Tag: copyright

Earlier this year, in March, actually, I proclaimed that after 61 long years, I was finally a published composer of real-world music. While technically true, there was just one shortfall to that statement: I wasn’t traditionally published. I was only published in the digital realm, my distribution being that of PDFs only.

This is no longer the case. As of Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025, I have signed a contract with Cimarron Music Press to have fully traditionally published not one, not two, but SIX (6) of my chamber works for winds in the near future, as soon as program notes are ready for them. They will not only be offering PDFs, but printed copies by way of brick-and-mortar stores where such items are still stocked. This is a major development for me, one I’ve been looking forward to for years. Seriously.

Here are the pieces that Cimarron Music Press will be publishing, together with their YouTube links:

3 Short Pieces for Alto Clarinet – https://youtu.be/fduLR9Gkymk
3 Short Pieces for Bb Clarinet – https://youtu.be/Do6bhxWJ5Ts
Crosswise Dance for Low Clarinet Choir – https://youtu.be/1RIjI1b7SMY
Fanfare and Processions for Brass Quintet – https://youtu.be/zO3R3CXwvEk
Interweave (for mixed brass & woodwind septet) – https://youtu.be/EP7nfgp-bx8
Theme and Tangents (for woodwind quintet) – https://youtu.be/DmQaJ2VT3o4

Things have just gotten off the ground, so as of now these five works have been removed from publication on the self-publishing sites (i.e., My Score, ArrangeMe.com, and ScoreExchange.com). I’ll post another update with information on how to purchase the new versions once they’ve been commercially published.

I want to express my thanks to company owner Bryan Doughty for all of the help he gave me during the contracting period. There’s an interesting story that covers that timeframe, I must admit. It started with someone announcing on Facebook that they’d received a contract from Cimarron Music Press to publish their clarinet composition. I looked up Cimarron and saw that they had a lot of clarinet works in their catalog, specifically works for clarinet choir, so I thought there might be a chance at my getting “Crosswise Dance” published through them.

There was no link for submissions on any of Cimarron’s web pages, so I took a chance and used their Contact form to ask for instructions on how to submit a piece, thinking I’d get my email routed to the right department. What ensued was a reply from the owner of the company (Bryan Doughty), who said he’d be interested in hearing what I had to submit, and who gave me instructions on what to submit (PDF, MP3, notation program file (in my case a .dorico file)). I figured I was safe in that I had everything submitted for copyright protection, so I went ahead and submitted.

One short day later, I received the following email:

Cimarron Music Press would love to publish. What a great chart! Attached is a contract to look over, sign and return. Email is easiest. PLEASE ask any questions.

I was stunned! An acceptance letter, and so quickly! My experience with publishers had always been slow, even with the one acceptance I’d had previously, so this was a shock to the system. Of course, I had a lot of questions for Mr. Doughty, and he patiently answered each and every one.

At one point, I asked him if he might be interested in some of my other works. I directed him toward my Score Exchange listing to browse what else I’d written. He came back and said he might be interested in my chamber works, so I put together some evaluation packages. He eventually accepted “3 Short Pieces for Alto Clarinet,” “Interweave,” and “Theme and Tangents” out of what I did submit. I asked if he’d also want to include the companion piece, “3 Short Pieces for Bb Clarinet,” and he agreed to do so.

So, in the end, I was looking at five pieces to be published through Cimarron Music Press, all on a single contract! I signed it on Wednesday the 3rd of September, as I mentioned earlier. A sixth piece, “Fanfare and Processions for Brass Quintet,” was added shortly afterward. The contract terms, while I won’t go into them here, are good, and I’m happy with them. I’m hoping that this is just the beginning of my relationship with Cimarron, since I’ve got more finished music for Mr. Doughty to look at, and even more under construction for Cimarron to see in the future.

Copyright Symbol I have a cautionary tale for any of you who plan on dealing with the United States Copyright Office, either now or in the future. It is a tale of how pre-conceived notions can color one’s dealings with another person, and of how throwing a monkey wrench into the works can cost you money you may not be prepared to spend. Ready? Then let’s begin.

A while back, I tried to file for copyright protection on my musical work, “3 Short Pieces for Alto Clarinet.” There are various ways one can go about doing this, but the main ones are first, via the “standard” form (PDF link), and another, via a “single work by a single author” application (PDF link). Now, naturally, since I considered the work to be a single multi-movement work by a single author (me), I figured that it would qualify for method 2, which is a good thing since it’s $20 cheaper.

Not so fast, sayeth the Copyright Office.

You see, the Copyright Office took issue with what I’d filed. They responded with the following:

“Our examination of your application confirms there are three separate works within the file uploaded with this application. An applicant can only register one work using the Single Application. Because your application was not submitted in proper form, we must refuse registration.”

Had they never heard of a multiple-movement work before? Well, I figured they determined that multiple-movement works didn’t qualify for the “single work by a single author” discount, so I refiled it using the “standard” form, thinking this would solve my problems.

Not so fast, sayeth the Copyright Office.

You see, the Copyright Office still took issue with what I’d filed. They responded with the following:

“You submitted one application for multiple works…”

Now, wait a minute. Someone’s started off on the wrong foot here. I submitted one application for one work with multiple movements. Have they never heard of this before? This is the root cause of their problem, right here! So, I write back…

“Please understand that the piece that I am trying to register, “3 Short Pieces for Alto Clarinet,” is nothing more than a single multi-movement work. I have simply used a non-standard naming convention for the movements, calling them “pieces” (i.e., “Piece One, “Piece Two,” “Piece Three”) instead of “movements” within the work. I am willing to wager that if I had called the work “3 Short Movements for Alto Clarinet” and called the movements “Movement One,” “Movement Two,” “Movement Three,” we would not be having this discussion today.

This finally seems to get through to them. They reply…

“Thank you for your response and your description of the work, including that the parts are to played together as one work. Everything has gone through with no changes from our side.

We have processed your claim and you should be receiving a certificate in the next few weeks.”

Finally. Now, all I’ve got to do is wait for my copyright certificate on “3 Short Pieces for Alto Clarinet.” Whew. I’m not expecting any problems from this point onward. I hope.

Traditionally Published, At Long Last!

A Cautionary Copyright Office Tale