Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you for visiting the Australian section of musicsales.com. Before you send a question to us, please make sure that the answer can’t be found elsewhere on the web site. Please refer to the list of questions and answers below:
General
· Who is Music Sales Pty Ltd?
· Which other publishing companies are connected to Music Sales?
· How do I buy sheet music?
· Trade
· How do I hire a piece of music?
· What is a “special order” item?
· I want to licence some music for a film or television production, or for use in advertising. How do I do it?
· I need permission to photo copy music. How do I get it?
· I need music that is out of print. How do I get it?
· I need a programme note and composer biography. How do I get them?
· I need to license a recording. How do I do it?
· I need to license a theatrical performance (professional, school, church, amateur etc). Who do I contact?
· I need information about a composer, or particular work by a composer.
· I have a manuscript that I would like to be considered for publication. How do I go about getting it published?
· I have composed a piece of music and I would like to have it published in one of your books. How do I go about this?
· I have a finished product which I would like Music Sales to distribute. How do I go about getting it distributed?
· I have a query/complaint about one of your books. Who do I contact about this?
Third Party Licensing
· I wish to print some lyrics/music/a new arrangement. Do I need copyright permission?
· How can I tell if a piece of music is in copyright?
· I need to obtain copyright permission to reproduce a piece of music. How do I go about this?
· How long will it take to get copyright approval?
· I wish to make a choral arrangement of a piece of copyright music for my choir. How do I go about getting permission?
· My church has a CCL Licence. Does this mean that we are covered to reproduce any music without having to approach publishers for approval?
· I wish to perform a copyrighted song with my choir, can I do this?
· I wish to make some photo copies/an OHP laminate of a couple of songs. Do I need permission for this?
· I’ve been told that I can get a copy of this song from you. Can you send me the sheet music?
Who is Music Sales Pty Ltd?
Music Sales Pty Ltd is the Australian subsidiary of the Music Sales Group.
The company was established in 1972.
Which other publishing companies are connected to Music Sales?
Larrikin Music Publishing Pty Ltd
G. Schirmer (Australia) Pty Ltd
Campbell Connelly (Australia) Pty Ltd
In addition to these catalogues, Music Sales distributes for many other major publishers, including Warner Bros., Dover Music, Chester Music, Novello & Co and Shawnee Press.
How do I buy sheet music?
Sheet music buyers from Australia and New Zealand should call Music Sales Pty Ltd on (02) 8323 0100 between the hours of 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday to receive a list of their local Music Sales stockists.
General members of the public who prefer to order via the internet should check our website at www.musicroom.com
Trade
New trade customers must first open an account with Music Sales Pty Ltd before they can purchase sheet music at trade discounts. To find out how to open an account, call our customer service line on (02) 8323 0100 or send an email to:
Current trade account holders can purchase music by calling their Music Sales regional sales manager on (02) 8323 0100 or by sending an email to:
Your sales representative has both a direct line and email address which is available on application.
How do I hire a piece of music?
All of the Music Sales works available for hire can be acquired from the Music Hire and Performance Department at Allans Music. Send an email to us at publishing@musicsales.com.au to find out more.
What is a “special order” item?
Items that are made up to order are called special order items. These could be items that are low on stock, ordered on intent or currently out of print. Your Music Sales representative will be able to take your order for special order items.
I want to licence some music for a film or television production, or for use in advertising. How do I do it?
For all questions regarding the licensing of copyrights controlled by the Music Sales group in Australia. Send an email to us at publishing@musicsales.com.au to find out more.
I need permission to photo copy music. How do I get it?
Permission requests must be submitted in writing via mail, email or fax. The email address is
and fax no. 02 9299 6564.
I need music that is out of print. How do I get it?
If you are trying to obtain archival photo copies of music you believe is published by Chester, Novello, Edition Wilhelm Hansen, Union Musical Ediciones, Bosworth & Co, G. Schirmer and associated Music Sales companies but is now out of print, please make your request through your preferred music dealer who will put the request to our trade orders department.
Please include as much identifying detail as possible: composer, title, publisher(s), instrumentation, date, catalogue numbers, etc.
I need a programme note and composer biography. How do I get them?
We have biographies for many of the composers we publish, but not all. Take a look at the composer page on our site for a list of current biographies. Programme notes are listed where available as well as works. If you don’t find the information you are looking for, please send a written request via mail, fax or email to
I need to license a recording. How do I do it?
Send an email to us at
Mechanical licences are licences issued to manufacturers of audio and visual product such as audio cassettes, compact discs, video tapes and DVD’s. Permission is required from the copyright owner/publisher to obtain a mechanical licence for a first time recording only.
Licenses for Musical compositions that have been recorded previously are referred to as Compulsory Mechanical Licences. Permission is not required to record these Musical Compositions (except in the case of parodies or where a change in lyrics may malign the original work) and the royalty rate is set by AMCOS (Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society Ltd). For additional information on AMCOS, consult the APRA site on www.apra.com.au
I need to license a theatrical performance (professional, school, church, amateur etc). Who do I contact?
Send an email to us at
I need information about a composer, or particular work by a composer.
We may not be the primary publisher of your composer. You may wish to consult a service organisation like APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association Ltd) for such information. Publications such as the Grove Musical Dictionary series are also good sources for publisher information.
I have a manuscript that I would like to be considered for publication. How do I go about getting it published?
