Dear Peter,
s a composer or other copyright holder, please take time to carefully review the Creative Commons and licensing policies and guidelines.
For those uploading the first time, please remember choose the menu option "New Composition" when uploading your original works (even if they are scans of manuscripts or printouts), "New Arrangement" when uploading new arrangements, and "New Edition" when uploading new editions of public domain works. As it is normally assumed that composers and arrangers have edited their own work, please leave the "Editor" field empty unless another person has actually edited your work (in which case their name should be inserted). Note also that the English term "Editor" is not the equivalent of the French editeur or Italian editore. "Editor" refers to the person who reviewed and corrected the piece, while the French and Italian words are closer to the English word "publisher". In the "Publisher" field, please use your own full legal name, as making your scores and sound files available for free download on this site constitutes "publication" under the laws of most countries in the world. (Note that this is done automatically when using the standard upload tools).
You should be aware that Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 allows for the unrestricted copying, performance (live and broadcast) and recording of the work (including explicitly commercial use) at no charge, with no compensation or royalties payable to the composer or copyright owner for such commercial exploitation. Note also that the all of the acceptable licenses are considered to be IRREVOCABLE once a file has been uploaded with the lawful copyright owner's authorization.
You are free to change the license after upload to something more suitable. IMSLP as a matter of policy will list files under the most permissive licensing terms. Since licenses and public domain dedications are irrevocable, restrictions cannot be added later, but a more liberal license can be selected. Composers are also encouraged to make use of our new template {{NoPerf}}, which automatically places works into a new category - Unperformed Works. To add this template to your pages, simply copy and paste the little template above (curly brackets and all) into the "First Performance" field of the "General Information" section on all work pages.
Before you upload, remember these key points...
PS: For additional and more detailed explanation, please visit our Composer Portal page.
Dear Peter, It is complete unnecessary to include instrumentation as part of the title. We have a complete Category Walker to find works by instrumentation. Also, please follow the guidelines of the Manual of Style when creating pages for works. Additionally, the "Sanner/Typesetter" field should only include your name, not the name of the software used. We have a space limitation for the "Uploader" field, and using your full name creates an undesirable line-break, so using "composer" is better. I realize that this is probably a lot to absorb all at once, so the best procedure is to upload a few pieces, let the admins fix things up and visit your pages to see what has been done. Thanks, Carolus 02:04, 24 January 2012 (UTC) (IMSLP Copyright Admin)
P.S. Among the files uploaded so far, there is *one* -- the Partita Traverse score -- whose license might need vetting with BMI. This 2011 version has its own copyright and is not BMI-registered. However, the 1993 original from which it's derived *is* BMI-registered. Whether on that basis BMI has a legitimate say re the new version's licensing, I don't yet know. If it turns out that they do (even if I terminate my affiliation with them), have I now by agreeing to CC BY-NC-ND forfeited the Performance Restricted license option?
P.P.S. BMI's FAQ says: "BMI may license songs for songwriters who are not currently affiliated"; and "BMI's agreement with its songwriters provides that unless specified otherwise, BMI licenses their copyrighted works, even prior to registration." Does this imply that, even if I were to end my BMI affiliation, whatever I now -- or may yet -- write is trapped in BMI's licensing terms?
P.P.P.S. I just emailed BMI -- Ralph Jackson -- a verbose question on this.
Ralph Jackson of BMI just emailed! They're "investigating these issues" and want a copy of "the license you signed". I've sent a link to IMSLP's BY-NC-ND description page ("the horse's mouth") and invited him to look at my own page. Peter M. Armstrong 02:04, 29 February 2012 (UTC)
The only scoring for this work consists in 21 Csound .sco files, which of course no self-respecting mammal wants to read. I intend to upload -- not those, but -- one PDF sheet of explanation (the content of my CD-jacket blurb), and then separately all 21 MP3 files. Altogether as a package, is such an entry OK? Thanks loads (if not lodes) for your feedback so far!
Ok, the PDF is there. I'll hold off on the MP3s pending BMI's response to my inquiry -- and may forward the conversation as an FYI to you.
