Pubishing music on the Internet

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Appendix
How to publish easily your
music pieces on the Internet ?

Principle

In this chapter, you will be explained how to use Melody/Harmony to create easily web pages including your music pieces.
Directly from your Web page, visitors will be able to view, print, download or listen to your tunes.
You do not need any knowledge of HTML (Internet pages language), or a Web page editor to perform this.

Software

You will need :

• Melody Assistant or Harmony Assistant in registered version. Versions used for building this document are Melody 5.6 and Harmony 7.6.
• A software utility to upload your files to your Website (for example FTP explorer)

Step-by-step example

I own several copyright-free music scores from various composers I entered under Harmony.
I want now to publish them on the Internet.

First step : setting up files

On my hard disk, I create a folder called "Music"

In this folder; I create as many subfolder as there are composers, one for "Mozart", "Sibelius", "Bach", etc. or by genre "Classical", "Baroque", "Pop-Rock".

In each subfolder, I copy the appropriate music files (ending with ".mus").

The file tree is now created, and my files are sorted.

Second step : creating the list

I run Harmony Assistant and select "File>Jukebox"

I create a new list by clicking

I click and save the empty list in the "Music" folder. I choose "web.box" as name. Location of the "web.box" file in the "Music" folder is important. Be careful to save it here.

In the "Action" pop-up menu; I select "Re-create the whole list according to the box file location". The list is created automatically and includes all the .mus files in my file tree..

My list is now created. If I add files in any subfolder after this, I will just have to generate the list again by using the same method.

Third step : automatic web page generation

In the "Actions" pop-up menu, I select "Export list in Plug-In HTML". The programs asks me whether I want to keep the file tree. I click "Yes".

A date is then asked. All files after this date will be maerked in a special way. I select "Ignore".

Then, the program asks me to set up the plug-in. I click "OK".

At last, I choose the main file name. By default, the programs proposes "web.html". I click OK.

Web pages are created.

In my "Music" folder, I have now a file called "web.htm". This HTML page includes all the links to the "index.htm" pages of all the subfolders in the file tree. Double-click the "web.htm" file to view the result.

Please note you can select the maximum size a generated page can be from the plug-in setting window. Indeed, when too many files are included in the same page, slow modems will take too much time to load this page. When pages are exported, if the total amount of included files in this page exceed the fixed size (in Kb), page will be splitted into two parts.
If you do not want to set such a size limit, enter 0.

Fourth step : publishing pages

With my upload utility (here SmartFTP), I drag and drop the "Music" folder to my site in "Binary" transfer. Files are uploaded, my music pieces are now published.

If my site is (for example) "http://www.john_doe.com", my pieces will be available at : "http://www.john_doe.com/music/web.htm"

Various export formats

Two export formats for Web pages are available :

The simple HTML mode. Music pieces are shown in an individual area, including the piece duration, file size, creator name. Visitors can click the file name to download it on his hard disk. To generate pages according to this mode, select "Export list in simple HTML".
The Plug-in HTML mode. Music pieces will be displayed through the Myriad Music Plug-In. Visitors can view, save, print, transpose or listen to your pieces dirctly from his Internet browser. The complete manual for this plug-in can be viewed here.

During export, if you ask not to keep the file tree, a single HTML page is created, and it contains all the links to all files in the file tree.

The Myriad Music Plug-In

This plug-in adds capabilities to your Internet browser to play, display, transpose and print music files created with Melody Assistant or Harmony Assistant.
The Myriad Music Plug-in is freeware.
To view a sample of how to use it on the Web, click here.

Export by style

Instead of folder sorting, you can ask for a style sorting. Music pieces will be displayed in the index page by style instead of by folder. This is automatic, you do not gave to move files on your hard disk. The program will generate an index file, as well as a a folder of same name but with the ".idx" extension. You will have to publish this folder on your website too.

Recommendations

When you publish a music piece on the Internet, first ensure you comply to the authors rights : you can only publish a piece if you own a written authorization from its author, or if the piece is in the public domain.
In no case Myriad could be considered as liable for a copyright infringement from users of its products.
Any publishing is performed under you exclusive responsibility.
If you intend to use the Myriad Music plug-in for score selling, reselling or more generally for any for-profit activity, you must contact us first to obtain an agreement.

Tips

Avoid to include too many pieces in a same subfolder. Visitors on your site will have to wait for all the files to be downloaded before starting to listen to them. A maximum of 10 pieces by subfolder is a good number.
You can protect your files if you want to restrict the operations the visitor can perform on them (File>Protect)
Always save your files in packed mode "General setup>Save". Download will be faster.
Always try your site on your local HD before publishing it.
Avoid too heavy files (>100 Kb). Everybody does not own a fast connection.
Avoid accented characters, especially in folder names.

Advanced mode

Generated web pages are based on a configuration file written in HTML language.
If you know the HTML language, you can modify this file (In the jukebow, "Actions>Configure HTML export" pop-up menu) and change the appearance of the resulting pages.

When editing this file, a copy of the original file is made in the preferences folder. To go back to the original version, select "Go back to default values of the HTML export" in the "Actions" pop-up menu.

This file is divided in sections. A section starts with its name between braces, for example {HEADER} and ends with {End}
Sections are :
{HEADER} : Header of each HTML page
{HEADEXTPLUG} : Additional header for Plug-in export mode
{NBCOLUMN} : Number of columns for the simple export
{DURATION} : Total duration display in plug-in mode
{NEWLINE} : Line break
{TITLE} : Main web page title
{EACHFILEPLUG} : Entry for each file in plug-in mode
{EACHFILESTD} : Entry for each file in simple mode
{MAINLINE} : Entry for each folder in the main page
{FOOTER}: Footer for each page

Some keywords, written between $ will be substituted by their matching value :

$Creator$ : Folder name
$File$ File name
$Totalduration$ Total duration for all files in the main page
$Duration$ File duration
$Karaoke$ writes "Karaoke" when lyrics are included in the file.
$Author$ Author name
$Remark$ remarks from within the file
$CommandePlug$ Plug-in configuration command.
$New$ Displays text from the {New} section if the file is more recent than the given date.
$Date$ File last modification date.

Do not change neither the section names nor the keywords. Avoid to make changes to what you do not understand, otherwise you could get ... unexpected results.

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