The Classical Music Industry

2 “Growing a Forest”

The Changing Business of Classical Music Publishing

Sarah Osborn

Musicians intersect with music publishers daily. Superficially, this is obvious: students, teachers, and professional musicians spend much of their time learning and performing repertoire from the classical canon. Yet, the role of a music publisher is little understood because the transactional relationship that allows the supply of sheet music is just one part of the rich, multifaceted role publishers play in cultural life. To recognise their broader role, we must first look to the fundamental link between publishing and copyright. The latter is the bedrock of the business, and to recognise its principles, however nebulous they can sometimes appear, is to understand ...