Under "Number of Movements/Sections" I'd like to make, not 1 column of 21 items (as is), but rather 3 columns of 7 items each. Can do? Peter M. Armstrong 01:10, 27 January 2012 (UTC)
I managed those columns. You'll see how. But if users are not permitted such shenanigans, just tell me and I'll restore the original.Peter M. Armstrong 16:10, 31 January 2012 (UTC)
I have a couple dozen MP3s to upload. But it just hit me that their copyright status is not consistent. Some -- Additudes! -- were on CD as part of the copyright registration package; but some -- the other synthesized items -- were not included in the package (since I viewed them simply as demos). So: must I, before uploading those latter to IMSLP, first copyright-register them explicitly? Sorry for the fuss.Peter M. Armstrong 16:51, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
To be a little clearer: Each composition is separately copyright-registered. Every registration package contains a score (in either traditional-musical or Csound-.sco format). Some packages contain also an audio file (WAV or MIDI). However, some don't, their audio version having been created only later as an afterthought, for demonstration purposes. It's the status of these afterthought audios that I wonder about.Peter M. Armstrong 21:04, 2 February 2012 (UTC)
Thanks for this clarity! Putting my copyright situation in a nutshell: (1) all the scores were copyright-registered in PDF-only (no LilyPond code, just its output); (2) I've received the "PAu..." certificates for all of them; (3) four of those registration packages did not include also an audio file; (4) I have now synthesized audio for each of those, and requested Copyright Office procedure for registering it; (5) in any case, I'll soon begin uploading 27 other (already registered) MP3's.Peter M. Armstrong 21:10, 12 February 2012 (UTC)
I would like to link this Recordings subheading to a list of selected-performances (mine of other people's music). Only _some_ of the list's entries would in turn link to audio (mp3) of the performances per se. Is this acceptable -- or must such a list contain only those items _with_ audio files?Peter M. Armstrong 16:22, 7 February 2012 (UTC)
Oh, I've just spied this treated instead as a separate _main_ heading (Performances by: Somebody) after the "Compositions by:" listing, with its own Add Files for individual works. Is that the preferred strategy? (If so, is there a sensible way to mention a few performances for which no audio file is available?)Peter M. Armstrong 21:39, 7 February 2012 (UTC)
Oh dear, I must back up. (1) With each Add Work page including its _own_ Performances section (to list my/anybody's recordings of that work), why does the Composer page have a Recordings section at all? Is it meant to highlight the _commercial_recordings_ subset? (2) In any case to avoid confusion, I may well opt for a separate boldface "Performances by:..." header below the Compositions listing. (3) Don't worry re "long to respond". Though now retired as a Unix Sys-Admin, I recall that "stuff happens". Peter M. Armstrong 21:40, 12 February 2012 (UTC)
OK, #2 above must be controlled from a file hierarchically above my Composer page. (Ferruccio Busoni's "External links", "See also", "Miscellaneous Information", and several headings beginning with "Arranged by:" are not even mentioned on his Composer page.) So, if I want to add my "Performances by:" section, where can I do this? Peter M. Armstrong 22:53, 12 February 2012 (UTC)
I see that the Dapper '1' and Dreadful '0' audio files have been flagged, "...cannot be streamed." I thought I uploaded MP3s (that I'd converted from the original MIDs). Isn't MP3 streamable? If not, nevermind; if so, I'll revise my probably-confusing references to "MIDI"; if I uploaded MID files by mistake, I'll submit MP3s to replace them. Peter M. Armstrong 18:45, 19 February 2012 (UTC)
This applies to Katikaze as well. Peter M. Armstrong 19:04, 19 February 2012 (UTC)
For my "Mini-Studies" and "Variations", may I replace "Virtual Performance" with "MIDI-Sequenced Performance"? I want it clear that keyboard playing was not involved.
