If your office is closing for any extended period, do not forget to set the dates in the Office Closed section of the Zinfonia panel in your Authority settings in InCopyright.
When entered, your customers are notified of the office closure when they create any new orders or send a message via the InC/Zinfonia messaging service so that any delays in processing will be shared with your customer at this time.
Dates can be set in advance of known closures because they are not displayed until the day you enter in the CLOSED section.
You also do not have to remember to clear the dates when your office re-opens as the the message will only be displayed until the REOPEN date.
When you enter dates in this section, don’t forget to press the SAVE CHANGES button to commit the changes to the system.
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The Universal Instrumentation Code or UIC will soon play a more important role in your Zinfonia presence.
The UIC is an industry-supported standard to represent instrumental parts using hierarchical numeric system to make it easier to display, share and search performing materials (you can find more about the UIC here: https://uic.btmi.au/).
Why are UICs important?
Probably the most obvious benefit for having UICs on all of your titles is to provide your customers as part of the order process with the precise breakdown of the individual parts they are requesting (in their own language), and are prompted only to input the desired quantities on those items which require this information (like scores, vocal and choral materials and string forces).
UICs are also being used increasingly to share information between different systems. The system was originally created by us to help digital distribution systems connect the performer with the part they need to play, but is now used to move large amounts of information effortlessly between companies and platforms.
Very soon we will be introducing two new features on Zinfonia, both of which depend on the availability of well-formed UICs on your titles. The first new feature is advanced searching of Zinfonia databases based on the instrumentation, to not only locate works of specific groups of players (both small and large) but also to locate works with the same or similar forces.
The second feature is the concept of Search Tags that give Zinfonia users new ways to locate the pieces they are looking for. At the moment, if you know the composer or title, Zinfonia searches are easy, but if you are looking for something based on genre, category or instrumentation then these Zinfonia Search Tags will be very useful to reveal new programming opportunities. Publishers will have the facility to maintain their own tags, but those which are specific to the instrumentation (like Music for Orchestra, or Violin Solo and Orchestra) will be automatically applied based on the UIC, so having these in place before that feature is available will help make your catalogue more visible. More on these features soon.
How to get UICs in Zinfonia
For users that use HLMSW or Chordata, the process is automatic – we do though STRONGLY recommend all HLMSW users take the time to convert any titles that have not yet been converted to UICs into this format. When HLMSW is retired in a few years, we will need to have consistent data, and so UICs across all works, sets and transactions will need to be in place. To make this transition easier, we have created a bunch of utilities to help you work though this process – please contact us to get a personal tour of these.
For non-HLMSW/Chordata users, the new UIC editor is available in the Edit Work screen accessed by clicking on the EDIT button in InCopyright.
You can use the UIC Toolbox to create complete UICs, or you can copy and paste UICS from existing titles in Zinfonia using the options available. We are also creating mass upload tools if you can support the UIC on your existing systems (please ask us for more information).
What is a Well-Formed UIC?
The UIC has a number of important principles that, when followed, will produce the best results:
The Instrument defined in Position 0 MUST be unique in a set of parts (this instrument also defines the sort order of the elements). You can use the Descriptor or Number designators to distinguish between similar instruments.
When other instruments are included on the same line (to indicate doubling or shared parts) it is important to include the DOUBLING flag when required so that the UIC knows that the same player plays all instruments.
Keep all of your instruments in logical groups within the UIC using the DOMAIN designator. For example if you have a violin concerto, the solo violin part should be attached to the [SOLO] domain so that it is kept separate from the rest of the instruments. The Domain can be omitted if all instruments are part of the same group.
For parts where there is a one-to-one relationship with the players (like winds, brass and percussion in an orchestral context) , make sure you include a Quantity value as part of the UIC. For items with non-specific quantities like scores, vocal & choral material and string forces, no quantity should be entered so that users are required to nominate the number of copies they require when ordering.
While the UIC is available in 8 languages, we recommend managing your UIC listings in English because this is the only version that every instrument is guaranteed unique. If you do not like any of the UIC terms or transactions, on HLMSW and Chordata you can create your own dictionaries so that that it is displayed the way you prefer.
