Controversial sheet music sharing website Pianofiles is now offline, having been taken down on December 2.
The site’s decision to close was likely to have been prompted by a mass letter writing campaign carried out by members of international publishing trade body, ICMP, across the world last October.
The organisation has subsequently negotiated with Pianofiles and members of the ICMP anti-theft committee.
In a statement, the Brussels-based ICMP said: ‘Copyright infringement carried out by illegal filesharing sites like Pianofiles diminishes the ability of songwriters and composers to make a living and undermines the incentive to create new works and invest in innovation.
‘Artists, publishers and musicologists put invaluable time, experience and money into creating quality sheet music and they simply cannot compete with a “get it for free” culture as perpetuated by these sites.’Music Business Worldwide
