This was looking really good until you got to the payment details. Even with your explanation, taking a 50% to 90% cut seems excessive. The amount of work you describe doesn't necessarily increase for a more expensive piece but you'll take a lot more payment. Also, as a beginning composer the fact you don't actually get paid until you become successful, which has no guarantee, is a complete turn off. You're already taking most of the sale price, yet it sounds like an excuse to keep the rest of it. So much for being "really easy"
Thank you for your comment! Musicnotes is a licensed platform, which means we have the proper permissions and ensure the underlying copyright holders and songwriters are paid their full rate. A minimum royalty threshold is industry standard and helps lower processing fees (which benefits all involved parties). Please note, it’s possible the minimum threshold will be adjusted in the future. We appreciate your feedback and will take it into consideration.
Hey Caleb! Since I'm the one talking on this vid and since I also have experience with both my own private online stores as well as working with Musicnotes, I just wanted to chime in. My own costs for website, webstore, and related stuff comes out to about $1,000 per year. So in order for my own original compositions, which selling on my own store I'd keep 100% of the revenue, to pay for the store, I have to sell at least 100 copies @ $10/copy. So 100 copies would make for a 0% return on my investment in the webstore. Numbers above 100 would start to return... ie 150 copies would be a 50% return... 200 copies would be a 100% return. For a composer just starting out, that's a *whole lot* of music to sell online just to break even and not lose money. That's where I see the beauty in the Musicnotes plan... there is literally no risk to the composer: there's no initial outlay of capital, there's no web design or maintenance, there's no time spent building your store or updating it every time you release a new piece, and there's no cost in hiring it out to a web designer. I'd happily let go of 50% of the revenue in exchange for 0 minutes of my time and $0 outlay, *especially* if I'd think that I would sell less than 100 copies per year. Add to that the cost of licensing on covers (which can be insane), and it's quite an attractive offer. I was recently in on a contract between a company and a music publisher... and the publisher demanded $25,000 to license ONE song to the company for only 3 months of time. That's the kind of ballpark I've seen, which is simply prohibitive to any music creator that's not a superstar. Anyway, just my 2 cents with some examples that I've personally seen.
@@CharlesSzczepanek Thanks so much for replying. Clearly I must be a bit green/ignorant when it comes to this whole topic!! It still seems pretty crazy to give up so much of the sale price to someone else, but put in context I can see how it begins to make sense. I might have to look into it again - although the minimum earnings before getting paid out thing is still turn off. Maybe if there was a maximum time before you got paid out regardless it would be easier to sign up. Otherwise I feel like Musicnotes could end up taking all my money if I never hit the threshold. I dunno - things to ponder I guess.
@@cjbralph Yeah, I hear you. From what I've seen, every platform from Google to CDBaby to Distrokid etc all have a minimum threshold to meet before a payout can happen. It seems unavoidable. When I first started, it was well over a year before I got a payout from Google for reaching the minimum. Maybe I'm too used to it? Haha. It's refreshing to hear another opinion 🙂
I heard the amount at the end of the video. I was simply astonished - 10% is a rip-off. You pick up a song, create the arrangement, build your RU-vid channel, build up your audience, send the traffic to their platform and they take away 90% of all that. And the guy says something about expensive website. Nowadays, you can create about ten websites like that for $200 in total.
Hello Eugene, Musicnotes is a licensed platform, which means we have the proper permissions and ensure the underlying copyright holders and songwriters are paid their full rate. A minimum royalty threshold is industry standard and helps lower processing fees (which benefits all involved parties). Please note, it’s possible the minimum threshold will be adjusted in the future. The commission does vary based on the type of music uploaded; for example, for original and public domain pieces, the Marketplace creator would receive 50% of the final sale price, and 10% for copyrighted pieces. This article may help: marketplacecreator.musicnotes.com/hc/en-us/articles/7847111179789-Pricing-Payments-and-Royalties. We appreciate your feedback; please feel free to contact us at support@musicnotes.com with any further questions or considerations.
@@musicnotes The article doesn't really answer the question. It's just repeating what I heard in the video. I get that the author and the service need to make some money, but why do you guys take 50% for original works? You don't even have to deal with legal stuff or pay royalties. And don't give me the talk about the challenges of running the website. eBay doesn't take 50% of what you sell, and I'm pretty sure they have a more complicated setup. I'm guessing that when you sell copyrighted works, you also take half, while the arrangers get 10% and the original authors get 40%. So you end up with more than the actual creators? Doesn't seem fair to me.
