Robbie has it identified: a lot of roll scanning seems to be collector
vs. collector, but thank heavens others are trying to save the music
and they are to be complimented for their effort.  For the Violano,
and other most interesting mechanical music machines, if people do not
scan these scarce rolls, they will soon disintegrate into shreds and be
gone forever.  History and the music demands that they be preserved and
digital scanning is the only way to accomplish this task.

My own project is to scan and preserve the music rolls in digital format
for the residence pipe organs.  Not exactly the most popular format, and
today very scarce and hard to accomplish, thanks to all the builders
having their own roll systems.

Also, rounding up the rolls to scan proves to be a daunting task.  When
was the last time anyone saw Wurlitzer R, Welte, or Skinner rolls for
sale?  Never!

To that end, a most costly scanner system has been constructed that is
able to read any roll, translate the multiplexing systems and put them
into one common format, suitable to feed any digital or pipe organ
equipped with a MIDI input.  A custom Allen Quad Suite theater organ
has been purchased and had it's voices reprogrammed to play these rolls
correctly with the proper stops.  Audio CD's and player CD-ROM disks
are the end product of this project.

Recutting these residence organ rolls is simply not financially
feasible, except for the Duo-Art rolls, and Charles Kegg has recut many
of the good rolls.  The varying holes per inch and the varying widths
makes constructing a punch system very costly, considering that the
market is counted on one hand for such rolls.  Remaining organs that
still are player equipped are so rare that recutting their rolls makes
no financial sense, digital preservation and playback is the only way
to save this music.

One major problem is that quite often, the paper was not top quality
and today, they are often ruined almost beyond any condition where
original players can be used to again hear this wonderful music.  Edge
guiding has been seen as one of the most destructive ways to make a
roll unplayable.

Yet, the organists of that day performed stunning renditions of this
class of music, many did not make phonograph records, so the only way
to hear their artistry is via their rolls.

As to copyright issues, an extensive search of such lists has shown
that most all of them are public domain and also not registered as
copyrighted music.

The music of Gershwin, Kern, and others that were copyrighted, the
ASCAP fees are very small and one simply pays the fee to the estates of
these composers.  No more expensive or complicated than the fees paid
when theater organists make CD's and sell them on the open market.

Jim Crank