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Lawson-GouldDate: April 25, 2013 by Tony Chau  Views: 1091
Hello! This shall be my very first thread.
Does anyone know how to submit a composition to Lawson-Gould Publisher? I feel my composition might fit nicely with the repertoire printed by it.
Thanks.
Replies (11): Threaded | Chronological
Martin Banner on April 26, 2013 2:32am
I believe you would need to contact Michael Spresser at Alfred Music.
on April 26, 2013 6:17am
Hi Tony: I would always try the publishers website first. Many times you will find a page for new submissions. If that fails, I would call
and ask for that department.
Good Luck
Tom
on April 29, 2013 7:27pm
Hello, Tom and Martin!
Tom: do you mean Alfred Music? I would indeed try the website first, but it was a matter of what the link was.
Since I don't see any website for it amidst my google search, I'm assuming that that Lawson-Gould isn't printing anymore? Also, who is Michael Spresser, and what is his relation to Alfred Music?
Tony
on April 30, 2013 4:20am
Yes, Alfred Music. Michael Spresser works at Alfred, and handles the LG catalogue. I had a face to face chat with Michael back in March during the ACDA national convention in Dallas about submitting manuscripts to him for the LG catalogue. He told me he was indeed accepting manuscripts, but qualified that by saying he would probably accept only about five or six pieces right now. I would try and contact Michael either by phone or email, rather than blindly sending off a manuscript to him.
on April 30, 2013 4:26am
on April 30, 2013 3:10pm
tHanks, Martin. Actually, I was inquiring about any direct website to Lawson-Gould, but I guess it doesn't exist (anymore?).
Thanks you. =)
Cheers!
So, I took your advice to call Alfred to speak with Mr. Spesser, and it turns out that he does not have a direct telephone extension nor an Alfred e-mail address. I guess my only option is to forward messages to him through ATTN at customersupport(a)alfred.com, something which I would normally place as a 3rd or 4th option if possible.
on April 30, 2013 4:20pm
Tony,
You are correct, I don't believe there is a dedicated website for Lawson-Gould Music Publishers, not sure that there ever was (when Walter Gould was alive and running the company, I don't know if there were publishers' websites yet). It does not surprise me that you cannot get directly through to Michael Spresser. Too bad you weren't at the ACDA National Convention in Dallas in March (or maybe you were), you could have spoken with him in person at the Alfred Music exhibit. Good luck in trying to connect with a real person.
Martin
on April 30, 2013 6:07am
A cautionary tale! I had a piece (Adonai Ro'i, a Hebrew setting of Psalm 23) published by Lawson-Gould. That firm was bought by Time-Warner, and the imprint then sold to Alfred. A number of pieces, including mine, were allowed to go out of print. I was not told, and the first I heard was from a group in Australia who wanted to perform it and could not get it. There was a major problem in getting my copyright back, despite the fact that the piece was out of print. Happily, I now publish it through my own company, Wendigo Music. So, make sure that if you sign a contract to publish your work with a commercial company that you have a clause that, should your music go out of print, the copyright reverts to you!
Applauded by an audience of 1
on April 30, 2013 8:40am
Greetings All,
A correction - Warner still controls the copyrights, while Alfred has print rights for the Lawson-Gould catalogue.. My main point is that composers need to be more aware and more diligent in assigning rights, both in terms of copyright and, for that matter, different media. I hope to spare you my difficult experience!
All Best,
Judith
on April 30, 2013 11:52am
Thank you greatly for your valuable advice, Judith. And, I'm sorry to hear about your trouble. I hope it wasn't too much trouble for you in the end to get it back!
It might be of comfort to know that, according to my understanding, no matter what happens to the terms of copyright, the copyright itself is always yours from the moment you started composing your piece, and there is always someway to prove it. (because it was on your laptop first, because the original post-dated manuscript was found in your home, etc. etc.)
Out of curiosity, what is the homepage to Wendigo Music? I tried google-searching it but couldn't find it? Also, is your publisher printing solely your music, or are accepting others as well?
on May 1, 2013 4:06am
Dear Tony,
Thanks for your note. It was a great deal of trouble to have my copyright returned and took a number of years. And, when you sign a contract with a commercial publisher you assign your copyright to that entity. It no longer belongs to you. Thus my advice about taking care with the contract and to lay out what will ensue if your piece goes out of print, and in general to read the fine print and make sure you agree with all of the terms.
At this time, Wendigo Music only publishes my own music. Should that change, I'll certainly let this list know.
You can find information about it on my website at www.judithshatin.com.
Good luck to all with regard to publishing your music!
Sincerely,
Judith
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