We very rarely consider unsolicited manuscripts for publication. Our publishing schedule is very full and we have a number of people working with us to generate ideas for future publications. If you are convinced that you have spotted an unexploited niche in the market, then you should write to our head office with the following details:
1. Comprehensive outline of proposal.
2. Sample pages.
3. Assessment of market interest (who is going to buy this product?).
4. Assessment of market placement (what products does it compete with?).
Send mail to:
Manuscript Reviewer
Editoral Department
Music Sales
8/9 Frith Street
London W1D 3JB
You should enclose a postal voucher and self-addressed envelope if you wish to have your materials returned to you, should we decline the opportunity to publish.
I have composed a piece of music and I would like to have it published in one of your books. How do I go about this?
As a general rule we do not publish works by unknown composers. Before you consider having your piece published, you should attempt to get your piece well known by having it performed as much as possible by well known performers.
I have a finished product which I would like Music Sales to distribute. How do I go about getting it distributed?
Send your product to us along with the following details:
1. Comprehensive written summary of product.
2. Assessment of market interest (who is going to buy this product?).
3. Assessment of market place (what products does it compete with?).
4. Estimated retail price.
5. Estimated quantity of first run.
Send mail to:
Music Sales Pty Ltd
4th floor
30-32 Carrington Street
Sydney NSW 2000
I have a query/complaint about one of your books. Who do I contact about this?
In the first instance you should address your query/complaint to the store at which you purchased the publication. If you do not feel satisfied with the response to your query/complaint then you should take it up with the publisher.
Address your query/complaint to:
Queries/Complaints
Music Sales Pty Ltd
PO Box 97
Rosebery NSW 2018
Please make sure that you include the following information:
1. Title of book.
2. Product code of book (this can be found on the back cover and is likely to start with the letters “AM”, “CH”, or “MS”.
3. Details of query/complaint including page numbers.
4. Please also ensure that you include contact information so that we can get in touch with you.
Third Party Licensing
I wish to print some lyrics/music/a new arrangement. Do I need copyright permission?
If the music is still in copyright then you are legally obliged to approach the publisher in question for permission to reproduce the music and/or lyrics in any form.
The publisher may also have copyright in a particular edition even if the underlying work is in the Public Domain.
How can I tell if a piece of music is in copyright?
All printed music should display a copyright notice detailing the writers, year of publication and publisher/copyright owner.
AMCOS should be able to confirm whether a piece of music is still in copyright and who you should contact to get copyright permission.
Please note that in Australasia, if the composer/author of music died within the last 50 years, the title will still be in copyright, and permission must be sought from the publisher before it can be reproduced in any form.
If the piece is no longer in copyright and has fallen into Public Domain, it can be reproduced without permission. However, it is essential that you check with AMCOS before printing. Never assume that a piece is Public Domain.
I need to obtain copyright permission to reproduce a piece of music. How do I go about this?
Once you are certain that a title is still in copyright, you should contact AMCOS to confirm writer and publisher details (AMCOS Print Department tel: 02 9935 7700).
Music Sales Pty Ltd licenses print requests on behalf of various publishing houses. If you wish to submit a request to us, please supply the following details:
• Name of song
• Composer detailers
• Original publisher details
• Describe intended use of the reproduced work/song
• If there is to be a cash transaction, the recommended retail price
• List other songs, if any, in any compilation
• Number of copies that you wish to reproduce
• Type of arrangement that you wish to make.
Please submit your request in writing to Lisa Madeley c/o Music Sales Pty Ltd, Level 4, 30-32 Carrington St, Sydney NSW 2000, or by email at
How long will it take to get copyright approval?
As soon as we have received your request, we will begin the copyright clearance procedure. Each song will require a clearance from one of the publishers that we represent and some songs may be controlled by a variety of publishers. This may mean that clearances can take months to be processed so you should submit your request as early as possible.
We cannot guarantee that all requests will be approved. If your request is denied permission, under no circumstances should you proceed with printing or reproduction. This would be a breach of copyright and could result in legal action.
When copyright permission has been granted, you will receive confirmation of the terms and conditions of your approval, along with any details of fees involved.
I wish to make a choral arrangement of a piece of copyright music for my choir. How do I go about getting permission?
New arrangements are treated in exactly the same way as a straight copyright reproduction.
Once the arrangement is cleared, you are free to make as many copies as stipulated in your copyright licence. However all copyright is reserved by the original publisher, and under no circumstances can you claim any rights to the arrangement, or participate in any of the royalties generated by the exploitation of the arrangement.
My church has a CCL Licence. Does this mean that we are covered to reproduce any music without having to approach publishers for approval?
Although the CCL Licence covers lots of titles, you must check all titles with AMCOS before reproducing, as various publishers have no connection with the CCL, and you would have to approach them individually for copyright permission.
I wish to perform a copyrighted song with my choir, can I do this?
You should contact APRA (tel: 02 9935 7900) in relation to any public performance.
If you are performing to the general public it is likely that you will have to receive prior permission. Your venue may already be covered by an APRA licence, however you should confirm this before proceeding with the performance.
I wish to make some photo copies/an OHP laminate of a couple of songs. Do I need permission for this?
Photo copies and overhead transparencies are regarded as the reproduction of copyright material, no matter how small the number of copies made, and approval must be sought from the publisher in question. Please send your enquiry to Lisa Madeley at
I’ve been told that I can get a copy of this song from you. Can you send me the sheet music?
Your first point of contact should always be your local music shop, however, if they can’t help you, please contact our distribution company on
(02) 8232 0100.
For information on Music Publishers, go to AMPAL, the industry association used by songwriters website www.ampal.com.au