Borrowing or lending printed music scores. Is it okay?
Well, we don't think so. We think it's bad form.
Copyright-holders have exclusive rights to the use, publication, distribution and licensing of their music. Ownership of copyrights allows creators to benefit from the fruit of their imagination and to make a living from the licensed use of their creations. However, the secondary market in printed sheet music scores, the borrowing, lending, and renting of scores previously purchased from a publisher, is, in our opinion, not okay. The borrowing, lending, and renting of used, printed scores by choral libraries and choral communities to their membership or colleagues is not supportive of composers and publishers. Each time a score is borrowed, loaned or rented, the publisher is deprived of a sale and the composer receives no print royalty.
We discourage the borrowing and lending of copyrighted works in print in secondary markets and we ask our customers to please refrain from lending or renting our physical* scores to others. (* Pelagosmusic printed scores manufactured between our founding in 1998 and the end of December 2024 when we stopped custom printing physical scores).
Pelagosmusic is Paul Halley's exclusive publisher and, since January 1, 2025, we no longer carry physical inventory or offer custom printed physical scores. Why? Because 99% of our customers want licensed downloads. So, customers now have access to works by Paul Halley through our digital download/licensing protocols - fast, easy, cheaper than physical scores (and digital files require little storage space!) Plus, licensed digital files are always the most up-to-date edition of a particular work, and Pelagosmusic can immediately respond to Paul Halley's tweaks and updates to his own compositions. Yes, he's a perfectionist.
Licensed downloads are governed under terms agreed to between Pelagosmusic as the licensor on behalf of Paul Halley, and the licensee named in the agreement. Our download licenses are essentially limited 'print' licenses which authorize the licensee to make a specified number of photocopies from a licensed, watermarked, pdf file, for the licensee's use alone. Licensed pdf files and the photocopies made pursuant to the license are legally protected and may not be shared, distributed, rented, sold or otherwise made available in any form to others outside the organization named as the licensee.
Thank you for your interest in Paul Halley's music and your consideration of his work and talent.