And not only that they also take 5% of your 10% for every transaction!! So basically they take all your work without doing nothing! You are only getting 5% for example you want to sell an arrangement that you have been making for days and want to sell it for 6.99 in their page so you are getting the customers for them, from those 6.99 you are only getting 0.3495 thats an insult!! No wonder he’s telling how amazing is to use their page with that stupid smile in he’s face if he’s in his house without doing anything is making millions!!
@@JaimeAcoustic Thank you for your feedback. As a company dedicated to supporting musicians, we understand the importance of fair compensation. Our platform aims to provide exposure for artists while covering operating costs through reasonable fees. We believe our rates allow creators to earn meaningful income from their work. That said, we are always open to feedback on how to improve. Our goal is to build a community where artists and fans mutually benefit. If you have additional thoughts on how we can better serve you, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at support@musicnotes.com. We appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective and want to ensure musicians feel valued on our platform.
A total rip-off. The best way to proceed is through social media, it's free, or if you get a Stan Store you can get as many works for download as you like for a monthly fee.
Quick question: Is it possible to publish a medley of copyrighted music and/or an arrangement of a full album of music (assume all of the individual songs CAN be found on your list of copyrighted songs)? In other words, is it possible to select multiple copyrighted songs at once for a single publish? Thank you!
Hello Alex, thank you for asking! For copyrighted music, Musicnotes Marketplace does not support books, medleys, or collections at this time. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at support@musicnotes.com. This article also answers some commonly asked questions: help.musicnotes.com/hc/en-us/articles/5865974048653-Marketplace-FAQ Hope this helps!
There is the situation I lil bit can't understand. When I choose add copirighted song there is no find this song in the list as avalible for arragnment, but arragnments of this song is selling by others authors. How it can be?)))
Hi Alexey - Please feel free to email our Customer Support Team at support@musicnotes.com and include the name of the song that you're looking to publish. Thanks!
If I’m doing an arrangement of a song but that song doesn’t show up under the “copyrighted” search bar, what would happen if I uploaded it under “original?” I’ve seen popular cover artist use this technique and therefore make 100% earnings.
Hello, Musicnotes Marketplace does not permit uploading copyrighted material under "Originals". We have a process in place for checking uploads, and if such an arrangement is discovered, the account will get a strike. If the account is under the free plan, then the strike will take the place of one of the ten upload slots. If you have any further questions or concerns, or if there is a specific arrangement you're searching for and cannot find, please feel free to contact us via the Marketplace Creator Support page.
Hello, thanks for reaching out! Regarding search, this article may help: marketplacecreator.musicnotes.com/hc/en-us/articles/4422762807309-How-do-I-find-my-arrangements- If you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to email our Customer Support Team at support@musicnotes.com so we can assist you directly. Thanks!
To what extent can an upload be edited in the future? Can I add a RU-vid link later? If I notice a copy error can I reupload the document without creating a new publication? Thanks!
Hi Devin - You can upload a new PDF in place of the arrangement that's already been published. Additionally, you can also update the RU-vid link. If you have any further questions, please reach out to us at support@musicnotes.com. Thanks!
Hey thank you so much for this video! Two questions 1 - what do you do if they don’t have a copyrighted song? Cuz I do Jewish piano covers and they don’t have any?! 2 - how do you get your midi file to make a pdf sheet music to sell? Thanks I’d really appreciate it if you can help me out!
Hello! You can upload copyrighted songs as long as Musicnotes has licenses for the music. Regarding your second question, Musicnotes does not supply music engraving software at this time. However, most modern music engraving software will have the option to export the file as a PDF. For more information, we recommend checking out our FAQ page: help.musicnotes.com/hc/en-us/articles/5865974048653-Marketplace-FAQ If you still have further questions or concerns, please feel free to email our Customer Support Team at support@musicnotes.com so we can assist you directly. Thanks!
@@pianohands8015 To clarify, if Musicnotes doesn't have the licenses for a copyrighted song, you won't be able to upload an arrangement for it. Please let us know if you have any further questions!
Hi Bev - Yes, you can upgrade your membership at a later date. The lifetime membership is currently on sale; stay tuned to our emails for notice of when that promotion will end. Please let us know if you have any other questions!
The platform looked nice until I wanted to delete my score or my account. Is it right that I cannot delete anything and that I 'have not a right to be forgotten"?
Hi Jan - We just wanted to confirm that our Customer Support Team responded to your inquiry yesterday. If you have any further questions, please let them know. Thanks!
Hi, how to make my sheet available for: 1. Interactive (yes) 2. Pro Credit Eligible (yes) What kind of pdf or song or any style or any format of pdf that makes my sheet become interactive. Since only uploading pdf, i dont know how to make my sheet interactive and eligible for pro credit. Also I found some sheets (by someone) are interactive while others not eligible or not supported. Also, my sheet is not eligible for interactive, why this happen? 😊 And another question is why my sheet available for searching on musicnotes website but no result (not found) on musicnotes app?
