Copyright and Licences on Free-scores.com

Free-scores.com License:
Choose a Free-scores.com license, which allows you to monetize or grant permission for public performances of your compositions while maintaining free and open access to your sheet music. Clearly inform visitors about the requirement of a license for any use of your sheet music outside of a private setting.

We offer two license categories:

Public Performance License
(for concerts and live shows)

Educational License
(for teachers and musical institutions)

For sheet music contributors:
With Free-scores.com licenses, establish a clear framework for all musicians wanting to perform your compositions in public or in an educational setting. Our platform streamlines the interaction between composers, arrangers, and musicians by providing a transactional tool to issue these permissions.

For sheet music users:
By opting for our licenses, you ensure that you have the necessary permissions from rights holders. Following each transaction, Free-scores.com provides a certificate, confirming your rights to use the sheet music, whether for presentation to a jury or any other authority.

Benefits for the seller:
- We provide an integrated system for selling your licenses.
- Set your own prices and receive 70% of each sale's total.
- Earn your revenue from the very first license sold.
- You have the choice to either sell or offer your licenses for free.
- Your sheet music remains freely accessible on Free-scores.com.
- We issue a certificate to musicians, serving as evidence for bodies like competitions.
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Requirements for the seller:
- Offer sheet music on Free-scores.com for which you hold the rights.
- Have an active PayPal account (not needed for free licenses).
- Ensure your PayPal account is verified (consult paypal about this).

Examples :
- Here is example of sheet music page offering paid licenses.
- Here is a PDF preview page with a cover page (it is important to enable Free-scores.com cover page with the licenses because it reminds offline existence of the license.))

Frequently Asked Questions:

FAQ for sellers

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F.A.Q. for sellers :

1. What is the public performance license on free-scores.com?
The license, issued by you, allows musicians to perform your composition at public events such as concerts. It's valid for at least 1 year for an unlimited number of performances. Note that it does not cover reproduction or audio broadcasting and isn't intended for concert organizers. This license is neither a reproduction license nor an audio broadcasting license. It's not valid for concert organizers.

2. What about the educational license?
This permits educators to use your work during lessons and also allows performances within musical education institutions. Its validity lasts for at least 1 year.

3. Who gives the final authorization?
Free-scores.com merely acts as a platform facilitating the distribution of your permissions through license sales. While you alone have the authority to approve or deny the public use of your works, by using our licensing service and adhering to our terms, you entrust us with the technical management of permissions. Hence, any license granted by Free-scores.com to a user is, in reality, your personal consent, closely tied to your moral rights over the work.

4. Why sell paid licenses when my scores are free on the site?
On Free-scores.com, we provide full access to your scores at no cost. By choosing Free-scores.com as your distribution platform, you favor sharing and introducing your creation to the broader audience. However, when a public performance of your work is planned, it's reasonable for artists to seek your permission, which can be either paid or granted freely. Many approach you for such authorization, but likely many hesitate due to various reasons: fear of refusal, potential cost concerns, lack of time, initiative, or clear information. The free accessibility of the score can mislead some into thinking all usages are free. The Free-scores.com license provides clarity, indicating to musicians the need for their initiative if they wish to perform your work publicly. Opting for this license is akin to purchasing a commercial score post-factum. Typically, buying a commercial score implies the composer's implicit approval, and the same applies to the Free-scores.com license. The differences lie in the limited duration of the license (renewable annually) and the fact that your score is offered for free.

5. Are all scores eligible for these licenses?
No. You must possess all rights to the score. We don't permit works resembling a "fraudulent copy" from the public domain. Your arrangement must bring significant added value.

I'm a member of a author's society. Is that an issue?
No. The license is compatible with your membership. It caters to musicians, whereas entities like SACEM deal with concert organizers.

7. What rates should I set?
We advise aligning your rates with those commonly seen in the digital sheet music market. For instance, solo piano scores typically range between 2 and 4.99 euros. Adjust the rate based on the intricacy of the work: a score for an orchestra will naturally cost more than a basic piano melody. Also, it's wise not to set the rate too low. Indeed, PayPal charges fixed fees per transaction (0.25 euros) and variable fees (3.4%). On top of that, a 30% commission is taken by Free-scores.com. Thus, for a 2-euro license, you'd effectively get 1.08 euros, for a 3-euro license it'd be 1.75 euros, for a 5-euro license it'd be 3.08 euros, and for a 10-euro license, it'd be 6.41 euros, and so on.

8. Explanation of license management and "Default Rates" ?
On the page https://www.free-scores.com/espace-membres-uk/parametres_licences.php there are 3 parts :
• the check box "Licences scores activation" : If you uncheck this option will disable all license sales on free-scores.com for your scores.
• the form "Default Rates" :
- If your prices are always the same for each scores, complete this form once for each and every time you add a scores, set your prices with a single click, having previously fulfilled your Default Rate.
- Also you can make price changes on a set of scores using the listing of your scores which is present below this form. Note that changing the default rates do not change the price of scores. you'll always need to click on "apply the default rates" to apply the default rates on scores selected.
An example: you are a composer with fifty pieces on free-scores.com, half are piano solo scores and the other half are orchestral scores. You probably want to assign different rates depending on whether the scores is for piano or orchestra. Begin to define a default price with the "default rates" form for solo piano, then check the cases of all piano solo in the listing and click at the very bottom of the list the link called "Apply default rates." Then repeat the same process with the orchestral pieces, having previously changed the default rates.
•"Scores list": This is the listing of your scores, check boxes on the right column of the table allow you to group your scores for applying default rates.

