Dear Piano Teachers:
I’m overwhelmed at the global response to my post, “The Truth About Piano Lessons.”
It seems that we are ALL going through the same thing: From Egypt to Estonia, Sri Lanka to Sweden, Cuba to China, the story has been read and passed around the world.
Unfortunately, it has also been reprinted (sometimes with alterations that I never even saw!) without my permission.
This puts me in a difficult predicament:
I WANT the article to be read and to help as many teachers and student families as possible.
But I make my living as a writer and a musician. I am the copyright owner of this blog, and I have not given permission for people to reprint the post on their blogs. This is not a matter of plagiarizing: Almost everyone has given me credit. But even if you give me credit, you do not have permission to reprint the article on line.
Reprinting MY post on YOUR blog hurts my business, because readers doing a search about piano lessons may find my post on your blog instead of on mine. Google pays me based on page views and advertising revenues on my blog, and it can and does penalize writers whose works are found in multiple places on the Internet. I also want people who view that post to be able to read the other articles on my site.
As much as I appreciate your valuing my work, I therefore have to ask that you respect my copyright.
There is an easy solution: You are welcome to reprint the first 50 words, and send readers to my blog via a link, to read the rest of the article. You may also print hard copies for your personal students, as long as my name and the address of the blog are clearly visible.
Thank you for your understanding,
Karen
Copyright absolutely has to be respected, musicians and music lovers should be at the fore of that particular charge, given how rampant such infringements on intellectual property are in the music industry.
I happened upon your blog from one of many that linked to that post, and I am so grateful that it was properly linked. I have spent the last two days reading back posts of your blog and am so appreciative of your thoughtful, educational posts on the subject of practice and pedagogy, in particular. As an adult pianist and one who has children that will be playing soon, too, your resources have been very helpful to me.
I came for that one good post, but I’m staying because of your consistently good content. Thank you SO much for the work you put into this blog, Karen!
Thanks so much for your comment, and I’m glad you are finding the blog helpful — please holler if there’s a topic you’d like me to cover that you’re not finding here.
Good luck in your and your children’s studies.
Aaron: You’re welcome to tell people what you want. Having spent 30 years in this industry, I am well aware of not only the Copyright Law, but the new Digital Millenium Copyright Act, and the creative Commons movement. It is, as you say a choice. And thank you, but after writing on line for 13 years, I am more than “understand the new media world.” Ted can afford to do what it does because it has funding. I don’t. And Wiki is begging readers for money.
Copyright is a property, and while it’s nice that you want to “share” — that’s your choice, but it’s not your choice to share MY stuff. I am putting my work out on the Internet for FREE. that’s sharing enough … All I ask is that people don’t appropriate it for themselves, even, in some cases, changing my words without my permission. You don’t get to impose it on me. How would you feel if people moved into your house without your permission?
Creative commons is choice. You choose what rights to share. My work is available for the world to read — for free — on my site. And I have given people permission to reprint my articles for free in print to hand out to their students. If that’s not good enough and sharing enough for you, by all means go elsewhere.
I think this Mr. Wolf fella has a lot of gall to lecture someone on how they should view their property rights, their copywright. There’s an arrogance there, a Wolf in wolves clothing, and a lack of integrity.
“Traditional copywright views?” Sounds like the new views on copywright are there to benefit him. Well learning to effectively write, as this blogger clearly has, takes years of experience and work. Can’t do it? Haven’t put the time in? Respect those that can.
Some people’s children!
Aaron — seeing as Blogger seems to not want to post my very long response, I’ve written a response as a followup post.