Is it even practical to get into music notation as a career now?

[LSL2026]

Or even a side hustle?

Back in the late 1990s I did freelance work for people - had a few major projects, a few steady clients, but just got too busy with life (kids) and work to be able to keep doing it.

I'm nearing retirement now.

I'm in a situation where I'm no longer able to perform and teach private lessons like I used to.

I'm "pretty good" at notation, and the software, and could become better and would like to.

I'm using MuseScore now, I have access to Sibelius, I'd be willing to buy and learn Dorico IF it could get "return on investment". But honestly I think the output of MuseScore is going to be acceptable for most of the kind of work I would get.

I work in a musical community, so have plenty of contacts locally.

It just seems that "everyone has MuseScore" etc. - so many more people have access to music notation than ever before, and there are SO many people doing it who would under cut you, that doing it for any sort of "income" would be an uphill climb…

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I guess I'm wondering if you all have any experience with working on a smaller, local scale like that, and "making a few extra bucks each month".

People's budgets are tighter than ever before too…

I used to charge "per measure per voice" - as a "frame rate". Can't remember the rate but I think it was maybe 25 cents per voice per measure.

That would make Chopin's Prelude in A, Opus 28 no.7 about 10 bucks, and the E minor one, no. 4 - about 13 bucks. I used to see union copyist rates for 10-15/page in the old days so seems like a decent average for 2000 pricing…but it's 26 years later now...

I'd need to sit down and see how quickly I could whip those out, but when I consult I get $75/hr, and lessons I get between $35 and $50/hr.

So I'd have to be doing 4-7 pages per hour at that rate to get in that 35-70 range.

Of course, there would be upcharges for things like Chord Symbols, Lyrics, anything out of the ordinary or above and beyond "standard" and probably an hourly rate for parts as they can be generated from the score easily.

It would all be digital - no physical printing. PDFs.

Feasibility?

[OCTO]

Depends on where you live and if you have competitive prices.

I work with one copyist since 2011 and there must be involved trust as well.

Getting into a publishing house is very hard, you have to show such an extreme expertize.

[Fred G. Unn]

I'm "pretty good" at notation, and the software, and could become better and would like to.
...
But honestly I think the output of MuseScore is going to be acceptable for most of the kind of work I would get.
...
I work in a musical community, so have plenty of contacts locally.
...
It just seems that "everyone has MuseScore" etc.
...
It would all be digital - no physical printing. PDFs.

If you are using MuseScore and "everyone has MuseScore," what sort of service or expertise are you providing that people will be willing to pay for? I mean that sincerely, as you'll have to convince your clients that what you are providing is worth paying for instead of doing it themselves in the same software. Fewer and fewer people are writing in pencil anymore, so I would assume most of your clients will be providing MuseScore or other digital files. Without any physical printing as a selling point, you'll have to convince clients that your settings, engraving expertise, editing, formatting, proofreading, etc. is all of value to them, even if they are using the same software for inputting. (I have an oversized laser printer, a binding machine, and always stock 9.5"x12.5", 11"x14", 11"x17", and 12"x18" paper so I can print in-house on a variety of output sizes.)

Virtually every copying job I ever got was either a word-of-mouth referral or people seeing my work on a stand and contacting me. If you're in a "musical community" there may be plenty of opportunities for people to see your work, so simply getting it out there in the community can be one way to start.

It might seem counter-intuitive, but if you're a MuseScore wiz, being generous with your knowledge and time can actually end up paying off too. After I was well-known as a Finale expert, there were a lot of times people would just run out of time and throw a job to me to finish as I was so much faster and my parts were so clear. Of course, that means being able to handle a lot of last-minute work and pulling some all-nighters. I just don't have the time for much last-minute Dorico work anymore, so try to throw it off to former students that can use the work, but have a few friends and composers I'll still bail out.

I've done a bunch of work for major publishers too, but that's a really tough scene to break into, and in my experience is really about connections. In the 1990s I used to do SCORE work for a woman who had a roster of composers and did a lot of work for Schirmer. She then went on to be a senior editor at NYC Boosey for 15 years or so, and since they were a Sibelius house, she would throw me any Finale files that came in. It wasn't like I applied or sent a portfolio in though, it was all just connections, and she knew I was accurate and reliable.

Obviously skills like transcription from audio and arranging can be useful too if you can provide those services. The current tools to assist with transcription have really gotten amazing! Stem splitting in Logic, or software like SpectraLayers, can really help if notation from audio is a service you can provide too. In terms of building up a referral network, all of those go hand-in-hand as they are additional ways of getting your work out on to music stands where people can see it.

