Selling Sheet Music

Today I am joined by Brian Gaul and Matt Workman, the filmmaker and producer behind the recent documentary film Choral Singing in America, which is now available for viewing through Amazon, YouTube, and Apple TV. It's a beautiful film that showcases the many different types of choral singing in the United States. It was really great to unpack the film with them and I hope after listening you are excited to watch it for yourself.

Today's guest is one of my favorite artists, singer, songwriter, fellow "Nashvillain", and French Horn enthusiast Cody Fry, whose unique blend of songwriting and classical music has created a passionate fan base and helped bridge the gap between pop and classical music for millions of people. He's been on a hot streak lately with three Grammy nominations for best arrangement, a busy travel schedule performing with top symphony orchestras all over the country, and most recently the premiere of his "Symphony no.1: The Unlikely Mariner", a 16-minute multimedia work recorded in a 2,000-gallon water tank in front of a 130 ft LED wall. Longtime listeners of the show will know that I've long been an advocate for artists to release their own sheet music, and Cody is one of the best at that. There's so much that we cover in this episode and I think you'll really be blown away by Cody.Garrett's arrangements of Cody's music:GoWhat IfPhotographWant Me BackPictures of Mountains

Tom Zlabinger, associate professor of music and creator of Dr. Tom's Charts, champions modern band and popular music education. He explains the movement's student-centered ethos and typical lineups like guitar, bass, drums, keys, and vocals. He demos his chord-and-lyrics charts and shares practical tips for starting programs, structuring rehearsals, and supporting teachers with organizations and resources.

Katie O'Hara LaBrie is a cellist, music educator, and a prolific composer for educational string orchestra, having published with Alfred Music and Randall Standridge Music, where she also serves as the orchestral division editor. She's also the author of a new warmup method "Getting in Gear." We had a great conversation about the basics of writing for strings as well as how to adjust your compositional style to fit the grade level of the perfomring ensemble. At the end of the show we'll also share two recent compositions of hers for string orchestra: "Atoms" and "Unbridled Spirit."

Brian Balmages, composer and conductor who leads Make Music Publications and digital education at Alfred Music. He talks about the changing concert band landscape and why band offers big opportunities for new composers. He explains finding a personal voice, practical orchestration for young players, and his varied compositional habits. He also introduces two works tied to purpose and healing.

Tommee Profitt, a cinematic composer and producer with over 100 billion streams, shares his artistic journey and insights. He discusses the balance between producing for others and his own work, emphasizing the importance of creativity over commercial success. Tommee reflects on the creation of his Christmas album, 'Birth of a King,' inspired during COVID, and describes the energetic live recording process with a massive orchestra and numerous artists. He also provides advice on finding one's artistic voice and committing to creative risks.

Boian Videnoff is the co-CEO and co-founder of Enote, a Berlin-based startup revolutionizing sheet music with AI. He discusses the vision of digitizing scores and the app's advanced features that surpass PDFs. Videnoff explains how eNote recognizes notation complexities and helps musicians with editable exports. He shares insights on cultural shifts needed for acceptance of digital scores, plans to support living composers, and the importance of engaging younger musicians through gamified education. The conversation also touches on the future of AI in music composition and its impact on jobs.

Today's episode highlights another company working on developing AI sheet music capabilities. My guest is Johan Ronström, the project manager of ScoreCloud, which has been described as "Google Translate for Sheet Music."

Sebastian Murgul, co-founder and CEO of Klang.io, discusses the exciting world of AI in music transcription. He explains how their tools, like Transcription Studio and Piano2Notes, convert audio into readable sheet music. The conversation touches on challenges in preserving musicians' expressive details and the balance of copyright concerns with innovation. Murgul shares his vision of digital, interactive sheet music and the potential impact of AI on musicians’ careers, emphasizing adaptation and collaboration over competition.

Andrew Carlins, CEO and co-founder of Songscription, discusses his mission to revolutionize music education with AI-powered music transcription. He explains the innovative two-step model that converts audio to MIDI and then to sheet music, highlighting the importance of tailored instruments and diverse genres. Andrew addresses ethical issues, artist control, and the impact of his technology on the music industry. He also shares insights on how musicians can leverage AI and engage with the evolving landscape of music transcription.