Does the same idea apply to sheet music?
I’m on the email distribution list for The Leading Note, which is a wonderful sheet music shop on Elgin Street, and I’ve purchased music there several times. But yesterday I received a notice from them that was a bit worrisome. In part, it reads:
"With the impact of public domain websites and warehouse-based online stores, The Leading Note print music store finds itself at a critical point in its history.... Without reliable support from our community, it will become a challenge to continue operating a brick and mortar store. As musicians ourselves, it saddens us to think of the possibility that a world-class city like Ottawa could lose such an important cultural hub. However, as an integral part of the music community, we are confident that we can proudly move forward with the support of our music community behind us."
Coincidentally, at the last piano session, talk turned to the benefits of finding sheet music online, either for purchase, or for downloading free of charge from sites such as IMSLP.org. We all agreed that these can be great resources for the pianist. But clearly there can be local repercussions when the online resources start to take precedence.
Food for thought.
/Christopher
