IMSLP Forums

Hi,

I'm not sure if this is a feature request, or if it has been suggested yet, but. . . how about selling copyrighted sheet music in IMSLP? Pieces like Shostakovich's Symphony Nr. 15 won't be public domain for quite a while, so why not make a deal with a publisher to sell it through here? Even better: how about selling the PDFs?

Gus

I think that's a good idea - I vaguely remember it being mentioned in the forums a while back, before IMSLP came back online.

Selecting a work which is not yet PD could open a link that says something like: "This piece is still under copyright in (region) and is not available for free download. You may purchase a copy at (link)."

Aldona

Actually, if you happen to notice, there are already links to various Dover scores listed on the IMSLP Amazon "aStore" for the most-visited pages. (Look on the Beethoven symphony pages to see what I'm talking about.) When you click on one of these links and purchase a score, you're still buying it from Amazon, but IMSLP will get a sales commission on the purchase. There are "aStores" set up for the USA, UK, Germany (DE), and France (FR). We're adding more of these links all the time, and we'll be adding links for scores available at Sheet Music Plus as well in the near future.

The recording links added shortly after our re-opening have at least enabled IMSLP to pay all the server and bandwidth charges, which is certainly much preferable to Feldmahler having to pay them out of his own pockets - so many thanks to all of those who've helped keep IMSLP running by purchasing items at Amazon via those links. Also many thanks for the kind donations that have been sent via PayPal since our re-opening.

It would be fantastic if there were more integration between pages, and links to where the sheet music can actually be purchased. For example, I am planning on working on the Rach 1st piano suite, and simply for convenience I wanted to buy the sheet music in print.

Ideally I would have gone to one place (preferably IMSLP), and been linked to where to buy this piece, perhaps in a variety of other formats and settings (a solo piano transcription, a compilation with other Rachmaninoff piano duets/4 hand works). I ended up buying a 2 part set from sheetmusicplus for almost 40 dollars, would be nice to know where the best deals are without having to shop around.

Thanks for your encouragement. We're going to try and add some features in this area soon.

Carolus, on a side note, is it possible to include links to other sheet music sites as well besides Amazon? For example, Sheet Music Plus, JW Pepper, Schott, Kalmus, Boosey and Hawkes, Brietkopf and Haertel etc. This is because not all public domain music are necessarily sold by Dover/Amazon.

Yeah, plus if it's being sold, then it doesn't have to be PD - we could link to nice editions like Henle, Breitkopf, Barenreiter...

I don't know the exact plans for the database project (IMDBP if I'm not mixing up the letters again) that is currently being developed, but it seems to me that it would be the right place for, well, a database of links to places where you can buy scores.

I wouldn't like to see the IMSLP itself turn into a mere link collection with some downloadable scores far and between. After all, the "L" stands for Library, and in a library you expect to find books on the shelves, and not just a slip of paper with a note telling you where to buy the book you were looking for...