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Questions you might have
What is Holy Measures?
Holy Measures gives composers of religious, liturgical and spiritual music an avenue to bring their songs to the world by providing them with a platform to freely upload and sell their sheet music. In doing so, Holy Measures has created one of the Internet's largest libraries of independent religious, liturgical and spiritual sheet music, giving music directors across the globe access to fresh, new music for their worship services - all of which can be purchased and instantly printed with the click of a few buttons.
How do you submit a song for publication consideration?
That's the great thing about Holy Measures - there is no "publication consideration" process. Any composer can upload any song at anytime. Creating a composer account is fast, easy and - best of all - free. There is a standard 24-48 hour approval process with each song, just to ensure that the song is indeed of a religious, liturgical or spiritual nature AND that it meets our basic sheet music requirements.
What are your sheet music requirements?
We're not that demanding - don't worry. We just require each piece of music to contain a clear melody line and some type of accompaniment part (typically piano or organ). Basically, someone that buys the song needs to be able to play the song without having ever heard it before. For that reason, chord charts are not enough, as they require the buyer to know what the song sounds like in order to play it.
Can I upload a song that I wrote with someone else?
Of course - as long as you have permission from the other composer.
What if I don't have permission from the other composer?
If the song is in the public domain, then it's no problem. If the song is not in the public domain and you don't have permission from the other copyright holder, then you are prohibited from selling the song on Holy Measures.
How much can I charge for my music?
Holy Measures prices each song at $5, regardless of style, length, score, etc. The good news is that this takes the burden of pricing music off of our composers hands. Buyers come to the site knowing that every song they see can be purchased for the same price - $5.
What happens when a customer buys my song?
Once a purchase is made, the buyer receives a song link on their "Purchases" page, which can be accessed through their Holy Measures Account Manager. To download the song, buyer simply has to click on the "Available" link on the "Purchases" page. It's that easy. The link remains active for 48 hours after the time of purchase. After that time, the link is removed. As the composer, your "Accounting" page is automatically credited after each purchase.
Can I upload audio?
Absolutely. In fact, we highly encourage it. It's the best way to show a potential customer what your song sounds like. Uploading audio is fast and easy, and can be done on your "Account Manager" page.
Why can't I sell audio on Holy Measures?
Because we haven't rolled out that functionality yet! But it's coming - we promise. We're working very hard behind the scenes to make is so our composers can offer their audio files for purchase. Stay tuned!
Are my songs protected from illegal download?
Yes. We have taken every precaution possible to ensure that the songs of our composers are not illegally downloaded. Song preview pages only reveal one page of any given song. Each preview page also features multiple stamps of a Holy Measures watermark, indicating that the piece of music is not permitted to be copied. The song preview pages are also displayed in a scrolling window, making it near impossible to do a screen grab of the music. Once the song is purchased, composers can only print out a song from the computer with which they made the purchase from. They can also only print the song for a short period of time and it is impossible to share the download link with any other person. Most important, the PDF file that is purchased cannot be saved to the desktop. In short, we've thought of everything and our composers can rest assured that their music is protected.
How much do I make from each sale?
Holy Measures pays its composers 50% of the first $10 of each individual song sale (minus credit card processing fees). For individual song sales of more than $10, composers receive 75% of any amount above that $10 mark (again, minus credit card processing fees).
How can a song be sold for $10 or more if each song is listed at $5?
That's because customers can also purchase copy licenses with each purchase.
What does buying a copy license mean?
We understand that music directors, worship leaders and others who shop at Holy Measures will want to use their purchased songs with their choirs at various Masses, services, events, etc. This means that one copy is not enough. Purchasing a copy license gives buyers the means to legally reproduce a piece of music. Each Holy Measures song comes with the right to make 5 free photocopies. Each copy beyond that is $0.20. If someone wants to make a lot of copies, or anticipates making more copies in the future, then an unlimited license can be purchased for $15 (that price includes the $5 for the song!). The unlimited copy license gives buyers the right to make an unlimited number of copies over a 12-month period (effective from the date of the purchase). After the 12-month period is up, buyers can purchase additional licenses on their "Purchases" page.
Can I use a song that I purchase in a worship aid or ceremony program?
Yes - but only if you purchase the unlimited copy license mentioned above. This is the only way to legally obtain permission from Holy Measures to reproduce a song purchased on our site in a worship aid, ceremony program or some other worship document. Any song purchased with an unlimited copy licenses automatically comes with the right to use the song in worship aids, ceremony programs and the like.
Why don't you just show the entire song on the preview page?
We are a new company and are definitely open to feedback from those who visit our site. Many have asked us to show the entire PDF of the song in the song preview page, as it would give people a better understanding of a song that is otherwise unknown. We are currently reviewing this matter. But in the meantime, we continue to show only one-page previews as a way to better protect the intellectual property of our composers. Feel free to provide us with feedback!
Do the songs on Holy Measures have to be from a certain religion?
No. Holy Measures allows composers from all religions and beliefs to upload their songs. We only ask that the music be religious, liturgical or spiritual and nature. We currently have songs from many different religions and encourage composers from all walks of faith to share their songs with us. If you would like to add a song for a religion that is currently not offered in the drop-down box, shoot us a note and we'll add it for you!
I'm a composer and have sold a few songs. When do I get paid?
Holy Measures sends out composer checks at the end of every month to composers who have at least $25 in their Accounting bank. If you have less than $25, your money will roll over each month until you surpass that total.
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