I forgot to update my audio-file descriptions for 'Dapper 1 and Dreadful 0' AND 'Katikaze'. Have done so now per your specs. But the system is still calling them "unstreamable...MID". I'd swear I installed MP3s. (There's a new item too, the "S-Mode" variations.) Peter M. Armstrong 18:12, 22 February 2012 (UTC)
About my MP3 files -- If the problem is technical (i.e., if they don't stream), then it could be that I distractedly changed their filename extensions (from ".mid" to ".mp3") instead of actually converting their types. FYI, the conversion process (for all OK results) has been a two-step: .mid-to-.wav via timidity, then .wav-to-.mp3 via pacpl. Peter M. Armstrong 15:08, 23 February 2012 (UTC)
Those apparently problematical audio files ("Dapper...", "Katikaze") are indeed MP3s. My mpg123 just played them! Do you want new copies? Peter M. Armstrong 20:53, 25 February 2012 (UTC)
Is it possible to make "Synthesized" the default (highlighted) in my case? I'll be uploading very few "General" items. Peter M. Armstrong 19:49, 19 February 2012 (UTC)
I'd go for that -- swapping the "Recordings" and "Performances" headings, especially since all my piano audio uploads (except Busoni's Sonatina cycle) will be from taped live performances. Peter M. Armstrong 01:01, 21 February 2012 (UTC)
Among the piano audio I want to upload are Busoni's Elegien, from my 1979 Tully Hall recital. However, I dimly recall being under Lincoln Center legal constraints not to publish these (or sell or play them maybe or god-knows-what). So I'd better hold off, at least, til I know just what I mustn't. Do you happen to know whether CC's Performance Restricted license would accommodate their demands? Peter M. Armstrong 17:35, 20 February 2012 (UTC)
Sorry, I wasn't clear. As I understand (misunderstand?), the issue here wasn't the repertoire, but the fact that my performance was taped at Lincoln Center. I was given the tape, or a copy of it, on condition that I not sell it (or publish it or whatever). Just what their control consists of, I'd better find out. Peter M. Armstrong 03:39, 22 February 2012 (UTC)
He (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Levy) has no IMSLP Composer page. So, to upload my performance of his "Five Pieces (1945)", I'm about to create one. Or was, til I saw: "Do not create composer pages for composers who are not in the public domain (died less than 50 years ago), unless you have a work that the composer him/herself allowed the distribution of under a permissible license...." Oh dear. My performance had EL's Novello agent's blessing and positive feedback from EL himself -- but I reckon that's all "neither here nor there". Any hope for this (say, again, via CC's Performance Restricted license)? Peter M. Armstrong 19:47, 20 February 2012 (UTC)
P.S. Of course -- it just hit me -- I'd be uploading only the performance (not also the score), if you guys allow. Peter M. Armstrong 19:47, 20 February 2012 (UTC)
Oh dear. I'd better write Novello -- to clear up at least the first hurdle. (Hope they're more responsive than BMI recently.) Peter M. Armstrong 23:28, 21 February 2012 (UTC)
I'm tempted to use the work-page bottom section to duplicate each score's Program Notes. Feasible? Peter M. Armstrong 21:13, 20 February 2012 (UTC)
I just perpetrated "COMPOSITION NOTES" -- a ton for each of my compositions (except for two that only point to a separate file). These are "just in case" the score Viewer fails to displaty them readably. Where it succeeds instead. I'll probably erase these entries. Meanwhile, you get to peek. Peter M. Armstrong 21:01, 25 February 2012 (UTC)
Docs point to the Beethoven Op. 11 page to show Previews and Thumbnails. I see the former but not the latter. Where's a Thumbnail box? Peter M. Armstrong 01:04, 23 February 2012 (UTC)
OK, I see TNs & PVs now, have opted to use the former, and have converted some original .ps files to .jpg via ImageMagick. The results are sorta-ok if a little fuzzy around the edges. I just tried to upload one to see how it will fare stuffed into a Thumbnail. But the system yells that .jpg. (as required) "is not an acceptable file type". I don't get this, as my .jpg portrait had been accepted. How should I proceed here? Peter M. Armstrong 22:56, 24 February 2012 (UTC)
I just successfully installed a Thumb for each of my compositions, and a new Pic. In the process I saw that I had uploaded all my MP3 files via the form for PDFs, not via "Upload file"! Again -- if you want new (correct) uploadings of those two troublesome items (Dapper; Katikaze) after our BMI dust settles, just yell. Peter M. Armstrong 18:55, 2 March 2012 (UTC)
I see on Beethoven's Op.22 page these see-whole-score links. Can I put such on my pages? Peter M. Armstrong 17:48, 24 February 2012 (UTC)
I've found a few mistakes -- one particularly embarrassing -- in files already uploaded, and make a couple of other improvements anyway. On what conditions does IMSLP tolerate replacement uploads? (Before I haul off and list the items I have in mind.) Peter M. Armstrong 21:08, 25 February 2012 (UTC)