What is the Free-scores.com license?
It is a tool to sell or give your permission for public performances of your scores. Your scores are still freely available. This service provides an additional way to monetize your content clearly indicating to visitors that your sheet music requires a license for use outside the private area.
We offer two types of licenses :
Licence to authorize public performances
(live concerts and shows)
License to authorize the use in educational settings
(teachers and music schools)
For members who added the scores:
By selling the Free-scores.com licenses, you establish a clear framework for musicians who want to play your works in public / or use your works in an educational setting.
The Free-scores.com licenses facilitates approach between composers, arrangers and musicians by providing a transaction tools for delivering these permissions.
For people who download and play scores in public:
Buy today Free-scores.com licenses, you make sure you have the necessary authorizations from right holders. Free-scores.com issue a certificate after each transaction that will allow you to prove to a jury or other authority regarding the good regulatory practice of the sheet music use.
Principles for the seller:
Free-scores.com gives you the tools necessary to sell your authorization licenses:
- A shopping cart for the sale of licenses.
- You earn money from the 1st sold authorization.
- You do not have to sell your licenses, you can offer them for free.
- Your sheet music are still available for free download on Free-scores.com.
- Free-scores.com provided a certificate musicians as evidence (eg for competitions).
Prerequisites for the seller:
- You have to offer free access sheet music on free-scores.com which you own the rights.
- You must have a Paypal account (but is not required if you offer free licenses only).
- Your Paypal account must have a verified status (consult paypal about this ).
Examples :
- Here is example of sheet music page offering paid licenses.
- Here is a PDF preview page with a cover page (it is important to enable Free-scores.com cover page with the licenses because it reminds offline existence of the license.))
Frequently Asked Questions::
Document sans nom
F.A.Q. for sellers :
What is the Public Performance license ?
License granted by you and authorize musician to play your music during public events only (concerts and live performances).
This license has a minimum validity of 1 year for an unlimited number of performances.
This license is not a license to reproduce or a license to broadcast audio files. It is not valid for the concert organizers.
What is the License for Educational Purposes delivered by free-scores.com ?
License granted by you and allows teachers to teach and play your music in the context of individual or group lessons.
It also allows public performances in school establishment
This license has a minimum validity of 1 year for an unlimited number of performances.
Who provides the final authorization?
Free-scores.com is only a channel through which you distribute your permissions under Free-scores.com license sales. Only you have the right to authorize or not the use of your work in public. However, using the service to sell Free-scores.com license and in accordance with our terms and conditions, you delegate the technical management of these authorizations by free-scores.com automatically via our transaction system. You agree that the license granted to a user by free-scores.com is actually your own personal authorization.
Why should i feature to buy licenses while my scores are free to download on free-scores.com ?
You offer on free-scores.com comprehensive and freely accessible scores. Using Free-scores.com as a delivery you stay within the context of sharing and accessibility of your work to a wider audience. By cons it is normal that if public performance of your scores, musicians ask for your permission and that it is paid (you can also offer the free license). A number of visitors take the plunge and you write messages to ask for your permission. But we believe that a significant part of the musicians never take the plunge for a number of reasons, here are a few: afraid your answer is no, fear of the amount you could claim them, for lack of time or motivation to make contact, or lack of explanation and context: as the scores is free, while some believe that you can do anything with your free scores ...).
The free-scores.com license provides a clear and precise framework for the musician to know that action on his part is necessary if he wants to play your part in public.
Buy a free-scores.com license amounts to the same thing as buying a scores retroactively trade. Generally buy an original score Trade implicitly allows the authorization of the composer, it is the same with the free-scores.com license. The only differences being that the license is limited in time (per 1 year) and your partition is free.
Is that all scores are affected by these licenses?
No, you have to be full owner of the copyright and publishing rights of affected scores. We do not allow the exploitation of the work in connection with the sale of license under this program if it is akin to the "copy fraud" (commercial exploitation of a public domain work). Your score, if it comes from a public domain work should be an arrangement that provides additional value that is not currently represented on our site as a version of a different main instrument(s), an adaptation to a specific level or arrangement in a style that is different from the original and more generally that is not a simple transcription of the original work or arrangement of any other commercial or free publisher. If we determine that the arrangement does not contain enough unique value, then we reserve the right to reject and block the licensing of scores involved.
I am already an associate of an author's society , is that a problem ?
