Gold membership, a rip off?

[debussy symbolism]

Greetings.

Why do so many members apply for gold membership? Is it not useless? A rip off? The ample amount of sheet music appeals to the eye, making it very easy for anyone to sign up. Is paying 3 dollars a month not an overly high price for such readily accesible good. It is not like anyone would need all of the sheet music at a time, and a good quantity of it is to be found elsewhere for free. What's more, is that the forum members can willingly provide sheet music to others. All in all, the gold membership is very expensive and a rip-off in my opinion.

[mike_lang]

I think it is a good deal to find all this sheet music in one place for only three dollars.

That said, I think that the least that we can do for this great resource is to contribute a few bucks monthly.  This forum has been a great help to me, and purchasing a gold membership is an easy way to show appreciation.

It's not that you are buying all this sheet music; it's just that as an incentive to supporting the forum, it is available for us in one spot.

That is my take on this.

Best,
ML

[nilsjohan]

Why do so many members apply for gold membership?

For many people serious about classical piano playing the possibility to have instant access to sheet music of a considerable part of the standard piano repertoire (currently 1512 pieces) is very valuable.
That is just one of several good reasons.

All in all, the gold membership is very expensive and a rip-off in my opinion.

I am sincerly sorry to hear you regard it as a rip-off and that 3 USD per month feels "very expensive" for you.

We are really trying to keep the fees minimal but without the support of our valued Gold Members this website would probably not exist anymore but would definately not have features such as the Audition Room, attachment uploads and the selection of free sheet music which consumes large amounts of bandwidth and disk space.

If you do not consider this worth contributing to yourself or do not need the resources available for Gold Members you are of course still very welcome to continue using our service as a free Silver Member.
The choice is completely up to you. What is the problem?

[arensky]

$36... As an educated guess, I'd say all the music you can get with gold membership must be worth about $500 to $700 or more at music store prices. And the editions I've seen (Bach Inventions and Beethoven Sonatas and Debbussy Preludes) are excellent. Who does the editing? Methinks it's bernhard, but I don't know, maybe it's nils, or some unknown person we don't know. I would be a gold member but I already have most of this music; perhaps I will join in the future.

At any rate, a ripoff? No way!

The only downside is taking this music to a competition; most juries want to see published/purchased copies of the music, and a contestant can be disqualified without them. AThe CD Sheetmusic people at Theodore Presser include a proof of purchase sheet that can be presented to a competition jury, which shows proof of ownership of the CDrom that the work in question came from. Perhaps the op.111 editions should have something similar... just a thought.

[debussy symbolism]

I am serious about studying music. Quite frankly, I don't see why anyone, unless one is at a very high level, would need all this sheet music at once. Besides, much of it is provided for free at other sites. This may not be a case for others, but my teacher provides me with sheet music that she either photocopies or just has to give to me for studying the piece. Aside the sheet music, the other gold membership privilages are relatively easy to aquire. However if you are at a very advanced level I don't see why not one shouldn't sign up.

[letters]

when i first signed up it was just a big list of free sheet music....and then about 2 weeks after it turned into this gold member wotsit... n i was like well i can get all this on sheet music archive anyway so thats why im silver. Plus i dont think id use it very much so it wouldnt be worth my money.

[le_poete_mourant]

This may not be a case for others, but my teacher provides me with sheet music that she either photocopies or just has to give to me for studying the piece.

Point: photocopying = copyright infringement = illegal
          buying it from Op. 111 = they have a copyright = legal


Anyway, who says you have to study it to play it?  I play things just for fun all the time.

[debussy symbolism]

Illegal? It would be illegal if it was free. You do pay a price for photocopying. On to a greater "issue", go and see just how much is photocopied. Practically anything from music to history is, and should be so. I am really pissed when education is stunted because of bad economy of other "legal authorization". I would rather photocopy something because I need it rather than pass over an opportunity to obtain music because of financial situations.

[debussy symbolism]

Don't get me wrong, I do buy my own music. My teacher just lends me hers until I obtain my own, such as Czerny, Brahms, Moszkowski, Marguaritte Long, etc. Then I return the music packets that she gave me.

Would it be better to have to buy all of the sheet music for all the students who need that particular piece because of "copyright infrigement"? Of course not. When everyone needs the certain sheets photocopying is perfectly legal and perfecty moral to say the least.

[nilsjohan]

Illegal? It would be illegal if it was free. You do pay a price for photocopying.

