The path to becoming a music editor has changed, with composers often self-publishing. Four steps include using music notation software, making the material accessible, printing and binding, and considering advertising and distribution.
As with print publishing, as with music, there were those who created the content – authors – and those who produced volumes that people could buy – publishers. Things have changed in many ways. Now music composers are often their own editors and the path to becoming a music editor is quite different than it was before.
The first music was printed around 1473 in Germany. Back then, you had to be an artist to become a music publisher. Early techniques, including woodblock printing and freehand music recording, required creating a mirror image of the desired result and typesetting it, followed by binding and marketing.
Today, it’s possible to take a very different path to becoming a music editor by following four specific steps. First, it takes music to publish. Currently, there are several composers who self-publish, and it is feasible to publish only the work itself. You can also publish your own work and the work of your friends, or you can solicit work from others who prefer or need to spend their time elsewhere than publishing.
Second, you need to be versed in recording standards and at least one, and preferably more than one, of the leading professional music notation programs available today. This includes Sibelius Notation Software, Finale Music Notation Software, Notion Notation Software or LilyPond, for example. Also known as sheet music makers, these programs are tools for recording music onto the computer, comparable to how a desktop publishing program such as QuarkXPress or InDesign can be used to prepare publications for print on a computer. Through any of these programs, it is possible to carry out the initial work required of a music editor, creating appropriate scores and systems, placing notes, dynamics and expression text, refining the page layout, creating covers, etc.
Third, the material created by the notation program needs to be accessible to people, either through downloads, in which case they must do their own printing, or by creating physical copies that are printed and bound. You can do this on your own equipment, send files to a copy shop, or print to a self-publishing site. This choice will depend in part on the advertising and distribution approach you plan to take.
You can sell copies of your finished products, order them through a local or online service, or create a distribution agreement with larger equipment. While this step is listed at number four, it’s one you should consider as you start planning your path to becoming a music editor, because it will influence the choices you make along the way.
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