Hello Musical friends! In what ways do you think a monopoly hurts people in music composition and notation? Share your thoughts below! Have a wonderful, musical day!
I use Symphony Pro on my iPad. I only do piano arrangements, though, so I don't know how capable it is for orchestral works. Just thought I'd put that out there. This might be a program looking into and funding if you want something to compete with Sibelius/Finale.
Lots of fields have this problem. Maths/engineering software is dominated by Mathematica, MatLab, Maple. I don't see any lack of innovation, though. I've used Finale -- as an amateur -- and other than the most avant garden notation, works well. I don't understand the cost criticism. A professional musician undoubtedly spent tens of thousands of dollars for their instrument, all of which needs yearly maintenance. By comparison, the upgrade costs for Finale are minor.
Hello! Totally understand what you are saying, and I totally agree that so many fields have this problem! For me, having more than 2 programs at the very top would encourage more to stay relevant, leading to better workflows and more options in each program! As someone who uses Dorico more often, I've seen Dorico come out with features, and later them being implemented into other programs (all while Dorico may not get the credit from the vast musical scene). Additionally, Some programs also seem to have quite small updates, which may appear to some as just trying to stay relevant. While professional musicians have spent tens of thousands for their instrument, I personally think we should try to make some elements of music more accessible. Not everyone can pay even hundreds for programs like Finale, Sibelius, or Dorico! Even a 2023 survey conducted by Payroll.org highlighted that 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, showing paywalls can still create inaccessibility to the people who may need access to music the most! (www.forbes.com/advisor/banking/living-paycheck-to-paycheck-statistics-2024/#:~:text=or%20lost%20income.-,How%20Many%20Americans%20Are%20Living%20Paycheck%20to%20Paycheck%3F,paying%20for%20their%20monthly%20expenses.) Hope this helps anyone understand slightly more. Have a wonderful day!
@@TheMusicalNotesOfficial OK. I looked at the cost of Finale. $299 new or $99 for an upgrade. The new cost is < $1 a day. As someone who lived paycheck to paycheck while In grad school in music composition (with dependents), I know that that level of expense is manageable. I was a composition student before software, and the cost of manuscript paper, reproduction, etc. in constant dollars was a lot more than that, plus all the time spent making a fair copy of a score plus parts. These are complex programs, and the developers should be compensated for their work. Even given that a significant percentage of the cost goes to marketing, I don't see how you can expect a high quality program for much less. As for lack of competition: this is a niche market, and I am just happy that there are two major players. I don't think that the way to solve the problem of income inequality is to complain about the cost of software (groceries, rent, etc.). This is probably not the forum to discuss this, though.
Thanks for some insights on music composition and life! The programs are relatively cheap for sure, and I'm glad it budgets to less than $1 a day. Of course, saving up all of that money upfront may be difficult for some and not for others. Some people only have $15 to their name at the end of the day, which makes purchasing Finale a 20 month ordeal if they don't raise their prices. I'd love for more "rent to own" programs where someone will pay a specific amount a month until the full price is paid (with no interest). This may make it more accessible to some, as they might not have to save up all the money beforehand! I totally agree that the developers should be compensated for their work! Additionally, so much goes into advertising! There are some programs that are getting close to being extremely high quality for free. (many say that MuseScore is just as good as Finale/Sibelius, and that program is free/open source!) I'd love more competition. While a niche market, I think it can be bigger than we think. Many music educators can use it to create educational material. Music Students can use it to experiment with music. Income inequality is SUCH a huge issue, and can have ripple effects to make things more exclusionary by accident. It's probably not the best forum to discuss it, but I still enjoyed the conversation! It's always good to discuss with people in a civil way. :)
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Hello Musical friends! In what ways do you think a monopoly hurts people in music composition and notation? Share your thoughts below!
Have a wonderful, musical day!
Finale RIP. Dead. Pining for the fjords.
I use Symphony Pro on my iPad. I only do piano arrangements, though, so I don't know how capable it is for orchestral works. Just thought I'd put that out there. This might be a program looking into and funding if you want something to compete with Sibelius/Finale.
Thank you for the recommendation!
Lots of fields have this problem. Maths/engineering software is dominated by Mathematica, MatLab, Maple. I don't see any lack of innovation, though. I've used Finale -- as an amateur -- and other than the most avant garden notation, works well. I don't understand the cost criticism. A professional musician undoubtedly spent tens of thousands of dollars for their instrument, all of which needs yearly maintenance. By comparison, the upgrade costs for Finale are minor.
Hello! Totally understand what you are saying, and I totally agree that so many fields have this problem!
For me, having more than 2 programs at the very top would encourage more to stay relevant, leading to better workflows and more options in each program!
As someone who uses Dorico more often, I've seen Dorico come out with features, and later them being implemented into other programs (all while Dorico may not get the credit from the vast musical scene). Additionally, Some programs also seem to have quite small updates, which may appear to some as just trying to stay relevant.
While professional musicians have spent tens of thousands for their instrument, I personally think we should try to make some elements of music more accessible. Not everyone can pay even hundreds for programs like Finale, Sibelius, or Dorico!
Even a 2023 survey conducted by Payroll.org highlighted that 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, showing paywalls can still create inaccessibility to the people who may need access to music the most!
(www.forbes.com/advisor/banking/living-paycheck-to-paycheck-statistics-2024/#:~:text=or%20lost%20income.-,How%20Many%20Americans%20Are%20Living%20Paycheck%20to%20Paycheck%3F,paying%20for%20their%20monthly%20expenses.)
Hope this helps anyone understand slightly more. Have a wonderful day!
@@TheMusicalNotesOfficial OK. I looked at the cost of Finale. $299 new or $99 for an upgrade. The new cost is < $1 a day. As someone who lived paycheck to paycheck while In grad school in music composition (with dependents), I know that that level of expense is manageable. I was a composition student before software, and the cost of manuscript paper, reproduction, etc. in constant dollars was a lot more than that, plus all the time spent making a fair copy of a score plus parts. These are complex programs, and the developers should be compensated for their work. Even given that a significant percentage of the cost goes to marketing, I don't see how you can expect a high quality program for much less.
As for lack of competition: this is a niche market, and I am just happy that there are two major players.
I don't think that the way to solve the problem of income inequality is to complain about the cost of software (groceries, rent, etc.). This is probably not the forum to discuss this, though.
Thanks for some insights on music composition and life!
The programs are relatively cheap for sure, and I'm glad it budgets to less than $1 a day. Of course, saving up all of that money upfront may be difficult for some and not for others. Some people only have $15 to their name at the end of the day, which makes purchasing Finale a 20 month ordeal if they don't raise their prices.
I'd love for more "rent to own" programs where someone will pay a specific amount a month until the full price is paid (with no interest). This may make it more accessible to some, as they might not have to save up all the money beforehand!
I totally agree that the developers should be compensated for their work! Additionally, so much goes into advertising! There are some programs that are getting close to being extremely high quality for free. (many say that MuseScore is just as good as Finale/Sibelius, and that program is free/open source!)
I'd love more competition. While a niche market, I think it can be bigger than we think. Many music educators can use it to create educational material. Music Students can use it to experiment with music.
Income inequality is SUCH a huge issue, and can have ripple effects to make things more exclusionary by accident. It's probably not the best forum to discuss it, but I still enjoyed the conversation! It's always good to discuss with people in a civil way. :)
Sibelius crashed.
Oh hey Jankman!
Nope, Finale crashed!!