POP goes the sheet music!

Stanton’s receives many calls and emails that begin with “I’ve got a great piece of music here that’s pretty old…” and, sadly, that conversation often ends with “I’m sorry to tell you that piece is permanently out of print.” What does that mean for you, the director/musician when something is permanently out of print (POP)? Read on to find some of the most common questions and their answers:

1) Why do things go POP?
When we inform someone that a certain piece is POP, the most common response we receive is “I can’t believe it—that piece is so good!” While it is true that sometimes a piece is taken out of print due to lack of sales, this is not the only reason. Sometimes there are copyright changes, royalty disputes and other business issues that have nothing to do with sales. Even if a piece is taken out of print due to low sales, that’s not necessarily an indicator of quality. A piece that is “good” may also be very difficult, or extremely contemporary or use an unusual voicing/instrumentation, all of which could lead to low sales despite how “good” it is.

2) Why does Stanton’s show POP titles on their website?
When Stanton’s determines that a piece is no longer in print, we indicate that on our website so that you, the customer, can also have that information. If you were looking for a certain piece and simply didn’t see it listed, you may just conclude that it’s not available from Stanton’s, or that you had typed something incorrectly.
Sometimes a piece that is permanently out of print is not yet listed that way on our website. While we make every effort to keep the information on our website up-to-date, we usually don’t learn that a piece has gone POP until we try to order it and the publisher says “sorry, no.” Please call us if you have questions about the status of a particular piece.

3) How do I determine that something is POP?
As stated above, we encourage you to contact Stanton’s whenever you have questions about a piece of music. If you are interested in doing some research yourself, you can check the website of the publisher to see if they have more information. If the music is from a publisher that is no longer in business, their copyrights, or “imprints,” are probably still owned by another publisher; the same arrangement may still be in print from the “new” owner of that imprint. You can find more details about defunct publishers on the Music Publishers Association’s directory of imprints.

4) Do I have any options for obtaining this music?
Once you have determined that something is POP, you may contact the publisher to request permission to photocopy (Stanton’s can give you their contact information) if you have at least one original copy. Especially in the case of churches and schools, the publishers will often grant this request for little or no cost. The publisher will then send you a letter stating that you have permission to make copies. If you do not have an original copy, you might acquire a copy from someone else’s library by sending out a query on the ChoralNet listserv, or a similar forum. IT IS ILLEGAL TO MAKE PHOTOCOPIES WITHOUT THE PUBLISHER’S PERMISSION, EVEN WHEN SOMETHING IS NO LONGER IN PRINT!

5) This music is still in print, so why is it so hard for me to get it?!
In addition to “in print” and “out of print,” there are a few other ways to designate the status of a piece of music. It may be “temporarily out of print” (TOP) or “on backorder” (OBO), which means that the publisher is sold out of the music in their warehouse and will need to print some more. It also may be designated as “print on demand” (POD) or an “archive edition,” meaning that it is not something that the publisher keeps in stock, but they will print special copies on request. A piece of music might be a “special import” that is not kept in stock in the US, but that a publisher can get from their international partners. ALL of these situations may affect how long it will take to get your music and how much it will cost.

6) Is there any chance that it WILL come back into print?
No. There may be other arrangements of the same composition available, but once something goes POP, it will not come back.

Permanent means permanent.

How may I direct your call?

We’re always talking about our knowledgeable staff—you’ll find that very phrase on much of our printed advertising, as well as on our website. Stanton’s sales staff is separated into departments to ensure that each staff member is well informed about a specific area of the wide variety of music that we carry. So when you call and ask about music for trumpet, you’ll be speaking with someone who has first-hand knowledge of repertoire, not just a phone operator with no musical experience. Here’s what you’ll find in each department:

CHORAL DEPARTMENT (ex. 1)
Choral Music for School & Church
Elementary General Music
Classical Solo Vocal
Handbell

BAND DEPARTMENT (ex. 2)
Concert Band
Marching Band
Jazz Ensemble
Orchestra
Solos for all concert instruments
Instrumental Method Books
Music Software/Technology

POP/KEYBOARD (ex. 3)
Sacred & Secular Piano
Organ
Piano Method Books
Popular/Broadway Solo Vocal
Contemporary Christian Vocal
Guitar Solos and Methods
Music for Folk Instruments

You can direct emails to the exact department you need by clicking the links above, or press the appropriate extension when you call 1-800-42-MUSIC. If you’re unsure of which department to choose, we’re always happy to direct you to whoever can best address your needs. At Stanton’s, it is important to us that you receive the most educated answers to your questions and the finest music recommendations.

