All of you are familiar with the traditional way of ordering and receiving music: you call us with a stock number, we pull a physical piece of music from a file drawer, put it in a package and send it on its way via a white truck with red & blue lettering. You wait patiently (or maybe not so patiently) for the shipment to arrive and eagerly tear into the package as soon as it gets to you. And all is right with the world.

There are even options that help you stretch your budget, such as Music Masters and Reproducible Collections, which are still physical pieces of music/books that are shipped to you, with one small difference ….

When you order a Reproducible Book or a piece of music that is labeled as a Music Master, you are shipped ONE copy of the book/music with a license agreement included which grants permission for the purchasing organization to make as many copies of the product as needed for that organization. The biggest distinction between the two is that Music Masters are individual pieces of music and Reproducible Books are collections of different pieces of music. (Helpful hint: ask your finance team to budget a few extra dollars for more paper and copier toner, since either of these options will ensure that you become the resident expert on your church’s copy machine!)

Now we move to non-traditional methods of obtaining music.

Last year we introduced Digital Direct as an electronic download. Simply put, this means that you order the number of copies you need (exactly like the traditional method of ordering) but instead of us shipping the physical copies, the order will appear on your account page under the My Digital Direct tab. You are then able to send the music directly to your printer for printing. There is no waiting around for a package to be delivered; with Digital Direct pieces, you can have the music in your hands with just a few clicks of your mouse. (Helpful hints: make sure your printer has enough ink in the cartridge – there’s nothing quite as frustrating as running out of ink mid-print – and paper in the tray. You also may wish to consider printing double-sided, if your printer has that capability, in order to minimize page turns for your ringers).

We have now taken this a step further. If you’re a budget-conscious, tech-savvy director and you like the idea of reproducible books, music masters, and digital direct downloads, then you’re going to love the Digital Site License! When you buy music with a Digital Site License, you receive a file from which you are granted permission to print as many copies as needed for the purchasing organization. It may also be used on digital devices that are controlled by the purchaser. As with Digital Direct music, Site License music is only a few mouse clicks away; no more wondering where the delivery guy left your package of music!

And now a couple of things that are applicable to ALL music you purchase, whether traditional hard copies or digital copies.

• All copyright restrictions are in full effect.

• Any music purchased, in any format, is owned by the organization which purchased it.

• Digital licensing is issued to the purchaser only. It may not be sold, transferred, rented, leased, redistributed or sub-licensed.

• Control numbers and other information contained in the licensing agreement MUST appear on all printed and digital copies.

• License is effective for the lifetime of the purchasing organization unless it is terminated for non-compliance with the terms of the agreement.