FAQs (AKA: Stuff You Should Know)
What are your basic licensing terms?
Will you create a custom original piece?
Will you custom arrange pre-existing music?
If I want a custom show or piece of music, how long will it take to be written?
What ensembles and instruments do you write for?
Will you make changes to one of your pieces for me?
Can I purchase individual movements from different shows to create my own show?
Your prices seem really good… too good. Why is that?
How are the audio renditions of your music recorded?
I’d like to purchase the horn parts and use my own percussion arranger. Do you allow this?
Do you offer your Sibelius files or midi files of your scores for our arrangers?
When describing difficulty, why do you use numbers?
When writing a piece, how you decide what ability level to write for?
For competition music, like marching band and indoor percussion, do you offer regional protection?
How is my purchase going to be delivered to me, and what do I get?
What are your basic licensing terms?
This section is fairly long, so buckle up. It contains important information regarding our licensing policies.
Below is our basic performance license and copyright terms and agreement for marching band, indoor percussion music, and colorguard music, effective August 19, 2013. The license will be slightly customized according to what you’ve purchased, and a copy will be included in your package.
- The License To Perform allows the group/ensemble listed in this agreement to perform the piece in public until the License expires (if applicable). This is not a license to arrange. If you wish to perform a piece in public after the License To Perform expires, in any forum (competition or otherwise), you can renew your license for a small fee by contacting us.
If you’ve purchased a piece where both you, the purchaser, and PolyOmni Music have decided not to have the License To Perform expire (which does not include exclusivity), then you may keep the piece in your ensemble’s library for use at any time. The piece may only be performed by the ensemble listed on this agreement. This Performer License may not be transferred to another ensemble. - If you’ve asked for exclusivity of this piece throughout the duration of your License To Perform, then the group/ensemble does indeed have exclusive rights to perform this piece in public within the Competition Circuit listed. You may not perform this piece in any other Competition Circuit. Please note that exclusivity only applies to competition. For pieces that were originally commissions, the commissioning ensemble has the right to perform the piece as they wish whenever they wish, including in competition, so exclusivity is slightly limited for those pieces.
- All copyright laws apply. The composers, arrangers, and other contributors hold all copyrights to their material. PolyOmni Music has permission from these parties to publish their material. You may not sell, distribute, or make any unauthorized copies of the material you’ve purchased without permission from the copyright holders. You can make as many copies of the material for yourself and the members of the ensemble as you need so long as they are for use in rehearsals and the performance of the piece.
- We understand the need to make adjustments to the material if the nature your ensemble necessitates it. You can make minor adjustments, so long as the fundamental integrity of the piece remains intact (ie. making parts a little easier or harder; adjusting drill to the number of members you have). However, major changes, such as significant rearrangements, structural changes, and complete rewrites are not allowed. If you would like to rearrange one of our pieces, please contact us to discuss.
- Audio and video samples, when available, are provided for reference. We don’t mind if you share these samples; the more people that hear our music or see our material, the better! However, you may not sell these samples.
- If you/your organization makes an audio or video recording of your performance, you are allowed to sell them so long as you do so under the name of the group/ensemble. We know that some composers/arrangers/companies do not allow this. However, we understand that you are paying for the right to perform this piece for a limited amount of time, and that selling recordings of your ensemble’s performances are great fundraisers. If WGI (Winter Guard International) is indicated as a circuit on your license, and you are planning on attending WGI Finals, you may also attend WGI Finals within the season of purchase, before the indicated expiration date, without the need to obtain a synchronization license. You will, however, need to submit a WGI original composition contract.
Any other third party not associated with your ensemble may not sell audio or video recordings of your performances without permission from PolyOmni Music!
If you’re purchasing downloads, then the following policy applies, effective August 19, 2013:
- This license pertains to all downloadable purchases listed in your receipt and is non-transferable to another individual or ensemble. All items listed in your receipt are specified as either a Single User License or Ensemble License. The individual or ensemble assigned to each download’s license is specified in the customer information of this email receipt.
- This license allows the individual/ensemble listed in this email receipt to perform the piece in public. This is not a license to arrange. The purchased material may be kept in your personal or ensemble’s library, respective of the licenses you’ve purchased, for use at any time. The piece may only be performed by the individual/ensemble listed in this email receipt that contains this license.
- There is no exclusivity for downloadable purchases.
- All copyright laws apply. The composers, arrangers, and other contributors hold all copyrights to their material. PolyOmni Music has permission from these parties to publish their material. You may not sell, distribute, or make any unauthorized copies of the material you’ve purchased without permission from the copyright holders. You can make as many copies of the material for yourself and the members of the ensemble, depending on the licenses you’ve purchased, as you need so long as they are for use in rehearsals and the performance of the piece.
