of my anthems come from CPDL. Those carpet bagging publishers are making very little off me or my parish.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen francis
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,507
    I believe that GIA often allows for printing congregational parts, and includes a little handy box you can copy right in the octavo.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,479
    Some ideas: call the publisher and explain that you are church with no or little budget, and that you woud rather use what $ you have to buy new stuff from the company you are talking to. Publishers can be reasonable in practical situations. For morning star, try chuck peery.
    Also, try contacting the composer. Explain again your non budget.
    It MAY be however, that the publisher is thinking that the music is going to SUNG...did you explain that it will not be?
    GH
    Thanked by 3chonak Kathy Liam
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    Yes, I explained the situation to the person at OCP, to no avail. She threw me to the wolves, as I feared.

    I suspect the issue is that OCP’s model is that so many parishes are willing to buy their reprint license that they might as well not bother with parishes that aren’t.

    I am waiting to hear back from MorningStar, actually. Peery (whom I actually know from another list!) doesn’t work in copyrights anymore but, when I messaged him, seemed to think the situation is not so “dire” as I had thought.
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,080
    Cf.: Sony, Betamax; Video, Blockbuster.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,209
    Felipe, can you tell from the octavos whether Prof. Thompson holds copyright on the text? If so, you might contact him directly.
    Thanked by 1Felipe Gasper
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,479
    It seems rather ridiculous...how much money are they going to make anyway from Assunmption!!!
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    Chonak: As it happened, Prof. Thompson does indeed own the text to that octavo, so all is well.

    MorningStar basically told me that their policy is not meant to exclude (free) printing choral octavo texts in programs. I am going to encourage them to clarify this on their website since, had I not inquired directly, I might have considered the $40 (one-time, in perpetuity) fee not worth the benefit.

    Fortunately I have little need of most of OCP’s catalogue, but their “Trinitas” label does contain a number of nice pieces that would find a happy home in even the most selective church music programs.
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