Company FAQ

Master/Individual Scores

Why sell master scores?
This keeps our overhead low and allows us to offer projects that would be cost-prohibitive for traditional publishers. For instance, Sonology Music is able to handle licensing fees for copyrighted material more effectively than traditional print publishers.  

$18, $20, $25, $30 for a piece of music - isn't this expensive?
Definitely not! Remember you get a license to copy the master score for the needs of your program. Buying, say, 10 copies of a traditionally printed piece of music would run about $40 to $50 plus the shipping and handling. So Sonology Music's prices are HALF OR LESS THAN HALF of the price for traditionally published music!!!

The price for master scores is great, but I'm participating as an individual ringer in a festival. Do I need to pay for a master score?
No. Sonology Music also offers individual copies of our music. We're working to have every piece with an individual license option. If you don't see a piece that you need for a festival, let us know. Click here to contact us.

I need less than 15 copies of the master score. Is the price different?
No. The license to make copies of the master score allows you to make UP TO 15 copies of the master score. Some groups will only need 8 copies, and some even less. The price for the master scores is still so much lower than for traditional print music that you are coming out WAY ahead of the game as far as price. If you only need a very small number of copies, you might consider buying individual scores. 

I need more than 15 copies. Do I have to pay extra?
No. Sonology Music has to have a standard to go by, and we decided that making 15 copies gives the group a total of 16 scores to work with (including the original master). This is more than adequate for the needs of most handbell choirs. However, we know that there are some specific instances where more than 16 copies of the music are used; for instance, some bell choirs buy a copy for each ringer. If you need to make more than 15 copies of a master score, simply contact us and we'll issue you a license to suit your needs.

You offer individual copies. Couldn't I buy the individual copy at that price and run this off for my group?
No!!!! Individual copies do NOT come with a license to make copies. This would be the same as purchasing an individual copy of a traditionally printed piece and running them off on a copy machine, which of course is as illegal as it gets. Making copies of the individual score is just as illegal and subject to prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. 

PDF Files

How do I view/print a PDF file?
You will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader or some other PDF viewing sofrware installed on your computer. For a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader, click here to go to Adobe's website.

How do I download my music once I have purchase it?
Click on this link to get help on downloading your music from the Webstore.

When I view my PDF files, I'm missing note heads, or I get plain characters for the dynamic markings or strange characters for Mart symbols.
This is a problem due to font files used by the PDF's that are not installed on your computer. You can download this file (Click here to start the download.) Extract the contents of the file to your desktop by double clicking it. There are instructions for installing the fonts in the contents. If you have problems, please don't hesitate to contact us by email or phone and we'll guide you through the process.  Note for MacOS users: You need to view and print your music through Adobe Reader, not through MacOS Preview. MacOS Preview does not load some fonts correctly.

MIDI Files

Why are you using MIDI recordings?
Recording bell choirs at a studio is an expensive prospect. Sonology Music will certainly use good quality recordings of bell choirs whenever they are available. In the meantime, MIDI recordings give a good overall idea of the music.

We have made a recording of a Sonology Music title. Are you interested?
Yes! Please do send it along to us. We'll give it a listen and if the quality of performance and of the technical side of the recording meets our standards, we will make a contract with you of use of the recording on our site!

Sonology Club Membership

I just purchased a Sonology Music Club Membership. Can I get a discount/credit on the music that I previously purchased?
We would love to say yes to the situation, however, we do not have the ability to retroactively change purchases and so the answer is no.

I have the Sonology Music Club Membership in my shopping cart, but the Webstore is not giving me discounts on other music in my shopping cart.
The software we are using for our Webstore cannot recognize a Club Membership until it is purchased. If you purchase music at the same time that you purchase a membership, the music will not be discounted. You must purchase the Club Membership first, in a separate transaction before purchasing any music from the Webstore to discount your purchase.

Returns

Can I return my Sonology Music?
Due to the nature of the distrution of Sonology Music, you cannot return music once it is purchased.

Purchasing Music

Can I purchase my music with a credit card?
Yes, of course you can. We use Paypal as our credit card processing system. It will take Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and Paypal Accounts as valid forms of payment.

I don't see an option to use my credit card. How do I purchase with a credit card?
When checking-out, select the Paypal IPN payment type. Click "Continue Checkout". Click "Confirm the Order" and you will be taken to Paypal's processing website. On the bottom left corner of the page is "Don't have a PayPal account? Use your credit card or bank account (where available). Continue." Click "Continue" and you'll be able to pay directly with your credit card.