9. Paid and Unpaid Events?
Paid events: Include concerts and live shows where musicians performing your score are compensated by the organizer. Unpaid events: Cover charitable and volunteer events where musicians are not paid. You can choose to offer discounted or even free licenses for these occasions or maintain a consistent rate. Typically, rates for paid events are higher.

10. Why fill in multiple pricing fields?
The base rate is marked "unpaid event" for "1 musician". Activating the "automatic calculation" option automatically adjusts other rates based on this initial amount. However, you can adjust each rate manually if needed.

11. Meaning of the number of musicians under "formations"
This figure represents different musical ensembles. For instance, a license for 2 to 5 musicians would be suitable for pieces ranging from a duo to a quintet.

12. Payment:
You need to have a PayPal account. After each sale, a payment will be made instantly to this account. You will receive 70% of the amount, after deducting PayPal transaction fees. Free-scores.com collects 30% from each sale.

13. How can the buyer verify the authenticity of their license?
After each purchase, the buyer receives an authorization certificate. The authenticity of this certificate is ensured by several embedded QR codes. These codes, referencing our databases directly, offer the possibility to confirm the certificate's authenticity and validity from any internet-connected location.

14. After setting rates for each score, what are the next steps?
It's crucial to activate the Free-scores.com cover page. If a license is in place, this page will display information about the license, ensuring the musician is informed. If your scores were already online, an update to the cover page is needed. Use our conversion service for this.

FAQ for buyers

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F.A.Q. for buyers :

1. What are these licenses?
Free-scores.com serves as a mediator between the artist and the musician for the provision of permissions. These licenses represent the consents from composers, arrangers, and publishers required for your public performances, auditions, or other events. Upon purchase, an authorization certificate will be provided to you. This certificate acts as the "original score" for your public performances and for institutions that require it. The integration of multiple QR control codes, linked to our database servers, allows for the verification of the certificate's authenticity and validity from anywhere with an internet connection via a mobile phone.

2. Public Performance License:
This license, granted by the composer, arranger, or publisher of the score, exclusively allows the musician(s) to perform the piece in public settings such as concerts and live shows. It remains valid for at least one year, covering an unlimited number of performances. This license is neither a reproduction license nor an audio broadcasting license. Furthermore, it is not intended for concert organizers, but solely for musicians using the score made available via free-scores.com.

3. Educational License:
This license, issued by the composer, arranger, or publisher of the score, permits teachers and/or musical institutions to use your work for educational purposes, be it for individual or group lessons. It also allows for performances within music teaching institutions. It's valid for at least one year, for an unlimited number of performances.

4. Do I need to be logged into my free-scores.com account to obtain a license?:
No, you don't need to have a free-scores.com account to purchase and obtain your certificate for the paid licenses (although it's advisable for easier access). However, for the free licenses, a free-scores.com account is necessary.

5. Paid and Unpaid Performances?
Paid performances encompass all concerts and shows where musicians are compensated by the organizer or the audience. Unpaid performances refer to charitable and volunteer concerts where musicians aren't paid.

6. What does the number of musicians under "Performers" represent? ?
This number denotes different musical ensembles. For instance, a license for 2 to 5 musicians would be suitable for pieces ranging from duets to quintets.

7. How are the proceeds from this license distributed?
Your payment is directly transferred to the artist's PayPal account, of which they receive 70% of the total amount. Free-scores.com takes a 30% commission.

8. My project doesn't fit the licenses you offer.
If your project requires reproduction or use in a media context outside of public performance, you should contact the score's owner via our contact form

Copyright and uses

You'll find on free-scores.com copyright notices :

- Personal Copyright : This copyright notice relates to sheet music added by composers, arrangers, and publishers who use free-scores.com for sharing their works. It is shown as "Copyright Composer name © All rights reserved" or is announced by an equivalent sentence. The use of the sheet music is only allowed in private area. All other uses by the musicians must be authorized provided by the beneficiary of the sheet music. Free-scores.com can deliver these authorizations via our Free-scores.com License. The license comes with a tool that allows to make free and commercial transaction between composers and musicians in the context of public performance and/or teaching exploitation - see Further up this page for information on free-scores.com license.

If the composer is associated to an authors' society, concert organizers are required to report the songs played in public. For more information about Authors' societies.

- Public Domain - Any music in the public domain is either entirely out of copyright, or has been placed in the public domain by the composer/arranger/editor. You can basically do what you like with this music - print it out, sell it, change it, distribute it, record it, and perform it, etc.

- Creative Commons licence - A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work. A CC license is used when an author wants to give people the right to share, use, and build upon a work that they have created. For more information, see the Creative Commons website at: http://creativecommons.org/

- Free Art License: More information about this coypright on : http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en/

- CPDL copyright license: This is a type of open-source license which allows users to download, print, copy and distribute a score freely. The only restriction is that, if any changes are made to a score or text, the subsequent modified version must still be released under the same license conditions.
Full licence text available on : http://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/ChoralWiki:CPDL