Don’t forget to visit the UIC Toolbox on InCopyright to get a better understanding of the system and to see a demonstration of some of the power behind this versatile system.
Messages with a non-white background usually require some kind of interaction with you. This may be a message the customer has sent (indicated by the Unread Message counter) or it may be informational like a Quote has been accepted and/or paid. If you have transactions which do not require a response but are non-white in your list, I recommend you Archive them so that your list remains easy to view.
You can also use the new All Unanswered Status option to view just unanswered requests
Triage any incoming request (with a non-white background) and either: a) Use the messages facility to ask or answer question posed by the customer b) Issue a Quote c) Release the transaction so it can be managed in HLMSW
d) Archive the transaction to remove it from the live queue
Posted inUpdate, Zinfonia|Comments Off on Auto-Process HLMSW Messages
Today we launched some new features on InCopyright to provide publishers and distributors with tools to make it easier for you to interact with your Zinfonia customers by having the option to assign Authority-wide notes to your anyone ordering through Zinfonia.
Tariffs
Users with Admin permissions can click on the Authority menu option to display a new Tariff card to allow you to create categories that can be assigned to your customers and works to assist in the calculation of fees and charges.
There is no limit to the number of Tariffs you can enter, and they are designed to link directly to online resources to assist in the calculation of fees, both for in-house use and also optionally for public access as well.
The system makes it easy to manage multiple currencies and annual changes in rates.
Account Status, Tariff and Notes
Every order now has a redesigned Customer card which give you quick access to the last 5 orders and well as a new system for users with Admin or Quote permissions to assign a status (Standard/Priority/Alert/STOPPED), a tariff and free-text notes which are visible to EVERYONE in your Authority (but not visible to your clients in Zinfonia). The same information is also displayed on quotes, along with a link to your online resource for fee calculation.
Want to know more? Check out the Video
We have created the first of what we expect to be a growing library of short videos to help explain how to use new and existing features on InCopyright as they happen.
Zinfonia will be represented at the 42nd Annual Major Orchestra Librarians’ Association hosted by the Cleveland Orchestra commencing on May 24th.
For this event, Zinfonia will be promoting the new Zinfonia Publisher News Feed and so if you have content that you think would be valuable to orchestral music librarians across the globe, please make sure your news items are visible BEFORE May 24th, 2024. It may also be a good opportunity to review and update your Zinfonia banner as well. Both of these can be maintained in the Promotion/Marketing section of your InCopyright portal – please contact us if you need assistance with access or use of these features.
Ulrich Steffen Eck, the operations manager of Zinfonia and curator of the Zinfonia databases will be at the Tech Fair and subsequent sessions and he would love to see you if you are in attendance.
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Statistics is a graphic overview of the transactions and clicks with a comparison to the previous year to see how you are tracking.
Transaction Report is a list of all transactions that have been submitted by users in the given period for all of your catalogues
Click/Link Report is a list of all clicks on your banners, news items or with links you have provided by users in the given period
Top 100 Works Report will provide you with a list of the MOST performed titles in your catalogues
Hidden Works Report is a list of all works not available to Zinfonia users for a variety of reasons (it is recommended you check this from time to time to make sure something is not visible when it should be)
Zinfonia Subscription Details and Invoices
You can now view and keep track in real-time all details of your existing subscription and invoices by selecting the option Invoices/Payments – Zinfonia Invoices
For publishers that upload content directly into Zinfonia, we have a number of new features and resources available to you to keep you Zinfonia catalogue up to date.
Uploading Content from a File
Using the same tab-delimited Unicode file formats for data and links as the old Zinfonia, you can upload your content into Zinfonia using the new \Zinfonia Catalog\Upload menu option.
To upload a file. just use the Upload Items button and follow the prompts. After a file has been uploaded and processed by us, title will be marked as Ready with a green background, and these can inserted into Zinfonia using the Process Items button. If there are any items you do not want to process, select them using the check box, and press the Remove Items button.
Editing Existing Content
To edit any existing content, use the new Edit button you will find located next to all of your works in the Zinfonia Catalog/ALL Zinfonia search.
