Posted by Bob Joles on October 17, 2001 at 01:46:02:
I’ve posted several times on this board with offerings for my brass quintet arrangements. Many of the arrangements I’ve done have been performed by professional quintets: The Maple Leaf Brass at EPCOT Center, The St. Louis Brass Quintet has recorded my arrangement of the “Keystone Rag” and the Crown City Brass here in Southern California are playing several of my arrangements to great audience response.
My problem is when I tell someone about a particular arrangement I’ve done that they happen to be looking for, they email me back very excited and ask how much for the arrangement. Some have even suggested that they should “at least pay for the postage.” It’s as though they think I’m just going to send them the arrangement for free!
I don’t give my arrangements away for free. This is a business just like any other that’s trying to make a little money. It isn’t a great deal of money, but I love writing for brass quintet and brass choir. I don’t just do this for grins and giggles.
I sell my arrangements to make money. I don’t have a publisher, so all of the costs of doing this are mine. Heavy stock paper, printing on a HP 4MV laser printer, things like that. All those things and several others get worked into the prices I set for my arrangements.
If you want to buy something I’ve done for brass quintet that’s fine. If you’re not willing to pay the price I’m asking that’s fine too. But, at least have the courtesy to send me a return email telling me that you think that it’s too much or you’ve gotten someone else to do the arrangement for you cheaper. You won’t hurt my feelings by telling me the truth, but don’t ignore my efforts to try and give you what you want with silence. I think that’s rude.
The way some people will spend money on a tuba, and then turn around and grouse about $25 for a six minute arrangement of classic Disney tunes is beyond me.
As for my credentials: I’m a professional music copyist with over 25 years of experience. The last 15 years were spent working on movies and TV shows here in the Hollywood studios. I’ve played tuba for almost 30 years - professionally for the last 20 years. I started writing arrangements in college for the quintet I played with for 5 years because we couldn’t get what we needed or the arrangement that was available just didn’t cut it.
Now I’m not asking that everybody who writes to me has to buy something from my catalog. No! All I’m asking for is a simple one line return email saying “thanks, but no thanks,” or “I’d love to buy this.” That’s all. Perhaps I’m being naive but I don’t think that’s asking too much.
Okay, I’ve had my little rant and I feel better now. Thanks for listening (reading).
Cheers,
Bob