If you are an associate of an author's society (such as SACEM) know that this license is compatible with your affiliation. An organization such as SACEM is for concert organizers, the media that carry the declarations and payments of royalties. Your free-scores.com license speaks directly to the musicians. You allow the musician to use your score, it does not affect the obligation of the organizers to pay their fees to management author's society.
What price should I offer?
We recommend practicing a price that is of the same order of magnitude as those on the market for the sale of digital sheet music. For example for a solo piano piece, prices are between 2 and 6.99 USD$. Adjust the price depending on the size of the work, an orchestral score will always cost more than a piece for solo piano.
Explanation of license management and "Default Rates" ?
On the page http://www.free-scores.com/espace-membres-uk/parametres_licences.php there are 3 parts :
• the check box "Licences scores activation" : If you uncheck this option will disable all license sales on free-scores.com for your scores.
• the form "Default Rates" :
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If your prices are always the same for each scores, complete this form once for each and every time you add a scores, set your prices with a single click, having previously fulfilled your Default Rate .
- Also you can make price changes on a set of scores using the listing of your scores which is present below this form. Note that changing the default rates do not change the price of scores. you'll always need to click on "apply the default rates" to apply the default rates on scores selected.
An example: you are a composer with fifty pieces on free-scores.com, half are piano solo scores and the other half are orchestral scores. You probably want to assign different rates depending on whether the scores is for piano or orchestra. Begin to define a default price with the "default rates" form for solo piano, then check the cases of all piano solo in the listing and click at the very bottom of the list the link called "Apply default rates." Then repeat the same process with the orchestral pieces, having previously changed the default rates.
• "Scores list" : This is the listing of your scores, check boxes on the right column of the table allow you to group your scores for applying default rates.
Paid and unpaid events?
Means paid events, all concerts and live performances with musicians playing your score will be paid by the organizer of the event.
Means all unpaid charity events and volunteers whose musicians playing your score are not paid. We distinguish the two cases like this you have the choice to offer less expensive licenses (or free) for unpaid events. You can also set the same rate in both cases. It makes sense to indicate a higher fee for paid events.
Why are there several price fields to complete?
The basic price is field that is surrounded by orange for "unpaid event" and "one musician" If the check box "automatic calculation" is set, then write a prize in this box will also fill the other boxes in a free-scores.com coefficient which is indicative. You have the ability to change prices manually. In this case an icon in the shape of a broken chain appear next to the amended tariff. Click this icon broken chain for automatic calculation is active again on this field.
What means the "Band formation" column ?
This is the number of musicians who can play your music together in the same public performance. The musician numbers represents different configurations of musicians. Buy a license for 2-5 players is suitable for duo to quintet band.
Explanations and tips to fill in the price:
- If you leave a field with the value 0.00, the license concerned shall be considered free for a period of 1 year (except in the case mentioned in the next line).
- Prices defined lower level are defined priority. This means that you can not fix cheapest price for 2-5 musiciens that the price set for 1 musicien. If you enter a value in the "1 musicien" all other top fields will default to the same rate, unless you specify a value greater than the fields.
- Our shopping cart system is in its first beta. It is likely that you encounter inconsistencies in setting your prices. For example if you set the price for a quartet score it is likely that you do not want to appear the license for only 1 musician. Indeed, for a quartet is supposed to be 4 musicians, so the license for 2-5 musiciens would be one that is most suited. However you have to set a price in the box "1 musician."
You have two possible strategies of price in the case of this quartet:
• Either you put the same price in the boxes "1 musician" and "2-5 musicians".
• Or enter in the box "1 musician" with a divided by 4 compared to the "2-5 musician" check price. That leaves it up to each musician to pay its share and that everyone has an individual license.
However, because of Paypal bank charges for each transaction, the fewest transactions is preferred to maximize your final income.
We therefore recommend the first solution is to let the license with an indivisible price and place the same price for 1 musician and for 2-5 musicians (in the case of our quartet).
Here is another case where you might find an inconsistency. If you set prices for a solo piano piece, it may be incongruous to set prices for 2-5 musicians or even 21 + musicians since the piece is played alone. But you still need to fill in these fields prices. In this case, let the computer fix the prices of other cells that do not really relate to the part.
How and how much do I get paid?
You must have a paypal account. You will receive instant payment for each purchase to your Paypal account. You will earn 70% of the amount deducted from commission fees of the transaction through PayPal. Free-scores.com be paid up to 30% on each sale.
Are buyers can tell us the use they will make of this license?
ot yet, but we plan to implement a private messaging system so that the buyer can leave a comment during the purchase process. It is not yet in place. At the moment we invite buyers to leave you a message in your contact box.
