Referring to Tim Trager's subject "Computerized Book Music Punching
Machine" (MMD 99.12.22), Robbie Rhodes invited me to tell something
about the various cost elements of book music.  I guess that in
particular he wanted to know how much computerized punching will
reduce the price of a complete organ book.

In general you will encounter the following cost elements for book
music:

1.  Cost of the cardboard,
2.  Cost for punching the book,
3.  Cost to make the music arrangement,
4.  Additional costs (shellac, postage, bank transfer costs, etc.)

Re 1.  Of course the cost for the cardboard will be the same for both
cutting by foot and computerized punching.  With the increased prices
for paper and cardboard during the last decades, this will be a
considerable amount in the cost of the complete book.

Besides, there are costs for folding and gluing the raw material into
the useful form of a blank organ book.  In old days this was all done
by hand, but nowadays there are clever machines developed to do this
for you.  But these machines also cost money, both in acquisition and
in upkeep.  In Western Europe it is rather easy to purchase piles of
cardboard from various suppliers.  Prices range from about $1 for
smaller organs to $4 for the 125-key organs. [I think that's the
price per linear meter! -- Robbie ]

Re 2.  Once you have bought a small old-fashioned punching machine it
is very cheap to cut your own books.  You only have to invest a lot of
time for this work.  It is different when you can't or don't want to
do this job yourself: you have either to pay rent for using somebody's
punch machine, or else pay to hire a punch operator.  A comfortable
solution is to order complete books from the arranger.

Yes, Tim, you are right: "Book music is expensive to produce, partic-
ularly due to the 19th century labor involved in foot punching it!"

In old times manual work was not so expensive.  Employees (mostly
women) of organ factories were happy to earn a few cents or pennies
a day, cutting music from 6.00 in the morning until 20.00 daily.  It
was simply amazing that this labour was not modernized until the last
decade of the 20th century.

I myself have cut thousands of metres of cardboard by foot, enjoying
this dull work less and less.  Oh yes, it can be nice to cut a single
book for your own organ now and then -- it is great when you see the
work nearing the end, in joyful anticipation of the first performance
of the book on your organ.  But if it happens to be your daily job ...

When I tell people outside the organ world that my profession is
to produce organ books, they often react, "Ah, you make holes in
cardboard!"

The computerized cardboard puncher is a great invention.  I am very
happy that a machine can do that awful job.  Personally, I should
encourage everyone to have a "computerized personal book music punching
machine or a CPBMPM" as Tim Trager suggested in his report.  (And
what do you think of a punching machine that operates not with metal
chisels, but that can burn the holes with a laser into the cardboard!)

However, it all depends on the price of such a machine.  You will have
to consider what is cheaper for you: purchasing an automatic punch
machine (probably several thousands of dollars), paying someone to
operate an old-style punch, or paying the arranger for complete books.


Re 3.  Unfortunately the computer punching will hardly reduce the cost
of the music arrangement.  This still will remain a business taking up
much time.  Even when the arranger is skilled, it takes one or two days
to create an arrangement that fits the specific organ.

Arranging for a model 38 Ruth is far different from arranging for, let
us say, a 121-key Decap.  In fact, each organ demands its own approach.
What to think of small organs, with three bass notes and missing almost
all sharps?  It is like playing on a piano with only 30 notes working,
among them only a few black keys.  Arranging for these instruments is
only acceptable if you like to solve intricate puzzles.

In old days all arrangements were made on paper strips.  Nowadays the
computer is here -- a great help, too.  The main advantage for the
arranger is that he can listen to what he has made, while with the old
method he only could hear in mind the final results of his work.  But
still every note must be put in by hand, not after a creative process
of inventing a good arrangement.  Musicians among the MMD-readers will
know what I mean.

The costs of a good arrangement will remain substantial, taking into
account the time involved to make it.  (Warning: If you want to get
rich, don't become a mechanical organ arranger.  Even if you send your
customers a large list of tunes which you can supply from stock, they
always will ask for a tune that you never did before -- and you can
start from zero again.)


Re 4.  Also most of the additional costs will remain the same.  You
will have to shellac the finished books, to prevent them from wearing
out.  The banks will ask for their transfer costs in the new millennium
too.  Only the price for postage will reduce: it is much cheaper to
send your customer a disk with MIDI-files, or to e-mail these in
attachments, than to ship heavy packages with cardboard books to remote
locations, with all import duties involved with this.


A Merry and Musical Christmas from Holland,

Tom Meijer

 [ Among Tom's latest arrangements are songs for the Wurlitzer 165
 [ band organ; visit  http://www.carousels.com/  -- Robbie