I have a confession to make: I can’t sing. I can’t even carry a tune. I don’t know what “key change” means, I can’t tell you an A-flat from a C-sharp. My brain just doesn’t think musically. Perhaps that’s why I love musical theater so much: the things they can do are things I simply cannot. Nonetheless, I have opinions about the whole sheet-music controversy you may have heard about. If you haven’t, go Jason Robert Brown's Blog to read up on it! Just like Jeff says in [title of show], that he fully has opinions about shows he’s never seen, I’ve never in my life needed sheet music, but I have an opinion.
I first want to say that I’m totally on Jason Robert Brown’s side in this, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see the merit in other arguments. I’m totally broke (as you know), and I’m a huge proponent of libraries. The libraries in the counties I’m in now don’t have CDs, but when I lived in Massachusetts, I would check out CDs all the time. This is a shocking confession: I burned a few of those CDs onto my iTunes. I didn’t pay for all the music which lives in my iPod at this very moment. I realize that a lot of people get music in less-than-legal ways and don’t really care, but it bothers me a little that I have music I didn’t pay for. I’m saying this to show that I totally understand why someone would want to get free sheet music because the budget is tight and they need the music because it’s what fuels their soul. I try to pay for music as much as humanly possible, and I don’t download it illegally. I share with friends occasionally. It’s tricky because while I believe that it’s not necessarily right, it’s also one of those things where we convince ourselves that it’s just a little thing, it’s not a big deal. It’s not like we’re robbing a store or mugging someone. We have ourselves (me included) convinced that these are just small misdeeds and that no one is really getting hurt. I buy a lot of my CDs used. The artist doesn’t get any money for that, but I paid for the CD. It’s a big huge gray area.
I think sheet music is a little different. I’m not sure why, but it is. I think Jason Robert Brown makes a good point in saying that he works very hard on each song, and that’s how he gets his money. Songwriters, unlike recording artists, don’t have promotional merchandise, touring gigs, and album sales. Many, especially new songwriters, make their money from the sale of sheet music. And it’s not like they cost an arm and a leg. And there is a way to share without stealing. If I have a copy of Joe Iconis’s “Blue Hair,” and you want to use it for an audition, I will totally lend it to you, and then you can return it to me. Easy as that. Friends in the business, especially those who are broke and going out on a zillion auditions should definitely share with one another, and I don’t think that songwriters will disagree with me. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to share. Lend things to one another, but make sure that the person who owns that sheet music bought it. I would love to hear from people on this issue, especially since I don’t have any personal experience getting sheet music.
Lastly, there’s a great website from which you can purchase sheet music from a lot of great songwriters. New Musical Theatre
Here’s what I would totally sing at every audition if I could carry a tune:
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