Once upon a time...

...there was a composer who was frustrated with the way things work in the music publishing industry, so much so that he decided to start his own publishing firm. It's not the first time this has been done. Just look at Beckenhorst Press. (John Ness Beck—no relation, unfortunately—is, by the way, one of my heroes.)

And this composer had some music that had been commissioned by a flutist friend of his, that he really felt was marketable. Better yet, he had what he thought were some new ideas in terms of publishing and marketing that music, using the then-fledgling Internet.

So, together, they decided to form a new publishing venture as a vehicle to publish and market this new music they had helped bring into the world. And so, Swan-Cross, Ltd. was conceived.

But then, life changed...

So, what else is new? Does anybody's life go exactly the way they think it is going to go?

The flutist and the composer each found it necessary to make a living, reality being what it is. And so, they drifted.

The composer found a new professional identity as a technical communicator, developing information for all kinds of technical publications. Eventually, he found himself downsized out of a great job and felt he was being led to start his own technical communications business.

And so, Swan-Cross morphed into a new kind of entity, an independent contracting/consulting business in information development. It was actually registered as a small business, under that name.

And, in fact, this entity had its own website, and in fact, it still operates as a division of the present-day Swan-Cross. You can learn more about it in the Technical Communication & Information Development Services division part of this website.

But wait! There's more!

Life changed again, and the composer went back to work in the corporate world. Although he continues to do some occasional sideline work as an independent contractor/consultant, he has a quote regular day-job unquote again.

So, Swan-Cross, Ltd. has gone through yet another transformation, returning largely to its roots. Although the Technical Communication & Information Services Division still exists, the primary business of Swan-Cross is returning to the publication and marketing of music.

But—will they all live happily ever after?