Request Your “21 Day Trial” TODAY!

Did you know that you can preview music from Stanton’s before you decide to buy? We know that it’s difficult to tell if a particular piece of music will fit your needs without actually reading it through, so similar to checking things out from a library, you can “borrow” resources from our store using the “21 Day Trial” program!

Each of Stanton’s departments has slightly different guidelines about what/how many items can be sent on “21 Day Trial,” but in general we can send printed sheet music that is currently in stock. You can request items for trial by phone, email, fax, online or in person—any of the ways that you can place a regular order—but make sure that you specify “21 Day Trial.” You can list the music you’d like to peruse, or you can give us some specifications (like “Christmas piano solos,” “SSA choral music on the theme of friendship,” or “new publications for 8th grade jazz band”) and Stanton’s knowledgeable staff will find some suggestions for you!

We require account or credit card information so that if you choose to keep the music we can charge you accordingly, or return the music within 21 days of your invoice date and you’ll never be charged! (You’ll just have to pay return shipping to get the music back to us.)

Contact us NOW in July when we have more time to spend considering your unique trial request. When all the other teachers are dragging themselves into the store first thing in the morning on a Saturday in August or September, you’ll continue to sleep soundly knowing that you’ve already received a package of music, specifically chosen for you, that will be waiting whenever you choose to wake up and read through it…

Hey Stanton’s – What’s New for _______ ?

One of the most common questions we encounter is “What’s new for _____________ ?” 

In addition to Stanton’s regular promotions, a great way to keep abreast of what’s new is to join Stanton’s e-mail list!  I know, I know, “I don’t want a bunch of junk e-mails and SPAM from yet another company”.   So what makes Stanton’s e-mail list different and worth joining? 

First, you’ll always know about the newest offerings for your instrument, classroom or ensemble courtesy of our expert staff!

Second, we do not send nor encourage SPAM in any form (believe us, it’s a constant battle to keep it out of our inboxes!).

Third, Stanton’s DOES NOT provide ANY information to third parties (phone numbers, addresses, e-mail, etc.).

Lastly, and most importantly - you can CUSTOMIZE YOUR PREFERENCES!!

That’s right – you can sign up only for areas of interest to you. 

If you’re a band director, join our band director list; a college student, join our list for music majors; a church choir director, join our list for church choral directors; etc.  OR  join lists pertaining only to the instrument(s) that you play!

New music is arriving from the publishers all the time and we want you to know about it.  Stay in the loop by joining Stanton’s e-mail list today!

We’re proud of our staff!

Did you know that the people at Stanton’s Sheet Music do more than just sell music? On any given evening you’ll find us directing community concert bands, playing in the hippest jazz clubs, teaching at local universities, directing church choirs, acting/singing on stage and performing with orchestras. Virtually every staff member at Stanton’s has at least a Bachelors degree in music, several have their Masters and some are even doing doctoral work.

When you call Stanton’s Sheet Music you’re getting the finest, most knowledgeable expertise in the world. Call us at 800-42-MUSIC and know that you’re being assisted by REAL musicians!

Attention Handbell Directors!

We’ve yet to mention it on this blog, but did you know that Stanton’s carries music for handbell from a variety of publishers? In reading through the many new publications for spring, our handbell staff recommends O Worship the King, a Kevin McChesney arrangement for 3-5 octaves from Beckenhorst Press.

We are working to keep all the titles in stock for the AGEHR Area V Spring Ring and locally, the Columbus Handbell Festival on May 3rd, 2009. For more information about handbell publications, email us or call 1-800-42-MUSIC and ask to speak to a handbell representative.