I am not sure whether this has been posted before, but I spoke with
Duane Parkinson, Systems Manager at QRS Technologies in Buffalo, N.Y.,
and he indicated that their piano roll production facility is now in
full-time production.

Several years ago QRS had decided to produce a two or three year supply
of rolls.  The plan was to run another large quantity when the
inventory ran low.  The economics of the piano roll market dictated
that they curtail expenses.  The hunger for piano rolls diminished from
a ravenous high of 10 million rolls in 1926 to an anemic 25,000 in
2009.

QRS started production again in October and decided to keep production
running full time, with one production employee, down from four.  They
have had difficulty finding qualified workers that would work on such
an intermittent basis.

Several years ago Bob Berkman (no longer with QRS) told me that as long
as the piano roll department of QRS was profitable, they would continue
producing piano rolls.  Therefore it seems to me that the future of a
continuous supply of piano rolls rests with the owners of player
pianos.  QRS has a catalog of over 1900 titles, which include ragtime,
Broadway show tunes, popular artists like Abba, celebrity series (e.g.,
Eubie Blake), children's tunes, classical, religious, nostalgic, and
super star rolls.

So let's keep the roll punches punching and put our money where our 
mouths are, so to speak.  There has been considerable gnashing of teeth
on this site this past year over the demise of player pianos in
American culture.  Without a steady supply of piano rolls, the demise
will only accelerate.

Don Barton
Barton Player Piano Co.
Minneapolis, MN