If you’ve ever been the person standing at the copier the night before rehearsal, you already know paper music isn’t free. But most bands never add up what it actually costs. The expense hides in a dozen small places: an ink cartridge here, a box of paper there, a reprint every time an arrangement changes.
When it’s time to plan next year’s budget, those small costs deserve a closer look. This guide walks through where the money goes, what a digital library costs instead, and how to make the case to your board.
Where the money actually goes
The cost of paper music isn’t one line item. It’s several, and most bands only track the first one.
Quick estimate
Members × songs × pages per part = pages per season
A 50-member band playing 40 songs with 3-page parts prints 6,000 pages a season. At 5 to 10 cents a page, that’s $300 to $600 before a single change is made.
1. The first print. Every member needs their own part for every song.
2. Reprints. Arrangements get revised, keys change, and parts get lost or left at home. Every change means printing that part again for everyone who plays it.
3. Ink and toner. Cartridges are often the biggest surprise, and they’re easy to miss because they get bought as needed instead of budgeted.
4. Binders and supplies. Folders, sheet protectors, binders and storage boxes, replaced as they wear out.
5. Volunteer time. Someone copies, sorts, hole-punches and hands out every part. That time doesn’t show up in the budget, but it’s real.
Add those up for your own band and the total is usually much higher than the printing estimate alone.
What Virtual Song Book costs
Virtual Song Book charges per active member, per month, and the whole band gets the rate for its size. The bigger the band, the lower everyone’s rate.
| Band size | Per member |
|---|---|
| 1 to 10 | $5.00 |
| 11 to 30 | $2.50 |
| 31 to 50 | $1.75 |
| 51 to 70 | $1.25 |
| 71 and up | $0.75 |
| Members | Per year | Per member |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | $750 | $30 |
| 40 | $840 | $21 |
| 60 | $900 | $15 |
| 80 | $720 | $9 |
| 100 | $900 | $9 |
That cost stays the same no matter how many songs you add, how often arrangements change, or how many parts go missing. Updating a song is free, and every member gets the new version on their phone or tablet.
A real band’s numbers
One Philadelphia-area band was spending more than $1,200 a year on ink alone, before paper, binders, or the hours spent copying parts. After switching, their library costs about $900 a year. The ink bill is gone, reprints are gone, and every member opens rehearsal with the current version of every part.
Savings that don’t show up on the budget line
The dollar figure is what gets a board’s attention, but directors usually feel these first:
- No more version mix-ups. Update a song once and every member has the new version. No one shows up with last year’s part.
- Each member sees only their part. Trumpet sees trumpet, bass sees bass. No sorting, no handing out stacks of paper.
- No forgotten music. Parts download to each member’s phone or tablet and work offline, so a venue without Wi-Fi isn’t a problem.
- Your arrangements stay private. Access is invite-only, and the app blocks screenshots and screen recordings.
- Rehearsals move faster. Build a set for any gig or rehearsal, and use Concert Mode to put the whole band on the same song at once.
Making the case to your board
Most bands need a treasurer or board to approve a new recurring expense. The easiest way to get a yes is to put both numbers side by side.
- Pull last year’s receipts for printing, ink, paper, and supplies.
- Look up your band size in the table above.
- Compare the two, then add the time your volunteers get back.
Prefer to have the numbers done for you? Tell us your band size and we’ll send a quote your treasurer can take straight to the board.
Want to see it work with your own music first? Start a free 7-day trial, invite a few members, and upload a couple of songs. You won’t be charged during the trial.