Feuilles volantes, Distribution and Sales

Research reveals that fewer-voiced chansonniers in smaller formats were the most efficiently distributed and sold music publications during the Plantin-Moretus era, balancing production costs with market demand. The study leverages archives from the Plantin-Moretus Museum to reconstruct commerce between Paris and Antwerp, analyzing the roles of booksellers as both macro distributors and local retailers. It examines paper costs, shipping expenses, binding types, and retail pricing, providing insights into the proportion of music prints in their catalogs and preferred titles. This approach offers a nuanced understanding of 16th-century musical commerce, highlighting the logistical and economic factors shaping the dissemination of musical works.

Orden, K. v. (2015). Feuilles volantes, Distribution and Sales. Materialities, 39–66. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199360642.003.0002