[OCTO]

there were a lot of times people would just run out of time and throw a job to me to finish as I was so much faster and my parts were so clear. Of course, that means being able to handle a lot of last-minute work and pulling some all-nighters.

This.

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As a composer, I only work with people who can agree to meet a deadline, even if it means working night shifts, etc.  Once they gain your trust, they will keep coming back to you.  Trusting someone's expertise in advance is difficult.

But if you are using MuseScore, don't expect to get any high-level jobs.  I personally get paid around €25–30K for a 20-minute orchestral work commission, and I don't want it to be engraved in MuseScore.  Not because it is impossible (maybe it is, maybe it isn't), but because I don't see the level of expertise required for such work anywhere in the MuseScore community.  MuseScore also has such a small community of users who actually work professionally as engravers.  It was much easier to find a Finale copyist 20 years ago, and now there are plenty of Sibelius copyists, for example in countries like Argentina.  I can afford to pay whatever it takes, including their sleepless nights, to have my work done properly.

My advice is definitely not to send unsolicited emails to composers offering "expertise in music engraving."  I delete those emails after reading the first few sentences without blinking.  Instead, look for various groups (Facebook, for example) where people are asking for help, and participate by demonstrating your expertise.  For example, engrave some B. Ferneyhough or G. Crumb in MuseScore and post your work from time to time, so people can see what you are capable of without you having to approach them directly.  Or start your own topic here: viewforum.php?f=15 and keep posting your examples, then you can link this to other forums, FB, etc.

If I urgently need a copyist, I go to Facebook or similar platforms, where people can compete for the job, send me their offers, and, most importantl, I can see the level of expertise they actually have.  I can see also who they are: users with lot of kids, and lot of various side jobs, or fancy lifestyle are by default ignored.

[Fred G. Unn]

As a composer, I only work with people who can agree to meet a deadline, even if it means working night shifts, etc.  Once they gain your trust, they will keep coming back to you.  Trusting someone's expertise in advance is difficult.

This is one of the reasons it's really hard to break into the copying scene! Once you've done a few jobs, then you develop a reputation for being accurate, reliable, and able to make a deadline, but that takes time to cultivate. And of course you have to actually hit the deadline too! There were so many times I would receive a score from a client in the afternoon, stay up all night copying it, print and tape parts, then go straight to the studio in the morning with the parts for the rehearsal or recording. It's not an easy lifestyle!

But if you are using MuseScore, don't expect to get any high-level jobs.

I wasn't going to quite go there, but yeah. If you really want to work as a copyist, you need to be at least reasonably proficient in all the major software, and an expert in either Dorico or Sibelius. (I would probably exclude LilyPond from that statement as it's more of a niche scene.) Cultivate a house style in one of those two programs so your work is recognizable and not generic.

My advice is definitely not to send unsolicited emails to composers offering "expertise in music engraving."  

When I was right out of grad school, I printed up some little booklets of sample work and sent to a bunch of publishers, churches, schools, etc. I didn't get a response from a single one, LOL! Complete waste of time. It was way more productive for me to just keep at it, keep getting music on stands in front of people, and gradually build up clients.

[LSL2026]

It wasn't like I applied or sent a portfolio in though, it was all just connections, and she knew I was accurate and reliable.

All great points Fred.

This too is how I've gotten most of my work over the years - more word of mouth.

I do think a lot of the people I know are just too busy with their other musical endeavors to be able to spend the time on projects themselves so that could work in my favor.

[Fred G. Unn]

I do think a lot of the people I know are just too busy with their other musical endeavors to be able to spend the time on projects themselves so that could work in my favor.

That's definitely in your favor! Finding people you already know that are overextended and need help is perfect. Let them know what services you offer, show them samples, and you're up and running again!

[OCTO]

@LSL2026 just do a few measures of Sciarrino, Ferneyhough, Crumb, Stravinsky, or Ravel of diverse size, in whatever software you want, and post them here and there regularly.  People will notice if your work is up to the level!

[LSL2026]

Finding people you already know that are overextended and need help is perfect. Let them know what services you offer, show them samples, and you're up and running again!

Yeah I think this is going to be my best course of action for now.

I can hopefully build a reputation and that lead to other stepping stones - I won't be trying to break into the Fernyhough market as @OCTO mentioned any time soon!

I do enjoy graphic notation and so on and would probably be one of a comparatively small few who were able to do that handily (but I'd be getting Dorico for sure then, unless MS happens to advance enough by that point - could happen) but it's definitely not something I want to start with.