If you refer to the cost of the photocopying machine and the paper it is comparable to walking into a sheet music store saying:
"Come on, give me these books for free. I have already paid for the bus ticket to get here."

Would it be better to have to buy all of the sheet music for all the students who need that particular piece because of "copyright infrigement"? Of course not.

Better? The only acceptable way when using copyrighted material is to buy it, or rather to let the students by their material themselves. I believe lending is OK though.

When everyone needs the certain sheets photocopying is perfectly legal and perfecty moral to say the least.

You may of course have your own opinion about the morality aspect but it is a matter of fact that it is perfectly illegal. Read more at: https://www.pdinfo.com/copyrt.htm

BTW, has it never occured to you that if the laws for protection of intellectual properties (copyright) did not exist there would not be any music available for copying?
Henle, Wiener, Peters and the others (including Piano Street) would of course not invest thousands of working hours on researching, editing, fingering etc to create exceptional quality editions if their work would be freely available for copying and distributing.

[adagio1]

Well well.  What is all the fuss about Gold Membership being too expensive.  Ridiculous.  I have been playing piano for a long time..... about 58 years.   I am so thankful I can finally read the music I never could afford.   The Scarlatti sonatas are a good example.  I purchased one of eleven volumes some time ago for about 30 dollars.    Now I can play any of them when I want.   No..... I do not attempt the most difficult Liszt or the ones that are simply too tedious to sight read.    But I can read most all of the pieces on Piano Street and play them as well.   Some of my old University Chopin Ballades are so old the pages have torn so they are unreadable..... now I just print them.    I can not thank the owner of this site enough for taking care to do a fine job of scanning and choosing music.  I am playing much more Beethoven, Scarlatti, Chopin, ..etc..... How could the site improve?   Well for one thing...... I have found that pianists in the forum sound like they are real authorities.   My real life experience is different.  Often people who say they play this or that are not so good at it.   One lady came up to me after I played a Partita and said she liked it but that I played it too slow.  So I asked her to do it.  What an awful experience.
So be thankful this site exists and give praise when it is due
Garry Douglas

[debussy symbolism]

You haven't read my initial post. Those who haven't been playing for a long time would not have to have access to so much sheet music at one time. You will be just aimlessly spending money.

[adagio1]

Actually - I did read the original message.  I have a good deal of the other music that you mentioned.  If I would have had Piano Street available when I was younger and less experienced it would have been great.   It would have been great to "aimlessly spend money" in this way.
I would like to compliment Piano Street on one other matter..... the quality of the scans.  It is obvious that care has been taken. 
I have used FOX and many other music sheet sites..... including many in Russia.   Piano Street is amoung the best.  If I have a complaint it is that there is not enough Faure.... the copies I have from other places are not clear.   
I guess we are entitled to have different opinions..... we probably agree on one thing..... piano music is a great way to show the rest of the world the soul inside of us..... I may not be the worlds greatest but I have performed alot and now I am a senior I tend to do things my way.    If I like a Debussy Prelude slower I play it slower.,,,,, if I like Bach legato instead of the traditional detached then I play it like I like it.    I have never enjoyed music so much since I decided to do things my way.     I guess that is why I appreciate having all this sheet music so much..  Another reason is that with a quality scan I can reduce the music to 4 pages per sheet and never have to turn pages on most pieces..... neat.
Good luck Debussy!

[debussy symbolism]

Yes, we are all capable of our own opinions and you pointed that out.

[mike_lang]

You haven't read my initial post. Those who haven't been playing for a long time would not have to have access to so much sheet music at one time. You will be just aimlessly spending money.

That doesn't make it a ripoff.  If I don't have use for a book on Yoga, for example, it doesn't mean that the person who does and proceeds to buy it has been taken.  Three dollars, in any event, is a nominal fee for access to this!  And once again, besides that, it helps to support this great forum that we all enjoy.

M

[debussy symbolism]

Yeah, but, why pay the money when much of the music can be downloaded for free elsewhere?

[nicco]

Yeah, but, why pay the money when much of the music can be downloaded for free elsewhere?

Have you not read any of the replies given here?

[gruffalo]

Here is why i pay:

1. I have learned from this forum more than i would in many many many private lessons. the layout, the ppl etc, so i see it as a contribution.

2. I do need the sheet music. (you may argue how much i need to get it, see next point).

3. Whenever i want to practice sight reading, i can just print off PS. Also i find it very interesting to read scores while listening to recordings, so i can deduce how technically difficult certain pieces are, and also its just quite interesting to follow scores whilst listening.

gruff