What evidence will the buyer on the authenticity of a license?
After each purchase, a certificate of approval will be sent to the purchaser of the license. This authentic certificate can not be forged through the establishment of several QR codes Control Survey pointing to our server database. They used to verify the authenticity and validity of the certificate in any Internet-connected location.
Once prices are set for each scores, what should I do?
There is a very important step that can conditioner success of your license : indeed it is highly advisable to turn the free-scores.com cover page on. If you set up a license, the front page of your PDF will display an area dedicated to the license so that the musician does not lose sight of this information. If your PDF is already in line before setting up your license, you will need to regenerate the page of your PDF. Convert PDF with our service automatic conversion of PDF.
Document sans nom
F.A.Q. for buyers :
What are these licenses?
Free-scores.com is the intermediary between the artist and the musician in the transmission of authorizations. These licenses are authorizations of the composers, arrangers and publishers necessary for your public performances, your auditions or other public events.
After purchase, a certificate of approval will be sent. It serves authentic certificate in "original score" of your public performances. The establishment of several QR codes that link control on our servers database used to verify the authenticity and validity of the certificate on any Internet-connected location with a smartphone.
License public performances :
This license granted by composer, arranger or publisher of the scores only allows musician(s) to play the part in the context of public representation in concerts and live shows.
This license has a minimum validity of 1 year for an unlimited number of performances.
This license is not a license to reproduce or a license to broadcast audio files. it is not valid for the concert organizers.
License for educational purposes :
This license granted by composer, arranger or publisher of the scores allows teachers and/or music school to teach and play the score in an educational setting individual or group lessons located inside of an institution of musical education or home. It also allows public performances of the works in a music establishement. This license has a minimum validity of 1 year for an unlimited number of performances.
I note that the composer is an associate of an author's society, do I have to pay twice, the Free-scores.com license and royalty to the author's society (ex.SACEM in France)?
No, an organization such as SACEM is for concert organizers, media ... that must make the reports and royalty payments.
If you play the piece in concert you are required to send the song list to the organizer of the concert, which will carry him to the declaration and payment of the fee.
You, as you are the musician (not the organizer of concert), you must only comply with the Free-scores.com license which represents the direct permission of the composer, arranger or publisher of the score for any public performance.
Paid and unpaid events?
Means paid events, all concerts and live performances with musicians playing your score will be paid by the organizer of the event or by the public.
Means all unpaid charity events and volunteers whose musicians playing your score are not paid.
What means the musician number on the column "option" ?
This is the number of musicians who can play the music together in the same public performance. The musician numbers represents different configurations of musicians. Buy a license for 2-5 players is suitable for duo to quintet band.
Who gets the money for the license, then how is it distributed?
Your payment goes directly into the Paypal artist for 70% account. Free-scores.com be paid up to 30% of the transaction amount.
Our project is beyond the scope of licenses you offer.
If your project involves the reproduction (on sale support, used for a TV commercial and more widely used in a media context outside the public performance) then you should contact the owner of the scores by using our contact form.
Copyright and uses
You'll find on free-scores.com copyright notices :
- Personal Copyright : This copyright notice relates to sheet music added by composers, arrangers, and publishers who use free-scores.com for sharing their works. It is shown as "Copyright Composer name © All rights reserved" or is announced by an equivalent sentence. The use of the sheet music is only allowed in private area. All other uses by the musicians must be authorized provided by the beneficiary of the sheet music. Free-scores.com can deliver these authorizations via our Free-scores.com License . The license comes with a tool that allows to make free and commercial transaction between composers and musicians in the context of public performance and/or teaching exploitation - see Further up this page for information on free-scores.com license.
If the composer is associated to an authors' society, concert organizers are required to report the songs played in public.
For more information about Authors' societies .
- Public Domain - Any music in the public domain is either
entirely out of copyright, or has been placed in the public domain by the composer/arranger/editor.
You can basically do what you like with this music - print it out, sell it,
change it, distribute it, record it, and perform it, etc.
- Creative Commons licence - A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work. A CC license is used when an author wants to give people the right to share, use, and build upon a work that they have created. For more
information, see the Creative Commons website at: http://creativecommons.org/
- Free Art License :
More information about this coypright on
: http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en/
- CPDL copyright
license : This is a type of open-source license which allows users
to download, print, copy and distribute a score freely. The only restriction
is that, if any changes are made to a score or text, the subsequent modified
version must still be released under the same license conditions.
Full licence text available on : http://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/ChoralWiki:CPDL