Approximately two-dozen songwriters gathered at the Guild's home basein Times Square to send personalized emails to pirates around the world and explain the impact felt from illegally downloaded sheet music. "If the Internet has created the problem, it's possible that the Internet can also fix it," explained Brian Lowdermilk (of the popular contemporary songwriting duo Kerrigan-Lowdermilk) at the event. In 2009, when songwriter, music director and arranger Georgia Stitt was visiting a college class, it was brought to her attention that her material was being illegally shared and traded all over the Internet. Instead of feeling flattered from her music's popularity, she felt betrayed — and began to take action.

"I sent an email in 2009 to like 100 people — musical theatre people, publishers, lawyers, agents, MTI [Music Theatre International] and said, 'Hey, this is a problem, and it's bigger than I can handle. I'd like some help,'" she explained. "And, out of that formed this anti-piracy committee, [which] formed this room today — this huge collective of people who are raising awareness about this issue."

Here's a look at the attendees of the event and the event itself:

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Stephen Flaherty, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jason Robert Brown and More Sound Off on Sheet Music Piracy

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