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Abandoned Arrangements project - take 2

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Cobraroll:
Some of you might remember the old Abandoned Arrangements thread. That one died down, but I think the idea still is relevant.

Basically, the problem is that some arrangers create arrangements - good arrangements at that - at a faster rate than the site uploads. This typically leads to threads full of finished arrangements, that rarely are submitted or uploaded to the site (fun fact - The first arrangement Dahans made for NSM still isn't uploaded). Then, for one reason or another, these arrangers begin visiting NSM less frequently, they don't arrange as much any more and don't visit the submission threads - yet their arrangement threads are still full of ready-to-be-submitted sheets. Finished sheets even, readily approved and ready to be uploaded, if anybody just got around to do so.

After a while, file hosting sites will delete files from accounts that are unused. This phenomenom is known as "link rot", and it eventually leads to threads full of dead links, possibly linking to that one song you've requested time and time again. Once again I'll use GreekGeek's submission thread as an example. Loads of good songs not on site, many of them just a quick touch-up away from being upload-worthy, but many of the links are dead and the rest won't remain for long.

I think there is lot of unused potential lying around NSM's abandoned arrangement threads. Many sheets of varying degree of progress and quality, but some are good and some excellent, and it would be a waste letting them all go to oblivion. This thread, this project, tries to do something about it. Namely, collect and backup sheets from forgotten arrangement threads, with the goal of preserving the effort that went into creating them, and - if we get the consent of the arranger - maybe finally get them on site one day, or pass them on to people who can finish the job started long ago.

The previous Abandoned Arrangements thread uncovered one important fact: We can't simply submit sheets without people's permission. Unless the arranger has specifically given consent, we wouldn't be legally allowed to put the sheets on site (and while we're in a legal gray zone as it is, the people we'd be offending would be our own comrades - people who've dedicated time and effort to help NSM - it would be immoral of us to upload their work behind their backs). However, I think we're free to catalogize and backup the files here on the forums.

So at first, the project would concentrate on mapping the extent of the problem. Finding sheets with active links from old submission threads, making backups if necessary (I downloaded all I could find in GreekGeek's thread), gathering them in one place and maybe trying to get in touch with the arrangers.

I think some discussion could also be in order before we get started, to really find out and agree on what to do. Here are some proposed points of discussion:



* What counts as "consent" of the arranger? Would files under the header "sheets for submission" count as a permission to upload? Personally, I think we should differ between sheets only needing formatting work, and sheets needing larger corrections. The former would be okay to polish and submit under the widest definition of permission, while the latter would require approval from the original arranger.
* What constitutes an abandoned thread? Should we start at threads that haven't seen activity in six months? One year? Two years? Never?
* How much are we allowed to do without the consent of the arranger? Would simply the gathering of links, or re-hosting them entirely, count as piracy? Some might object to the idea of their old, embarrassing work being dragged out of their dying thread and put in a .zip-file in an active thread for all of NSM to see.
* Any other viewpoints?
Also, coincidentally, the only arranger to actively permit the old project to use his files was Bespinben, who left for Mormonism almost to the day two years ago. If he keeps his old promises, he'll be back next week, probably a little disappointed that the project went nowhere. Let's hope we can get something started for real this time, overcoming the obstacle of "unintended piracy".

Any thoughts or ideas?

Maelstrom:
Technically, you could say simply posting them on the forums gives rights to everyone, as long as the original composer and arranger are credited. If you don't want some of your sheets popping up again, just don't post them on the forum. It's that simple. And most of the older arrangers haven't been here in years, so it's very unlikely that they will just pop in to give their approval.

The Deku Trombonist:
I don't know if it's as simple as that. For example, I have hundreds of sheets collected from all sorts of places including here but I'm not just going to post them all, well at least the ones I got from here anyway. I'll probably have to think about this some more before I give a more useful response.

Olimar12345:
I say the most we can do is gather them all up an host them on the forums. There are plenty of arrangers who post stuff and don't submit them and we shouldn't host them without their consent.

That being said, there would still be a sort of "loop-hole" for this regarding the older arrangements. Way back when, we used to use the personal arrangement threads for submissions. The updaters would go around thread to thread, give feedback, and accept them there. I think the arrangements from this era are free game, as the consent was given just by posting them. We would just have to pinpoint the time when we switched over to using submission topics and gather the arrangers from before then.

mikey:
I like this idea and I feel like it's something that probably has to get done, cause like you said with the "link rotting"
^3

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