Hi Wahyu - Thank you for reaching out! Currently, Marketplace arrangements are non-interactive; however, we are looking for ways to make these interactive for all creators. With your second question, Pro Credits cannot be applied to Marketplace arrangements. Finally, at this time, Marketplace arrangements are not available for purchase within the app. However, any Marketplace arrangements that are purchased on our website can still be enjoyed within the app. You can find more information within your Marketplace Creator account. Please feel free to contact us via "Creator Support" if you have any further questions. Thanks!
Hi Kate! For copyrighted music, you can only upload songs as long as we have the licenses for the music. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact our Customer Support Team by emailing support@musicnotes.com. Thanks!
Thank you for the video. I am trying to upload arrangements for Mr. P.C. and Lazy Bird by John Coltrane. They are in the store, but they don’t appear when I’m searching for copyrighted arrangements. Could you please help me with that? Thanks.
Hi Dan - At this time, "Mr. P.C." and "Lazy Bird" cannot be uploaded as a Marketplace arrangement. If you have any further questions, please feel free to email us at support@musicnotes.com. Thanks!
So if I make an arrangement of Star Wars, upload the sheet music to MusicNotes and then a home performance recording of the piece to RU-vid, that will be ok because MusicNotes has payed for the copyright?
Hello Michael, Musicnotes handles the digital print copyright for your sheet music and not videos. You are able to upload copyrighted arrangements that are on our approved list; however, John Williams' compositions are not on that list. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at support@musicnotes.com. Thanks!
I've been looking at selling some sheet music on Musicnotes but have a few questions. First off, I often see music on the site that has decorative things (like a cover page and black border around artist name) Is that required or can you use your own style for your sheet? Also, if the song isn't on the copyright list that you want to arrange, is still possible to put it on Musicnotes with a license?
Hello Connor, decorations are not required for your arrangements; you can use your own style! If a copyrighted song you would like to upload to Marketplace is not on our current list, you can email your request to songrequest@musicnotes.com and our team will consider adding it to the list. Thanks!
For copyrighted music, Musicnotes Marketplace does not support collections at this time. To learn more about the arrangements that can be uploaded, please visit: help.musicnotes.com/hc/en-us/articles/5865974048653-Marketplace-FAQ#h_01G1RHECM9893A1NJ4KBQVJBZ6 If you have any further questions, please feel free to email us at support@musicnotes.com. Thanks!
Hi Jonathan - Marketplace Creators can only upload their arrangements in PDF file format. For more information, please visit: help.musicnotes.com/hc/en-us/articles/5865974048653-Marketplace-FAQ#h_01G1RHA1V1DFCTNE55N6D8V3E2 We hope this helps!
Hello, good video and very valuable. One question: if I make an arrangement of copyrighted commercial music, how can I know if you will be able to publish and sell the score of the arrangement. Is there any way for me to know which songs are going to be published before I make my arrangements. Thank you.
Hello, thanks for reaching out! Yes, you are able to search what copyrighted arrangements are available to be published on Marketplace. After you create an account, you would click "Add Arrangement," select "Copyrighted," and then you can search. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at support@musicnotes.com. Hope this helps!
People will tell you that as soon as you write a song, it is automatically copyrighted. If so, how is the Original category different from the Copyrighted category as displayed on Musicnotes Marketplace? I want to choose Original category but I also want to choose Copyrighted because , in my way of thinking, the original songs are copyrighted. So, yes, I am confused...
Hi John - We have an FAQ page that provides more information about Marketplace and the types of arrangements that can be uploaded: help.musicnotes.com/hc/en-us/articles/5865974048653-Marketplace-FAQ If you still have further questions or concerns, please feel free to email our Customer Support Team at support@musicnotes.com so we can assist you directly. Thanks!
We're sorry to hear that you've run into problems accessing Marketplace as it is available in Germany. Please visit our Marketplace Creator Support Site and submit a request so we can assist you directly: marketplacecreator.musicnotes.com/hc/en-us Thanks!
I write my arrangements on MuseScore. It can be downloaded on Windows and MacOS. It's quite easy to use and when you are done, you can convert your work into a PDF.
Hello....I am having difficulty signing up for the free account....I would like to submit 10 arrangements of popular songs.....also, what is the cost of membership and what do you offer with membership?
Hello, if you are having difficulty signing up, please contact us at support@musicnotes.com so we can assist you directly. The Marketplace Lifetime Membership does not limit the number of arrangements you can upload, and the lifetime membership is currently on sale; stay tuned to our emails for notice of when that promotion will end. Please let us know if you have any other questions!
