User-controlled "download".
Hi!
I am close to give up.. and is almost were I do not dare to ask,
but after beeing asked to upload my question here, I do.
I am so happy for the oppurtunity I have had this last year, I have found it SO valuable to recieve comments and appreciation from others. I now dare to show others my work.
English is not my everyday-language, so pleace have mercy. :-)
But as a composer, I really want to be able to decide myself
- if people should be able to download my scores or not.
And I understand that it can be difficult for a non-composer to understand my point of view.
Believe me, I have recived enough "pepper" and I am fully aware that the purpose of musescore is sharing.
But it is only the degree of sharing I would like to decide myself.
One thing is sharing through uploading our scores and music for others to listen to,
and watch! That is cool. And that is GREAT!
And the possibility to coment and get comments - fantastic!
But if others want to download my music, it is very easy for them to ask me - and I will send them PDF, if wanted. Then I am in control.
But very few others need to download anything, unless they want to steal something..
Most of us learn from the others by watching it online.
I se there is a very clear difference in using the oppurtunity. For choirleaders - OF course - they must have the possiblilty to give out scores for their choir. Great! Let us!
And friends will make colloborations - Great! Let us.
And some of us, composers really want to show others our work, for comments and developement. Great! Let us!!
But let me decide from score to score, if I allow "anyone and everybody" to download my latest piece. It might not even be finished yet.
I do not think it is difficult either, to make the "download"-button a choise. Activate - or not.
Then we are able to hold some control over our own works.
There is to many people out there that doesn't know what "All rights reserved" means.
I might be wrong, I am not a developer. But I believe it is very easy to make the
download-button as a choice. (like the choice we have to make a score private or not.
I really wish that someone would understand why this is so important for me. I have got so many patronizing comments about "why do you bother, you do not need to be here - just move on to Sound-Cloud and YouTube.." and so on. And frankly - it hurts.
Because this comunity has meant so much to me this last year.
Well.
Thanks for listening.
Sincerely yours,
Marianne Ervum.
active, daily user of Musescore,
and the musescorecom.
Comments
Buonasera Marianne. I agree with your point of view but ...
Any button to allow / block the download does not solve the problem. A print screen is enough to catch the score. Protect your own jobs with copyright today is not too difficult, is a safer way.
We see what the community thinks.
A single print screen does not normally show the entire score. Normally it at least takes some scrolling and multiple screen shots. You then have to reenter the song into your program to finish stealing it. This makes it less easy to steal someone's music. Most thieves are thieves because they are lazy and not allowing them to simply download a copy will at least slow them down, just like a lock on your front door only slows down a determined thief.
In reply to A single print screen does by mike320
I agree with you, that it would at least close the door for the most lazy ones.. .:-)
I can't speak for the development of musescore.com because I am not involved with that in any way whatsoever. I can only respond as a fellow user.
First, I am sorry you perceive the advice you have been given to be patronizing and hurtful. I can't speak for anyone else, but when I suggested you try to find a service that is better suited to yours needs - one that is *not* specifically designed to allow users to share scores but one that is simply designed to allow musicians to get feedback on their music - I did not intend it to be patronizing or hurtful. I simply think it is good advice, and am confused as to why you do not see it as such. Surely such sites exists. Have you tried searching for them?
And again, downloading something that has been shared is *not* stealing. If you don't want something downloaded, do not share it. it really is as simple as that, and this is not meant to be patronizing or hurtful. It is, again, simply good advice.
Of course it is technically *possible* to make it so that scores on musescore.com are not downloadable unless the owner gives permission. And once again, I must emphasize I have absolutely nothing to do with the development of musescore.com. But I *can* see why the developers might be reluctant to add such an option. Most of the people who come to musescore.com come specifically because they can download scores for free. If the scores are no longer offered there for free download, people would likely stop coming. Sure, if only *some* scores are not available for download, then only *some* users would stop coming. But I have to imagine that musescore.com is better off with *more* users, not *fewer*.
In reply to I can't speak for the by Marc Sabatella
Hi! :-)
Thank you for answering. It is not only you that have commented that I should find other forums.. and I do not take your suggestions as patronizing. Language/culture-differences might confuse us a bit here too.
But the suggestions to "leave", "find other forums" makes me sad in a way. I find it hard because it feels like leaving my first love, or something. :-)
I think that is why I am touchy about it. I love it too much to leave.
