Sites by Subject · Music

Research Databases

American Song

Songs "from American's past," including tracks by and about American Indians, miners, immigrants, slaves, children, pioneers, and cowboys. Search by artist, album, genre, instrument, or historical event.

Classical Music Library

This collection of classical music recordings includes music written from the earliest times (e.g. Gregorian Chant) to the present, including many contemporary composers. Genres include choral works, symphonies, operas, contemporary, chamber, instrumentals, etc. Download and purchase tracks (home users only) and create and share playlists.

Contemporary World Music

Music "of all regions from every continent," including reggae, worldbeat, fado, flamenco, klezmer, zydeco, sacred, bossa nova, celtic, etc.

Music Online

Search four (American Song, Classical Music Library, Contemporary World Music, Jazz Music Library ) music databases simultaneously.

Oxford Music Online

Access thousands of full-text articles covering more than 5,000 years of music history; including instruments, terms, composers, institutions, performers, patrons, and genres.

Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries

This encyclopedia of the world's musical and aural traditions includes tracks of music, spoken word, and natural and human-made sounds. Browse by country, genre, cultural group, language, instrument, etc.

General Sites

All-Music Guide

A comprehensive database for all types of music with listings of print materials, records, cassettes, and compact discs, a music glossary, essays, articles, dates, current and historical data, biographies, and reviews.

American Music Resource

A multi-dimensional source of information about all styles of music indigenous to the Western Hemisphere.

Festival Network Online

Craft shows, art fairs, home & garden shows, music, festival and event guide.

Festivals.com

Information about community festivals, fairs and special events from around the world.

Metacritic

Thousands of reviews of movies, DVDs, TV shows, and games. "Metascores," based on these reviews, give you the opportunity to quickly ascertain which titles are most highly rated. If more in-depth information is needed, the complete reviews are a click away.

The New York Public Library Selected Music Resources on the Internet

A comprehensive list of music links compiled by the staff of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Music Division.

Songza

A music search engine and jukebox.

Tastekid

Tastekid provides recommendations for music, movies and books. Type in something you like, and Tastekid suggests others you may also enjoy.

Theta Music Trainer

Theta Music Trainer is perfect for anybody who loves music and wants to understand it on a deeper level.

Worldwide Internet Music Sources

Compiled by the Music Library at Indiana University, a top choice for music information on the web.

Blues

Blues World

Information about musicians, festivals, recordings, and organizations.

The Mudcat Cafe

Search for songs, learn about musicians, and browse extensive links at this site from a magazine dedicated to blues and folk music.

Children’s Music

Best Children’s Music.com

"Committed to helping parents find quality music for their children."

KinderStart Search Engine: Music

Directory of links to music genres, games, lessons, and musical instruments.

Cincinnati

Cincinnati and the Tristate · Music

Use this directory for local resources.

Classical

American Classical Music Hall of Fame

Located in Cincinnati Memorial Hall, the ACMHF offers biographical plaques of inductees, interactive listening kiosks, and video presentations.

American Symphony Orchestra League

Find information pertaining to orchestras of all sizes including careers, conferences, premieres, and Symphony magazine.

Classical Net

Includes extensive reviews of classical CDs and books about classical music, and also has many links to other classical music websites.

Gaylord Music Library Necrology

Search this Washington University in St. Louis site for birth and death dates of musicians.

Gramophone

Site of the British magazine Gramophone. News and reviews pertaining to classical music recordings.

The Gregorian Chant Home Page

Basic information about Gregorian chant plus helpful links.

Copyright & Licensing

ASCAP

Useful information on music licensing and publishing from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

BMI.com

A gateway to information on performing rights, music publishing, copyrighting, and the songwriting business from a major music licensing organization.

MLA Copyright for Music Librarians

Not just for librarians, this site contains the latest copyright news, FAQs, guidelines, and resources.

Music Publishers’ Association of the United States

Find addresses of music publishers, a Copyright Resource Center, and other information at this site.

NMPA, National Music Publishers’ Association of the United States

The NMPA represents over 600 music publishers and serves as an industry advocate by working to interpret copyright law and to educate the public about licensing.

SESAC

Formerly known as the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, SESAC is a performing rights organization with headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. SESAC affiliates now include performers of popular music, jazz, country, and contemporary Christian music.

United States Copyright Office

Check this Library of Congress site for copyright basics, registration procedures, and pending legislation.

Country & Bluegrass

Appalshop

Located in Whitesburg, Kentucky, Appalshop is a cultural center dedicated to Appalachian culture, including June Appal Recordings, Appalshop Films, and the American Festival Project.

Bluegrass Unlimited

Site of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. Provides news, recording reviews, and award information.

Country Standard Time

Find news, recording and book reviews, concert information, and an extensive list of links.

International Bluegrass Music Association

Contains news, Fan Fest information, and the Hall of Honor.

Ethnic, Folk & World Music

Archives of African American Music and Culture

Home page of a noted source of information on African American music and culture.

Center for Black Music Research

Located at Columbia College Chicago, the Center for Black Music Research (CMBR) is dedicated to the study of black music in all parts of the world.

Ethnomusicology OnLine

A multimedia journal devoted to ethnomusicology.

The Louisiana and Cajun Website Directory

Find sites here for Cajun, Zydeco, Swamp-Pop, instruments, and other topics related to the culture of Louisiana.

Hip Hop

All Hip Hop

Has extensive news, interviews, and reviews of hip hop music.

Hip Hop Webliography

Information and links to hip hop sites.

Jazz

The Blue Wisp Jazz Club

Includes a calendar of events, directions, and links to the sites of local jazz musicians.

