PR strategies for IMSLP

[Sebastian]

I think IMSLP is a great resource and would like to make it availble to many more people than those who know it today. What can we do to make IMSLP more widely known? If you have any ideas, please share.

I think all (classical) music teachers and students musicians can benefit from IMSLP. Once teachers realize how useful IMSLP is, they will probably promote it to their students.

Personally, I think a lot can be done on an individual basis:

1. Many music schools, universities and public libraries have pin-up boards or places where you can leave flyers. Leaving a little note saying something like "Free sheet music at http://www.imslp.org" might attract more visitors.

2. Linking to imslp.org from your website, blog, myspace page etc. can give IMSLP a higher rank on Google.

3. Posting videos on youtube explaining how to obtain free sheet music. Several such videos exist, but none of them seem to mention IMSLP.

4. Suggest to your school, local public library etc. to link to IMSLP from their website.

5. Mentioning IMSLP to classical music magazines who may want to write about it.

Anyway these are things I might do and which would probably work quite well with the schools, libraries, magazines etc. that we have where I live. In your part the world things may be different.


One thing that worries me slightly though, is if this is the right time to attract millions of new visitors to IMSLP. If we want people to keep coming back, we should make a good first impression on new visitors. It's quite important that IMSLP remains stable (not shutting down because of server overload, lack of funding, lawsuits etc.).

[Vivaldi]

How about linking the site to the major online sheet music stores like Sheet Music Plus?

[Yagan Kiely]

There are some nice ideas there, some I haven't thought of. I do a couple of those things already, but I'll probably try a few others also.

[Vivaldi]

What do you have in mind, Yagan?

[Yagan Kiely]

The videos and the flyers. I downloaded a free screen capture program (JING I think), which would work in that.

Approaching Classical website to put a link up.

[aldona]

Many music schools, universities and public libraries have pin-up boards or places where you can leave flyers. Leaving a little note saying something like "Free sheet music at www.imslp.org" might attract more visitors.

Are there any clever people out there who could make a flyer in the form of a .pdf file that we can print out ourselves and distribute?
(the smaller, the more economical - e.g. 4 copies per A4 page)

I am no good at anything involving art or graphic design but I would happily duplicate and disseminate a flyer - I can think of lots of people and places to give them to.

Aldona

[Sebastian]

Are there any clever people out there who could make a flyer in the form of a .pdf file that we can print out ourselves and distribute?
(the smaller, the more economical - e.g. 4 copies per A4 page)

At my university I plan on using A4 sheets for the pin-up boards and A7 for flyers that people can take (A7 = 8 flyers per A4 sheet). Fits nicely into your pocket. The A4 ones mentioning a dozen composers and a few instruments.

The flyers I've made are very basic. If someone comes up with a cool design, let me know

A7
A4

PS. I'd gladly do a English version and upload it in PDF format, but I'm sure there must be someone here who can make much prettier flyers than mine.

[Sebastian]

Urgent Request
IMSLP is urgently looking for people with servers who are willing to host a public mirror of IMSLP. If you are interested, please e-mail me (feldmahler {at} imslp.org) with the disk space/bandwidth limits. Server must be in Canada or the US. Reasonable compensation may be given if requested. --Feldmahler

It looks like this isn't the time to attract more people to IMSLP after all.