At 9:42 AM 02/07/03, Linda Worsley wrote: >If anyone else is contemplating (or actually DOING) online sales, I'd >be interested to hear about it. [...] I mean those of you who are using >the internet to >distribute your own work. I think this is an idea worth pursuing.
I have a few PDFs available for download on my website (including some non-music documents). Most of it is not my own work, unless by "work" you include engraving and editing. I use a system similar to shareware for software; that is, download is unrestricted, but there's a note that says if you keep it you're supposed to mail me a check. There is no technological barrier to downloading the file without paying. For a few of them I have a password in the PDF, but the passwords are displayed on a separate page of my site, with another reminder to send the fee -- so it's not a real barrier, just an additional level of reminder/annoyance. (By the way, I've been told that it's pretty easy to crack a password-protected PDF. Perhaps that has changed, but I doubt it. Using a PDF password does not make your files safe, it only makes it a little harder to steal them.) I do get quite a few responses, though the amount is pretty trivial; most pieces haven't paid for the time I put into them even after a few years. I have no idea how many people download the files without paying, either due to deliberate stealing or simple negligence. I intentionally set my prices low, for the same reason that I don't worry about enforcement: because my primary purpose is just to make the work available, not to make money. (There are also a few PDFs which have no price at all, so they can be downloaded for free.) I do have copyright notices on all my documents, though I don't anticipate any of them ever becoming a source of legal contention. Any document which I want to keep strict control of I would never post in this way. mdl _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