Downbeat Magazine

The site for one of America's oldest and most respected jazz publications.

Jamey Aebersold Jazz

Access free information on jazz improvisation and shop for play-a-longs and other jazz educational materials.

Jazz 52nd St.

Reviews of the latest in jazz and Latin music, discussion groups, links and news from the world of jazz.

Jazz Radio

Allows you to select from many categories of jazz and listen for free, or to subscribe to obtain better sound quality.

Opera

The Aria Database Index

Search for arias by composer, name, language, or opera and learn about opera characters and companies.

Gilbert and Sullivan Archive

This site devoted to Gilbert and Sullivan operas provides information about festivals, libretti, and organizations as well as links to related sites.

Metropolitan Opera

Home page of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, with performance schedules, news, history, ticket information, and streaming broadcasts.

Opera America

Schedules, publications, resources, and links.

Operabase

An easy-to-use tool to find opera performance information. Many links provided.

OperaGlass

Search for information on composers, librettists, operas, and performers.

Recordings

Grammy.com

From the Recording Academy (formerly NARAS, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences), this site for the Grammy Awards includes a Winners List, Past Winner Search, and news features.

H&B Recordings Direct

Seach for classical recordings at this useful website with links to record labels, a composer index, reviews and recommendations, and information on new releases, plus a great special interest section.

NARM, National Association of Recording Merchandisers

Site of the trade association for retailers, wholesalers, and distributors of prerecorded music in the U.S. Includes information about legislation and statistics.

RIAA Online

Site of the organization, the Recording Industry of America. Find information here about recording sales, legislation, piracy, parental advisory, and links.

World Music Store

Look up traditional and folk music of different regions by clicking on a map and obtaining information about music of the region, instruments, and performing artists.

Rock

Billboard.com

From the magazine, Billboard, this site is filled with information including album and singles charts, a tourfinder, the Musician's Guide to Touring and Promotion, and Ask Billboard.

Rockhall.com

Take a tour of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (located in Cleveland, Ohio), hear from inductees, learn about events, and obtain visitor information.

UBL.com

Search for groups, concert information, and online music. This site was formerly called The Ultimate Band List.

Songs

19^th Century California Sheet Music

A virtual library of over 2,000 pieces of sheet music dated 1852-1900.

African American Sheet Music, 1850–1920

Selected from the collections of Brown University, the music made availabe here is a part of the Library of Congress American Memory website. Search by keyword, subject, name, or title.

The Cyber Hymnal

Search for lyrics to hymns or browse topics for hymns.

Historic American Sheet Music

A digital archive of American sheet music published before 1920 maintained by Duke University.

Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music

From Johns Hopkins University, this online archive contains thousands of songs.

The Lied and Song Texts Page

Search for song texts by composer, first line, poet and title.

The Mudcat Cafe

Search for songs, learn about musicians, and browse extensive links at this site from a magazine dedicated to blues and folk music.

Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music

A digital archive of sheet music from the collections of the Library of Congress.

The Ohioana Sheet Music Collection

Find information here about Ohio songs, songwriters, performers, and other notable Ohioans.

SGA, The Songwriters Guild of America

Founded in 1931, the SGA provides services to songwriters including legislative updates, contract reviews, and educational opportunities.

Sheet Music Collections

Descriptions and links to dozens of collections of sheet music, many of which are digitized to permit full access to the individual covers and printed music of songs. Compiled by Duke University and the Music Library Association.

Sheetmusicplus.com

Site of an online vendor for popular and classical sheet music. Search by song, artist, composer, instrument, and more.

Song Index of the Los Angeles Public Library

Search for songs in songbooks owned by the Los Angeles Public Library. These songbooks may also be found in the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

The Traditional Ballad Index

A good source for finding information on English language folk songs.

Wisconsin Sheet Music Database.

An index of items housed in the sheet music collection of the Wisconsin Music Archives at the Mills Music Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison. The collection emphasizes regional music.

Trade Associations, Trade Publications, and Unions

AES, Audio Engineering Society

A professional society devoted to audio technology, the AES encourages and facilitates advances in the constantly changing field of audio.

AFM, The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada

A union representing professional musicians. Also published the magazine International Musician.

AFTRA, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists

A union representing actors and other performers in television radio, recordings, and other media.

American Symphony Orchestra League

Find information pertaining to orchestras of all sizes including careers, conferences, premieres, and Symphony magazine.

Billboard.com

From the magazine, Billboard, this site is filled with information including album and singles charts, a tourfinder, the Musician's Guide to Touring and Promotion, and Ask Billboard.

MEIEA, Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association

The MEIEA was founded in 1979 to bring together educators and music industry professionals in order to improve education for music business students. The website provides a Guide to Music Business Programs and conference information.

MMR Magazine (Musical Merchandise Review)

Look here for information about music teachers, dealers, instrument manufacturers, and instrument buying guidelines.

Music Trades Online

Site of Music Trades magazine, including an index to back issues.

NAMM, International Music Products Association

Provides educational programs and sponsors trade shows for music manufacturers and retailers.

Pollstar

Check the Concert Hotwire here for tour and venue information for recording artists. Also includes an archive of articles.

SGA, The Songwriters Guild of America

Founded in 1931, the SGA provides services to songwriters including legislative updates, contract reviews, and educational opportunities.

SMPTE, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers

Site of an organization which sponsors conferences and publishes educational materials relating to sound engineering.

Weddings

Weddings: Listen to the Music

First dance songs for your wedding day. Alphabetic listing of song titles and performers. Suggestions for father/daughter dance, mother/daughter dance, ethnic, religious, and ceremony music.