About Selling Single Sheet Music (PDF Format)
Hello, this is Chino Yoshio, a composer quietly working in Kyotanabe, Kyoto.
I’d like to share the background of why I sell single-sheet music in PDF format.
■ Inquiries about Apple Books
My sheet music is available for free on Apple Books. The reason I register it there is not only to make it available for performance, but also as proof that I composed the music. With an Apple account, anyone can download it free of charge when needed.
However, I sometimes receive messages saying, “I couldn’t purchase the score on Apple Books,” or “I don’t have an Apple account.”
■ Selling via Shopify
For sales, I use the Shopify platform.
Originally, I signed up for Shopify to experiment with selling vinyl records through ElasticStage and linking it with Spotify, but that didn’t work out as expected. While I was considering canceling Shopify, I received a request by email to sell sheet music as PDFs. That led me to decide to sell scores in PDF format on Shopify.
■ Price
The price is set at ¥193 per file. This is a wordplay reference to “Ikkyu-san,” a Zen monk connected to the number 193.
For me, the price itself is not as important as the purchasing process. As with my music distribution, I believe it is enough if my work simply reaches those who genuinely need it.
■ Watermark
To leave proof of purchase, each score includes a watermark: the order number placed diagonally at 5% transparency. I’ve checked that it doesn’t disturb reading or performance. I also add my signature as confirmation.
■ My main profession is CAD operation
Since my main profession is as a CAD operator, I try to send the purchased scores as quickly as possible, but sometimes it may take a little time. I appreciate your understanding.
■ Requests
Currently, this service applies to sheet music already published on Apple Books.
If there’s a song that has not yet been made into sheet music, please feel free to send a request via the contact form. It may take some time, but I prioritize turning requested pieces into scores.