Music Sales Service

By Samantha Embrey

The Music Sales service of the Lyre Association was created in 2003 so that lyrists in North America could have access to lyre music published throughout the world.  It is the only such service on the planet!

Most sales take place at LANA conferences, where participants can look at the music first hand and don’t have to pay shipping costs.  Of purchases made between conferences via email or snail mail, many are by beginners and many require guidance, both regarding the selection of music and the need for a teacher.

In the eleven or so years that I have managed the service, I’ve enjoyed communicating with the lyrists purchasing music as well as with the publishers.  Because currency exchange rates and shipping expenses can add greatly to the cost of the music we buy, I have tried to negotiate a discounted price with each publisher.  I have then tried to sell the music at an affordable price that will cover our costs and earn enough to let us buy more music.

Every year I have tried to replace sold-out inventory and add a few new items.  Currently, we have 112 publications with a total retail value of about $7800.

In 2017, I notified the board that I wish to hand over management of music sales in the next year or so.  Thus, much of my recent work has been to explain the ins and outs of the music sales and to get materials ready to transfer to Margo in May.