If you are writing a dissertation or thesis or publishing a book, article, or online content and wish to include examples of copyrighted music, you must obtain a license from the copyright holder. In many cases, the rights holder will be a publisher. Below are links to licensing webpages some of the larger publishing houses for classical music.

In some cases, you will need to obtain rights directly from a composer, an individual, or an organization. 

It is important to keep records of permissions received. In the case of a dissertation or thesis, it is recommended that a copy of license agreements or correspondence be included in the document as an appendix.

Publishers

If there is a publisher not on this list that you would like to see added, please contact Music Librarian Katie Buehner <katie-buehner@uiowa.edu>.

• Bärenreiter
• Boosey and Hawkes
• Breitkopf und Härtel
• Carl Fischer
• Hal Leonard
• Henle
• Wise Music Classical (includes Schirmer, Chester, Novello, Leduc, Wilhelm Hansen, Shawnee, and others)
• Universal Music Publishing Classical (includes Ricordi, Durand-Salabert-Eschig, and Editio Musica Budapest)

Schedule a Copyright Consultation 

Having trouble with finding a rights holder, filling out a licensing request, or other copyright and licensing resource questions?

You can schedule a time to meet one-on-one with music librarian Katie Buehner by scheduling a consultation. The meeting will take place online via Zoom. Click on the blue button to use the scheduler to find a time that fits your calendar and Katie's.