Stuart's sheet music

Through my Kingsway work, I've been involved in an exciting new project to make sheet music more readily and easily available.

It's a website called www.kingswaysongs.com. There you can download each song you want as an Acrobat .pdf file (most people have Acrobat Reader on their computer, and if they don't, they can download it for free from www.adobe.com), and click on "get Adobe Reader". Nearly all the active Thankyou Music catalogue is on there now.

The format is superior to the traditional songbook in several ways.

1) You can buy just the songs you want - you don't need to spend £15 on a songbook for the three songs you're looking for!

2) You don't need to photocopy - just print more perfect copies from your printer (but see the comment below on copyright).

3) The website acts as a songfinder. You can search for songs by a particular theme, by key, by general tempo - you can even find a song which contains a particular word or phrase. So it's a useful tool for preparing to lead, as well as a song resource.

What are the drawbacks?

1) It's an expensive way to buy a lot of songs! At £1.49 per song, buying, say, 50, is going to be prohibitively expensive. However, kingswaysongs.com are talking about making special 'package deals' that would rival songbook prices.

2) Copyright. You can't just make numerous copies of the file. You can purchase multiple copies from the website at a reduced rate, but the best way is to get your church to purchase an MRL (music reproduction licence) as an add on to your words CCL licence. The licence allows you to make multiple copies from your files and from your songbooks, provided you report the number of copies you've made. And remember - if you are currently photocopying from songbooks, you need this licence anyway to do it legally.

3) Currently the songs are all from the Thankyou Music catalogue (for copyright reasons). And although Thankyou Music is by far the most used catalogue in the UK (with all the songs from Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Paul Oakley, Keith Getty,Noel Richards, myself, and tons of others, as well as Hillsong from Australia), it does mean you can't get Make Way, Vineyard or Integrity songs on it.

For those who are looking for a particular group of songs, or are looking for help to find songs on a particular theme, it's the perfect resource. There's even an audio link so you can hear a clip from the song to help you decide if it's waht you're looking for. I think it's a fantastic resource - but of course I'm biased! Check it out for yourslef through the link above.

Stuart Townend

Comments

[Todd Weedman]

Stuart, I love your music... But as I am living in the States, I am unable to purchase your sheet music via www.kingswaysongs.com. Is there any other way that I might be able to secure copies?

http://reformationis.blogspot.com

[Lauren Walden]

Stuart,

We in the USA can't purchase your sheet music downloads from kingswaysongs.com, but we CAN purchase them from www.WorshipTogether.com. Maybe you could add that link to your blog info page on "Stuart's sheet music". I purchased enough downloads per song for each of our musicians so that we'll be legal. :)

Your songs are a blessing to our church.

Thank you!

Lauren Walden
San Diego, California

[Jere Davis]

Dear Stuart,

I live in the USA and have purchased your songs through WorshipTogether.com, but they have a very limited inventory of your songs compared to kingswaysongs.com. Is there a way to get more of your music on their site?

Thank you for your ministry,

Jere

[Stuart]

Hi Jere,

Yes, I'm working on getting worshiptogether.com to put as many songs on the website as possible! I'm sorry it can be a frustrating experience for you guys in the US.

[Brian Mulder]

Hi Stuart,

In the US, is there a way to get the 4-part version of Speak O Lord? (I have the piano/vocal version from worshiptogether.)

Brian

[Graham Harcombe]

Stuart
I have surfed all over to buy sheet music for
"I will sing of the lamb"
Can you help please

Graham

[Stuart]

Good point! "I will sing of the Lamb" should be available of the www.kingswaysongs.com website - but isn't! I will chase them up on this.

If you contact Kingsway via the website, they can probably send you the song as a hard copy, or as a pdf by email.

[Aaron McNutt]

Hey Stuart,

Thank you for writing intelligent, moving, singable, theologically meaty music. You have met a great need in regards to my own personal worship, and I praise the Lord for you and your music.

I would like to use some of your music from Irish Hymns #3 for our Christmas services. Has anyone other than Clydesdale arranged/orchestrated them? If so, are the arrangements available in the US? I've reviewed Clydesdale's arrangements. They require advanced singers with a high range (in "Glorious Light," 1st sop. sustains a high A for 3 measures). The arrangements do not seem to have retained the original meditative, relaxed, and worshipful feel that the CD recording has.

Regardless, please know that the Lord has used you to bless me and my church.

Gratefully,
Aaron McNutt

[Aaron McNutt]

Forgive me. I see that "Glorious Light" was a project of Getty and Hannah. However, the same could be said of Clydesdale's arrangement of "Joy Has Dawned upon the World."
Thanks,
Aaron McNutt

[Brian Rice]

Hi Stuart
I'm looking to purchase the MP3 and sheet music for 'Joy has Dawned' but I can't get a preview of the music so I don't know how 'playable' it is for a humble guitarist like myself! It says Eb on the sheet, but doesn't let me know whether I can capo it or whether there are alternative chords for me to use. As I plan to use it this coming Sunday (9th December) could you help me out with some answers?
God bless

Brian Rice

[Hayden]

I am fond of Stuart's music.....Recently bought his latest sheet music from Sheet Music Plus store....!