I've been active in this delightful avocation since the mid-1960s.
In simple realization that music rolls will, with absolute certainty,
die by simple age alone, about 20 years ago I posted a challenge to
clever people to find a way to capture music roll data in some kind
of computer format, the objective being to capture their content
while still possible to do so.  A year or so later, I learned that
an Internet discussion group was formed to just this very purpose,
and quickly joined in.

In those early years, Richard Stibbons, a TV engineer in the UK,
came up with a circuit board, hardware and software as a beginning to
satisfy this objective.  Richard helped me build a roll scanner and
I too joined in this very worthwhile endeavor.  Over the years, some
6,000+ music rolls passed through my hands, many of them in dreadful
condition.  To get a feeling what I was often faced with, see

  http://members.shaw.ca/terry122/damage.htm 

Roll scanning is very much alive and well today, with very good quality
scan files emerging.  Those early scan files of mine did produce MIDI
files that play rather well on solenoid type pianos such as Disklavier
and my own Pianocorder,  see

  http://www.mts.net/~smythe/pianocorder.htm 

My early scan files can be used quite successfully on solenoid type
pianos, but they are not good enough for accurate recuts.  The critical
ingredient for roll scanning aimed at recuts is a precision roll
transport, such as that designed and built by Larry Doe, see

  http://members.shaw.ca/smythe/MK4.htm 

Others, such as Bob Billings and Dave Saul, to name a few, have designed
and built precision roll transports and routinely produce very high
quality recuts, perfect replicas of the originals.

In answer to the issue of "why bother" scanning music rolls, it's no
contest.  Paper rolls will die, if for no other reason that time alone,
and roll scanning will provide a means of preserving their content into
the foreseeable future.  I do not disagree that digital data also has
its own problems with life span.  However, I'm convinced that we are
surrounded by numerous clever people who will ensure that this digital
will not similarly die.

Regards,

Terry Smythe
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada