Some
questions you may have...
What's so special about Graphite Publishing?
As a composer, what are the benefits of
publishing my works through Graphite?
Are there any costs incurred by the composer?
I've heard that Graphite intends to
pay a generous royalty. Is this true?
What is the typical score price?
With Graphite's online sale of pdf
documents, what's to say that someone won't pay for 20 copies of a piece
and print 25 copies?
Please email other questions to
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The
Company
Graphite Publishing is a music publishing company focused
on presenting emerging composers and their works to the music industry
by offering score sales online (via pdf documents).
What's so special about Graphite Publishing?
Rather than focusing solely on publishing music that
pushes musical frontiers with a compromise in audience comprehension,
or work that tips the excellence/accessibility scale more towards accessibility,
Graphite will even the balance by promoting quality new music, but music
that has the power and ability to be appreciated on a basic level on
a first listen. Also, we will build popularity and excitement around
a composer and the work he or she is doing, rather than single out one
excellent piece. I.E., we’re trying to avoid publishing one-hit
wonders.
One way to think about Graphite is to liken it to an art gallery. Not
a museum, but a gallery. In a museum one will find one or two works
by many different artists in an effort to represent a certain style,
or period. In a gallery, the owner picks only a few artists to represent,
but has to choose artists in whose art he or she believes, and whose
work he/she wants to present to the community.
In terms of marketability, it's easiest to liken Graphite Publishing
to specific music series put out by other publishers. As a conductor
or performer purchases music from the series, and realizes that he or
she trusts the brand of that series, a certain trust forms between the
conductor/performer and the quality of music published from that series.
We intend to build this same trust with musicians as an entire company,
rather than as a particular arm of a company.
As a composer, what are the benefits of publishing my works through
Graphite?
The benefit of publishing through Graphite is that we
will create a network of composers that can help promote each other.
If a conductor loves the work by Composer #1, and they learn to trust
the material coming out of Graphite, they will give Composer #2 a chance,
looking for the same high quality and accessibility the received from
Composer #1, because both composers are connected by the Graphite name.
Also, Graphite has a priority to pay composers a high royalty for their
work - one of the highest in the business. We're a company that was
created by and for composers. Graphite believes that the composer should
get the most profit from the sale of his or her creative product.
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Are there any costs incurred by the composer?
No. Since one of Graphite Publishing’s main goals
is to promote composers, we do not believe that a composer should have
to pay to have his or her work published.
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I've heard that Graphite intends to pay a generous royalty. Is this
true?
Graphite has a priority to pay composers a high royalty
for their work - one of the highest in the business. Graphite believes
that the composer should get the most profit from the sale of his or
her creative product. We also believe that acting as a true alternative
to large publishing houses and self-publsihing, we have a responsibility
to make it as beneficial to the composer as possible.
The concept we are adopting offers scores for sale online in pdf format,
to be instantly dowloaded by a customer. The customer pays for how many
scores they intend to make, downloads the file, and the transaction
is complete. Graphite skips the costs of printing, storing inventory,
and postage. We do need to cover the cost of digital online storage
and upkeep of the website, but most of the overhead of traditional score
sales has been avoided.
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What is the typical score price?
Choral scores sold online are $1 a copy. Customers buy
the pdf and choose how many copies they will make of the score. We have
a minimum order amount of 5 copies, and the copies are available in
multiples of five. (So if customers need 57 copies of a score, they
will end up buying 60.)
Scores for smaller ensembles (art songs, etc), are priced based on length
at comparable prices. ($8-20). However, when the customer downloads
art songs from us, they have the right to print two copies of the score
(one for the singer and one for the accompanist, or one for the singer
and one for the conductor/voice instructor, etc.) Parts are included
in the price. The prices of larger scores are negotiated between the
composer and Graphite Publishing.
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With Graphite's online sale of pdf documents, what's to say that someone
won't pay for 20 copies of a piece and print 25 copies?
Many people are concerned with copyright infringment in today's world
of the digital market. The way we see it, there is an equal chance of
illegal copying with online pdf documents as there is with traditional
sheet music.
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