In addition, you may not arrange the material without permission of the copyright holder. If you would like to rearrange one of our pieces, please contact us to discuss. - Audio and video samples, when available, are provided for reference. We don’t mind if you share these samples; the more people that hear our music or see our material, the better! However, you may not sell these samples.
- For performances, we understand the need to make adjustments to the material if the nature your ensemble necessitates it. You can make minor adjustments, so long as the fundamental integrity of the piece remains intact (ie. making parts a little easier or harder; adjusting drill to the number of members you have). However, major changes, such as significant rearrangements, structural changes, and complete rewrites are not allowed. If you would like to rearrange one of our pieces, please contact us to discuss.
- If you/your organization makes an audio or video recording of your ensemble’s performance of the downloadable material, you are allowed to sell them so long as you do so under the name of the ensemble. We know that some composers/arrangers/companies do not allow this. However, we understand that you are paying for the right to for you/your ensemble to perform this piece in public and that selling recordings of your ensemble’s performances are great fundraisers. A third party not associated with your ensemble may not sell audio or video recordings of your performances without permission from PolyOmni Music!
If I’ve purchased a piece from you before, and it required a performance license, how can I purchase a new license so my ensemble can play it again? in a competition/performance circuit?
If you’ve purchased a piece from us before and it required a performance license in order to be performed in specific competition and/or performance circuits, we can issue a new license for 25% of the current sale price. This new license will be good until the end of your competition season.
If you purchased a piece that was sold by PiNdrop Music Design and it is currently being sold by us here at PolyOmni Music, the license reissue price will remain the same: 25% of the current sale price.
Will you create a custom original piece?
Yes! Please contact us so we can discuss the specifics of your ensemble (ability, size, etc.), what your musical needs are, what kind of show themes you’d like to explore, if you need drill, and licensing.
Will you custom arrange pre-existing music?
We specialize in original music, but we’re not opposed to doing custom arrangements of pre-existng music.
If you want us to do a custom arrangement of public domain music, please contact us for schedule availability and pricing. One resource you can use to find out if the piece you want to have arranged is in the public domain is PD Info.
If you want us to do a custom arrangement of copyrighted material, you will need to obtain permission to arrange from the copyright holder. You can contact CopyCat Music Licensing
to have them assist you in obtaining permission.
You can also refer to the Bands Of America Copyright Guide for information regarding obtaining permission of copyrighted material and public domain works.
Once the music issue is settled, we just need to know the specifics of your ensemble (ability, size, etc.), what your musical needs are, what kind of show themes you’d like to explore, preference of composer or composers (if you have one), if you need drill, and licensing.
If I want a custom show or piece of music, how long will it take to be written?
It depends on the difficulty level, the size of the ensemble we’re writing for, and our schedules. Please contact us to discuss custom music.
Do you offer percussion-only or horn-only arrangement services? Basically, if I need
an arrangement for a particular section of my ensemble, can you provide that service?
Absolutely. Contact us for pricing and availability details. You’ll need to let us know the details of what you need, who you’d like to have as your arranger (if you have a preference).
What ensembles and instruments do you write for?
We write for all kinds! Percussion ensemble, marching band, concert band, trios, orchestra… Music is our specialty.
However, for marching band and indoor percussion, we prefer not to write for electronic or stringed instruments unless they’ve been requested by a client, or unless the composer really feels the music necessitates those instruments. We like to be creative and try to push the boundaries with the original instrumentation of those mediums: horns and true percussion! But again, if you would like a custom marching band or indoor percussion show and really, really want electronic or stringed instruments, let us know.
Will you make changes to one of your pieces for me?
Yes, for an extra fee. The fee will depend on how much and what needs changing.
Can I purchase individual movements from different shows to create my own show?
Yes, of course. However, you’ll need to contact us for pricing if the individual movement pricing isn’t available online.
How are the audio renditions of your music recorded?
The audio renditions of our music are computer “performances” by Sibelius, using Sibelius Sounds. As such, they may not fully represent the intention of the music or the intended final outcome.
Your prices seem really good… too good. Why is that?
Because we respect that you have a budget.
We put a lot of hard work and energy into writing our music. We don’t offer anything we’re not proud of and a lot of thought goes into making sure our music is unique, creative, and mistake-free. But that doesn’t mean we need to deplete your bank account.
