Submitting MS files
*This topic is related to Burning Audio Discs from MS sound files.)
Composers/Songwriters on MS: To me, one of the most valuable benefits of being on MS Pro is that music/lyrics can be sent to publishers, companies, conductors, professionals as an attachment in e-mails. I'm wondering if anybody out there has had success doing that? I became interested in sending audio discs, though, instead, since my concern is that many places would fear to open an attachment? If the Executives know anything, they should know that if the attachment just takes them to MS.com, that's a secure site and OK to go on. (As opposed to sending them to my personal e-mail or Web Site to see/hear the files.) I think I had trouble with the Santa Fe Opera big-shots that way, of being leery of attachments sent by submitters. (All they had to do was go on MS.com) It does make it harder to submit stuff if publishers and companies will not take e-mail submissions/attachments. Anyone out there tried this approach, or care to comment?
Thanks Del Hudson P.S. Actually, I meant providing them with LINKS to MS.com more than attachments, come to think of it.
Comments
My guess is that any reluctance you encounter are less about the technical issues (whether it was an attachment or a link or a CD) and more about legal issues (by not listening to or looking at unsolicited submissions, they are protected against complaints later that they "stole" your music should they happen to produce something in the future that you judge to be uncomfortably similar to yours). Or, simply time / interest issues (very few opera companies would be interested in taking on the risk of performing works by unknown composers).
Realistically, if someone has indicated a willingness to accept a submission at all, I can't imagine any would be so technically challenged that they would have a problem with a simple attachment - a PDF file if they wish to see a score, an MP3 file or link to same (as the MP3 itself might be too big to send via email) if they wish to listen to audio. A link to a score on musescore.com is indeed nice because it gives them access to both the score and the audio at once.
In reply to My guess is that any by Marc Sabatella
Very interesting! The points you brought up. Though I have had a two symphonic performances/broadcast, I have never before ventured into Opera. What I was thinking, though, about their possible fears of clicking on a link to MS.com or others, or my website, would be concerns about getting a virus or some kind of scam thing? Also, I think smaller European Opera Houses might click on MS.com Such as the Coburg, Germany House, quite good but how many people in the US know about Coburg? (I lived there.) When I tried the Santa Fe Co I did not know they are one of the most major worldwide, even though I don't live too far from them , in Colorado. THe only way would be to get to know someone there personally, or a funder. hahah
Yes, I think clicking on MS.com is a much more modern and better way to submit than sending paper scores and CDs through the postal mail! Expensive and clumsy. and, having been a composer-in-residence for a year in Rhode Island, I know what happens to most of that mail--it gets thrown in the wastebasket!
In reply to Very interesting! The points by delhud2
Again, if they accept unsolicited submissions at all, they would have to be *extremely* technically challenged to believe opening a PDF or visiting musescore.com will give them a virus. People accept PDF submissions all the time - I've pretty much never seen any sort of application that didn't.
In reply to Again, if they accept by Marc Sabatella
Are scores on MS.com PDF scores??
In reply to Are scores on MS.com PDF by delhud2
The scores on musescore.com are stored as regular MSCZ files (MuseScore's own format), but if you click the Download link, you'll see the option to downlaod the file in PDF format. It won't be openable in MuseScore, but people you'd be sending the score to don't want to open it in MuseScore - they just want to see the score.
In reply to Again, if they accept by Marc Sabatella
I apparently am not sure what PDF submissions are.
In reply to I apparently am not sure what by delhud2
PDF is the universal file format used by pretty much everyone everywhere to share documents of any kind. You've probably opened hundreds of these file over the years and never given it a second thought. PDF doesn't require any special software to display (aside from the software most computers comes with, or that the user downloaded years ago for the small minority of systems that don't come with PDF reading software like Adobe Acrobat Reader pre-installed).
The nice thing about PDF is that you don't need to have the program that *created* the file in order to display it. So you might create a score document using MuseScore or Finale, or a text document using Microsoft Word or QuarkXPress or whatever, and anyone in the world can open it whether or not they own the program you used. They just need the program to display PDF, which again, virtually everyone already has because most people display PDF files virtually every single day.
Another nice thing about PDF is that is guaranteed to look the same on any system with no requirement to have the same fonts installed, etc. "Most" people have Microsoft Word these days, but still, if you share a Word document with someone, it might not look the same on their syste because they don't have the same fonts as you. That's actually one of the main problems PDF was designed to solve.
So, PDF is the main format used to share documents of any kind has been for a very long time. There shoudln't be anyone who uses computers who wouldn't happily accept this format - indeed, who wouldn't prefer it over any other possible means of submission.
To create a PDF file from MuseScore, simply go to File / Export. The resulting file can be opened by anyone - they don't need MuseScore installed.
In reply to I apparently am not sure what by delhud2
OK, Thanks much for your two comments and very clear extended explanation! I of course have used PDF even when creating stuff from my little printer and storing them in my Canon printer's "garden", etc. However, I wasn't clear about the MS files, and how universal it really is throughout the computer world, etc.I can certainly see how useful being able to have MS score files on PDF would be for submissions!( If a CD of the music were sent by mail they could just look at the strictly score part of a piece to go with it.) I do think though that if they openedSo I will add your answers to my MS File. (I always do that so I can try not to ask the same questions again later on!) DELHUD2