Hi Mike –

Sure, I’ve had a little work as a copyist. The major copy houses in NYC are very protective of their secrets (best practices, templates, etc.) so they are often reluctant to hire people they don’t know. I can understand – it’s a very competitive business and they don’t want to train people who will leave and become their competition.

If you’re really good at Finale or Sibelius, you’re better off starting your own business rather than trying to get work from the established houses.

Finding copyist gigs can be tough – copyists seem to be found mostly at high-level gigs like new Broadway shows, film scoring projects, publishing houses. Keeping knocking on doors until somebody lets you in.

There are lower level gigs for copyists – I used to make audition cuts for singers in NYC. They’d bring in a song, we’d find the right key for them, then I’d right it out in Finale. That’s not really just a copying gig, though, and – sadly – it always paid poorly.