Here you can edit all Zinfonia information and links, with the new option of adding a UIC. The UIC makes for a much better user experience for your customers because they can see precisely what parts make up a set and is a recommended inclusion for all items on Zinfonia.
Changes to Visibility rules for Banners and News Items
To keep the publisher banners and news items fresh for our regular users, we are now applying some weighting algorithms to feature more recent content.
Global Publisher News
We recommend you update your content every month because content that has been updated in the last month with be featured ahead of older content. We are also testing a RSS feed for news items you can subscribe to with your favourite news reader at https://rss.zinfonia.com/ZinfoniaWS.asmx/publisherNews
Banners
You should aim to updated them at least once a year to keep give them most chance of being seen. We also have the facility to boost certain banner ads for a limited time if you have something special you want people to see (there is a small additional fee for boosting banner content).
You can use the new Click/Link report mentioned above to track the success of your Zinfonia marketing campaigns.
This feature is FREE for all Zinfonia Connect publishers with an active subscription (with the number of concurrent news items being based on the level of your subscription).
When a user logs into Zinfonia, they are presented with a random selection of News Feed articles, the number of which is dependant on the platform they are using to view Zinfonia.
All news articles may be posted in several languages, and all clicks (to non-Zinfonia sites) are logged and charged at your usual rate.
Posts are promoted for a month after their release, and so if you want your posts to remain in high rotation, we recommend you update the content every month.
If you need help with this, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Posted inZinfonia|Comments Off on Zinfonia Global Publisher News Feed is Live
The global publisher newsfeed, a key new feature of Zinfonia 2.0 will be visible to all Zinfonia users from April 1st, 2024.
The global publisher news feed is a unique and free opportunity for all Zinfonia publishers to promote new composers, first performances, important anniversaries or any information that you think will be of interest to the 81k of Zinfonia users world-wide.
Every piece of news can be delivered in multiple languages and includes a clickable link that you can take your users to titles in Zinfonia for free, or to pages on your websites for a small fee.
To start creating your news feed, please head to https://www.incopyright.com/news (you will need Marketing permissions to view this page). All you will need is a headline, some text, a link to provide more information and a square image no smaller than 100 x 100 pixels.
The number news items you can submit at any time is related to the level of your Zinfonia subscription, with additional slots available for a small fee but you can can update the news items any time you like.
A preview of the news feed is available here https://www.zinfonia.com/newsfeed
Don’t Forget your Banner Ad
While you are updating this information, don’t forget to review your Zinfonia Banner ad which may be updated here: https://www.incopyright.com/banners. Zinfonia Banners are a highly visible promotional opportunity available to all Zinfonia publishers as part of your subscription.
Please note that Zinfonia will not be available at this time
for Zinfonia users
The new system will be very familiar as it builds on technology that made Zinfonia such a success, but provides a simpler interface which is compatible with all modern devices.
Existing Zinfonia users will be required to enter a new password (with our new enhanced security protocols), but so long as you use the same email address you use now, ALL of your past order history will be available.
If you use the Zinfonia Groups feature, you will need to re-join your nominated group the first time you log in (and this can be done by selecting the Group from the log in options in the top-right corner).
There are many new features which we will highlight throughout the year, but one I would like to draw your attention to is the addition of desktop notifications, when enabled, will give you immediate feedback whenever the state of a Zinfonia request changes.
for Zinfonia Connect Publishers
Zinfonia Connect publishers will have a new set of tools located at our sister site incopyright.com to assist you in the management of your Zinfonia presence. This will be available in the weeks leading up to the launch, and we will send you more information closer to the time.
Some patience required
During the changeover period, there will be times when the system is not available, but we hope to keep this to a minimum. As this is a major upgrade with almost every facet of the system re-written, we anticipate there will be some unforeseen issues that we will endeavour to resolve as quickly as possible to avoid any disruption.
As always, if you need help or have any questions about the new release, please contact us at help@zinfonia.com
Posted inGeneral, Zinfonia|Comments Off on Zinfonia 2.0 Release
