Copyright Resources

Welcome To The Copyright Information Resource Guide

Do you need publisher/copyright contact information to locate a piece of music or to obtain the necessary permission to perform or arrange it? You’ve come to the right place.

Looking for a publisher?

Follow our easy guide to searchable databases where you’ll find composers, titles, publishers, and other pertinent information for millions of compositions.

This is intended as a guide for locating the publisher of a piece of music. It links to various other organizations’ websites which offer useful search tools. It is limited to those pieces in the repertory and/or licensed by the organizations listed. If you are unable to locate a specific title using this search process, it does NOT imply that the work is in the public domain.

The information in these areas is provided by the individual organizations. The Music Publishers Association assumes no liability for any errors or omissions in the information found at these organizations’ websites.

To find the publisher, follow these easy steps:

    1. If you have a copy of the music, examine the music for the copyright holder or publisher’s name.
    2. If the publisher or copyright holder is listed on the music, OR if you already know the publisher and need address information, search the Music Publisher Directory  for the publisher or publisher imprint’s address and additional information.
    3. If you cannot locate the publisher on the music, OR you do not have a copy of the music:
      • Read the descriptions of the organizations and their search engines below.
      • Click on each of the organizations’ links below and proceed to the designated search area of each site
      • If you locate your title, write down any pertinent information associated with it.
    4. Once you have the appropriate contact information, you will need to contact the publisher directly with any permissions. Many publishers have forms directly on their websites for various permissions.

Organizations and their Search Engines

Both ASCAP and BMI have joined together to create SONGVIEW, a comprehensive catalogue search function of their collective catalogues.

SESAC’s ONLINE REPERTORY for works in the SESAC repertory which have been compiled from various sources.

 

Additional Links and Resources

American Composers Forum
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAGAFTRA)
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP)
Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners’ Society (AMCOS + APRA)
Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (UK) (ALCS)
Billboard
Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI)
Bureau International des Societes Gerant les Droits d’Enregistrement et de Reproduction Mecanique (BIEM)
Canadian Music Centre
Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. (CMRRA)
Conductors Guild
Confederation Internationale des societes d’Auteurs et Compositeurs (CISAC)
Copyright Society of the USA
Electronic Music Foundation
Gesellschaft fur Musikalische Auffuhrungs- und Mechanische Vervielfaltigungsrechte (GEMA)
Harry Fox Agency
Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM)
International Computer Music Association
Irish Music Rights Organization (IMRO)
Komponister i Danmark (KODA)
Musica International Database of Choral Repertoire
National Association for Music Education (NAfME)
National Endowment for the Arts
National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA)
New Music USA
Nordisk Copyright Bureau (NCB)
Norwegian Music Information Centre
Opera America
Oral History, American Music (OHAM)
PRS For Music (UK)
Pulitzer Prizes
SESAC
Sociedad General de Autores y Editores (SGAE) (Spain)
Societe d’Auteurs Belge (SABAM) (Belgium)
Societe des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques (France) (SACD)
Society Of Composers, Inc.
Stichting Ter Exploitatie van het Mechanisch Reproductierecht der Auteurs (STEMRA) (Netherlands)
The Foundation Center
The Swedish Music Information Center
TONO – The Norwegian Performing Right Society
Worldwide Internet Music Resources (Indiana University list)