While there are plenty of ensembles that have plenty of money to do plenty of cool things for their ensembles show, we know that most ensembles don’t. So, we decided to make our music available to the widest possible clientele. Sure, prices may change at any time, but it’s very important to us that our music has the chance to be played by as many musicians as possible. So, if you’ve got a limited budget, you can purchase our music. If you’ve got a large budget, you can still purchase our music and put the music towards other things, like having us customize the arrangement for you, add on a WGI mechanical and sync license, or even commission us to write a custom piece.
I’d like to purchase the horn parts and use my own percussion arranger. Do you allow this?
Yes, we do. You’ll need to contact us for pricing and to let us know what you’ll be arranging (pit and battery or just battery). As part of the sale, you’ll be given permission to use your own percussion arranger. A small repackaging fee of the music may apply, depending on the piece you’re purchasing. Our basic licensing terms would still apply.
Do you offer your Sibelius files or midi files of your scores for our arrangers?
Sorry, but we do not. Not offering raw copies of our score files helps us to make sure the integrity of our compositions and arrangements stay intact.
How do I pay?
For show music) we currently take orders by email and payment by business check, money order, and, in some cases, purchase order. We can arrange for payment by credit card. We do not accept personal checks. For downloadable content we currently use PayPal, through which you can use your credit card.
When describing difficulty, why do you use numbers?
The numbers are just an easy way of describing something as beginning level (1), intermediate (3), and advanced (5)… or easy (1), medium (3), and hard (5), with 2 and 4 describing levels in between; you’ll even see numbers like 2.5, 4.5, etc. just to give you a more specific idea of how difficult a piece really is. You’ll see similar numbers used by various arrangers and arrangement houses, often referred to as
“grades.”
It’s best to think of this ranking system as a scale, with 1 being the easiest, and 5 being the hardest.
For more information, read about our Difficulty Grading System
When writing a piece, how you decide what ability level to write for?
As educators, we want to make sure that we offer pieces of music for every ability level, whether it’s for beginners or professionals. When we write, we keep in mind what difficulty level an ensemble may be able to perform… and then we push the envelope just a bit.
We believe that a performer’s improvement comes from challenges, so if we’re writing, for example, a marching band piece at difficulty level 3 (intermediate), then we’ll write slightly above that level while still calling it a 3. This way, the ensemble gets to play music that is generally at their ability level, but will be challenged to play new or slightly more difficult things as well.
For competition music, like marching band and indoor percussion, do you offer regional
protection?
We will do our best to make sure that another ensemble competing in your circuit does not purchase the same show that you’ve purchased. As part of the licensing agreement that you will receive, we will specify the competition circuit(s) in which you are allowed to perform the piece. When browsing our catalog, you will find a piece’s availability status on its information page, letting you know what circuits a piece is unavailable for.
How is my purchase going to be delivered to me, and what do I get?
To avoid charging customers taxes and shipping, and to minimize the cost of materials, we offer a download-only delivery system. Once your order is ready for delivery, you will receive an email with a URL that links to a page specific to your order. This page will be password-protected, as will the files to be downloaded. This page, and the files, will be posted for a limited time. Once this page expires, the page and the files will be removed from our website. If you have need for the files after expiration, you’ll need to contact us.
Included with your purchase will be:
- Full scores in PDF format, sized 8.5″ x 11″ or 8.5″ x 14″ depending on the ensemble
- Horn-only scores in PDF format, sized 8.5″ x 11″ (if applicable)
- Percussion-only scores in PDF format, sized 8.5″ x 11″ (if applicable)
- Parts in a single PDF format per movement, sized 8.5″ x 11″
- An MP3 of the music for you to burn to CD
- A copy of the license agreement, specific to your purchase
- Any other written services you may have purchased, such as drill and dot sheets
- A percussion notation key, if applicable
Please note that different composers and arrangers will use different formatting styles for their music, and not all composers and arrangers use the same types of percussion notation. A percussion notation key will be provided for percussion pieces written by Phillip Ginn and when another contributor provides one for their composition. We will make sure that all music sold has consistent quality and information throughout the catalog.
What are your payment conditions?
Generally, it will depend on how your institution (such as a school) regulates purchases. We prefer to have payment up front. However, depending on your particular situation, we can discuss alternatives when you are ready to order.
For custom jobs, we like to have half the payment before we start, and the remaining half before delivery; you’ll receive an audio rendition of the job to let you know that it’s been completed.
An invoice will be emailed to you in PDF format, separate from the email informing you that your order is available for download (please be sure to have your email settings set to receive emails with attachments, or at least add us to your address book!). Arrangements can be made to have the invoice mailed to you.
What is your return policy?
Because we sell intangible, digital material, we do not accept returns. If there is a problem with your purchase, please contact us.
If you have more questions, please contact us. If we think your question is important enough to include in the FAQs, we’ll post it online.