Ingmar Krause wrote in 030827 MMDigest:

> I did ask around for price quotes from all the people who
> commercially produce 20-key(less) rolls.  I haven't gotten any
> reply on this whatsoever.

So here is one: For standard arrangements I offer, I take 2 euros/meter.
(The conversion to USD I cite on my web site www.haraldmmueller.de
(shameless advertising ;-) is totally wrong -- this from me, a software
engineer!  I'll correct it today).  For contract arrangements, the
price is between

* The same 2 euros (if I can resell the arrangement later to others,
and/or I like to do it; and can do it when I want); and

* 8 euros or even more if I cannot reuse it, do not like it, have
a hard delivery date, etc.

And all this is totally subject to negotiation -- I have even given
arrangements away if I had very much fun with writing them; after all,
it's a hobby.

But I don't do this regularly, not the least because it's not okay
to "spoil the market" (assuming that I were in a position to even put
a small dent into this market, which I can't, fortunately).

Ingmar's question then was about the case where one sends me a MIDI
file, which I then punch (or rather have punched, on Rudolf Klomfar's
punching machine).  This has not yet happened, but the price would not
be much different from the above, at least for the first two or three
files, because some things have to happen:

* I would check the arrangement: for technicalities like wrong notes,
too fast repetitions, etc., but also for musical sense (I would not
change it, but definitely would tell the arranger what I think).

* The punching program I use (and wrote) shifts and shortens notes so
that they can be played on a 20er (or any other mechanical instrument,
for that matter, which uses punched paper).  The reason is that usual
music programs will, for example, leave too little space between two
subsequent notes.  But whether the result is what the arranger wanted
must be tried out, so I'd guess that at least the first arrangement
will require at least two or three attempts until it is okay.

Because of all that, I think it's impossible to quote a fixed price
-- it has to be done on a per-case basis; but as I have said, up to
now no one came to me with a MIDI file to be punched.

Regards

Harald M. Mueller - who, for the last 12 months, has arranged almost
nothing, because of too much work. I hope to return to music at
Christmas at the latest ... but who knows!

By the way, I was at the Great Dorset Steam Fair.  The steam/ing was
great!  As for the music (organs), I was not really happy, but maybe
I will find time to write down my impressions.