Musescore and the com has been fantastic. That is why I really want to stay here.
And the consept of sharing is great. The comunity has been wonderful.
And I have not been able to find comunities like this one.
I like it - work with it and talks to friends almost every day. (Yes - I also have YouTube, and SoundCloud, but its not the same.)
And I love the possibilities to share.
Other than -
I feel very strongly against the "download"-button. Or "share" to other forums, for that sake.
This new layout - makes those features extra visible.
I do not follow you completely- about the part that so many comes to get free scores.
I believe - if they do, it would be just as easy for them to just ask the composer to send the scores. That way, we keep the control over our own rights. I also believe most people and composer wants to share. And that most of pur users come to share their work and get advice. critisizm and praises.
-----
I have to end this for tonight. It's 01:17 here, I have to find my bed. I have gone on and on about this, and have to accept that you do not share my point of view.
And I dont know if there is a way around this - that I see as a problem, or not.
Of course one option is not to share at all.
Or maybe it might be easier to just share pieces of a composition, and maybe upload a soundfile through YouTube. That would make the pieces less tempting to download..? I do not know.
If all the composers here - and those who arrange music, never upload things they do not have the rights to, of course - then we would have no problems at all... :-)
But I have seen it myself, that pieces where shared - even though the one who had uploaded it had no rights at all, and yes; stole another persons music and uploaded it for free. (the original composer also tried to sell the same music at his own site.)
Over and out, from me. Have a blessed sunday!
Tomorrow might very well be a great day!
Greetings from Norway,
Marianne.
In reply to Hi! :-) Thank you for by Marianne Ervum
Well for my part I'd never suggest you leave! If I suggest you look elsewhere, I mean, in addition to continuing to participate here. If you have some scores you are planning on publishing and hence don't want people to be be able to download for free, fine, but maybe share other scores freely here, which is a great way to generate interest in your music. Just a suggestion.
As for having users ask composers if they will email scores, of course that is possible, but it's a lot harder than simply pressing a download button, or accessing the score via the mobile app on their phone or tablet. For many people, needing to jump through that extra hoop - and possibly be rejected - would be a deal breaker. So again, users who rely on the ability to download scores would be
If you have cases where people have uploaded things they don't have the rights to, feel free to report it through the official channels. In general, such reports are taken seriously and the offending scores are taken down. If you are saying this has happened to you once or twice, I'm sorry, but I wouldn't let an isolated bad experience like that put you off the whole idea of sharing your music.
In reply to Well for my part I'd never by Marc Sabatella
Hi!
Yes, I have reported a user earlier, for uploading what was not his own, but I do not know if anything happened. He showed some sort of misunderstood PR for the other composer.. and the scores were uploaded, free for others to download. But I did not follow it up more than reporting. It might have been removed in the end.
Yes - I have now officially withdrawn my scores. Almost everyone.
Deleted them, and am feeling a bit sad because of the fact that my point of view seem not important for the developers.
That is totally OK. I got to express my opinion, and tried to do make a change - and say, what I find very important as a composer.
But as I find it now -
the musescore-developers seem to have the user - (downloader) more in mind, than the composers and respect for the fact that what many of us upload is marked with copyrigt.
As long as it is possible to download and rearrange - and upload, the "copyright" is very easy violated.
It would been better if the mscz-scores were unable to download, but even better if the pdf-s could be kept as ours to.
Without going all the way to explain one more time back and forth again;
I really appreciate the thoughts about sharing. I love the fact that we can share. And I have shared done a lot.
And I have SO much appreciated to hear and see - other composers work.
But I disagree the fact that good work has to be shared as "downloading" the scores.
In all friendship - we have to agree to disagree.
I am really sorry. I believe that Musescorecom over time will loose the best composers and the best compositions.
But I have now stated my opinion, and are grateful for the oppurtunity to do that. I believe and hope that some developers also are composers, and that you some way or another will register if the good composers leave. And hopefully if that happens, then you will change your mind.
Of course it might be just me feeling the need to withhold some of my works, of fear for misuse.
Take care!
Thank you for everything You do!
I have appreciated - really, BIG time this last year,
working and almost daily seeing my friends in msc.
Best wishes,
Marianne Ervum.