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What is an ISBN and ISMN?

March 20, 2025August 26, 2023 by Songburd Music

What is an ISBN?

An ISBN, or International Standard Book Number, is a distinct identifier assigned to books. Think of it as a book’s equivalent of a unique ID. This code is crucial for cataloging and managing books within the publishing industry. It helps in tracking sales, royalties, and distribution channels. When a book has an ISBN, it becomes easier for libraries, bookstores, and online retailers to list, sell, and organize books. This identification system ensures that each book can be accurately recognized, making it an essential tool for authors, publishers, and readers in the realm of printed literature.

What is an ISMN?

On the other hand, an ISMN, or International Standard Music Number, is specifically designed for sheet music and musical scores. Similar to an ISBN, an ISMN is a special code that provides a unique identity for each musical publication. This code aids in the efficient organization, tracking, and discovery of various musical pieces. Musicians, composers, and publishers benefit from ISMNs as they facilitate the management and accessibility of sheet music. Just as an ISBN connects books with readers, an ISMN helps sheet music reach musicians, educators, and performers through music shops, libraries, and digital platforms. It’s a valuable tool for the music industry to manage and share compositions effectively.

What is a barcode?

A barcode is a visual representation of data in the form of parallel lines, bars, and spaces that encode information in a machine-readable format. It serves as a quick and accurate method of identifying items using optical scanning technology. Barcodes are commonly used in retail, inventory management, and logistics to streamline processes by allowing machines to rapidly read and interpret the encoded information.

In relation to ISBNs and ISMNs, barcodes play a crucial role in connecting physical items to their respective identification systems. For ISBNs, a barcode is often generated from the number itself and is printed on the back cover of a book or score. When the barcode is scanned, the number is instantly recognized by systems in bookstores, libraries, and other retail environments. This enables automated processes such as pricing, inventory management, and sales tracking.

Parts of an ISBN and ISMN

Identifiers, in general, have four parts to the number that indicate prefix, publisher, product and check digit (ISBNs will also identify a group element or country). While it may not be necessary to know which part of the number provides each piece of information, it is important to know that these numbers identify the publisher and product.

Songburd Connect can provide free numbers to use with products (requested, but because these numbers are specifically assigned to publishers and distributors they are not transferable should you want to use another service. This is why we recommend providing your own number when first uploading your music.

How do I get an ISBN or ISMN?

Each country has a disgnated agent or company that assigns or tracks these numbers. In the United States, ISBNs are assigned by Bowker and ISMNs are assigned by the US Library of Congress.

Basics of Public Domain & Creative Commons

June 3, 2024December 19, 2022 by Songburd Music

When publishing, you will encounter different types of licenses that govern the use of content. Creative Commons licenses and public domain are two common examples of such licenses. In this article, we’ll explore the different types of Creative Commons licenses and what they allow, as well as what it means for licensing additional content to use with your work (i.e. cover images, graphics, etc.) and other content to be in the public domain.

Creative Commons Licenses

Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit organization that provides a set of licenses that creators can use to grant permission to others to use their content. These licenses are designed to make it easier for creators to share their work while still retaining some control over how it’s used. There are six different types of Creative Commons licenses, each with its own set of conditions:

CC BY (Attribution): This license allows others to use, distribute, and modify the work, as long as they give credit to the original creator.
CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike): This license allows others to use, distribute, and modify the work, as long as they give credit to the original creator and release any derivative works under the same license.
CC BY-ND (Attribution-NoDerivs): This license allows others to use and distribute the work, as long as they give credit to the original creator and do not make any changes to it.
CC BY-NC (Attribution-NonCommercial): This license allows others to use, distribute, and modify the work for non-commercial purposes, as long as they give credit to the original creator.
CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike): This license allows others to use, distribute, and modify the work for non-commercial purposes, as long as they give credit to the original creator and release any derivative works under the same license.
CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs): This license allows others to use and distribute the work for non-commercial purposes, as long as they give credit to the original creator and do not make any changes to it.

Each of these licenses is represented by a symbol that can be added to the content to indicate which license applies.

The chart below shows the different licenses and what rights apply to each one.

CC LICENSES	Copy & Publish	Attribution Required	Commercial Use	Modify & Adapt	Change License
CC BY	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
BY-SA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
BY-ND	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
BY-NC	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
BY-NC-SA	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
BY-NC-ND	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Public Domain	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes

Public Domain

Content that is in the public domain is not protected by copyright, meaning it can be used freely by anyone without permission. This includes works whose copyright has expired, works that were never protected by copyright, and works that have been released into the public domain by their creators. In general, works enter the public domain when their copyright expires, which typically occurs a certain number of years after the creator’s death.

There are a few important things to keep in mind when using content that is in the public domain. While you don’t need to obtain permission to use the content, you should still be aware of any applicable laws or regulations. Additionally, some public domain works may have been updated or revised, so it’s important to ensure that you’re using the most up-to-date version of the work. To view a list of countries and their rules for public domain, read our article about Public Domain Rules in Different Countries. If you are interested in arranging music by another composer, it is always good to check to see if it is in public domain in all countries before publishing.

Creative Commons licenses and public domain are two important concepts that can help creators and users of content to navigate the complex landscape of intellectual property law. By understanding the different types of Creative Commons licenses and what they allow, as well as what it means for content to be in the public domain, we can make informed decisions about how to share and use creative works. Whether you’re a creator looking to share your work, or a user looking to use someone else’s work, it’s important to consider the applicable licenses and regulations before doing so.

Print Specifications

September 24, 2024November 6, 2022 by Songburd Music

Cover Formats

Standard Cover

Standard wrap around cover for saddle stitched (stapled) scores and books. Can be printed with or without bleed. If you would like color to extend to the edge of the paper, your file will need to add 0.125 inches for bleed margins.

Folio Cover (Wrap Cover)

The folio cover is used house the parts and/or score for the music. The spine of the folio cover should be wide enough to hold the parts and/or score. If you are not sure how wide the spine should be, email us at support@songburdmusic.com and we can help.

Covers for Coil Bound

Covers with coil bound are similar to standard covers except that they will not wrap around at the spine. Instead you will need to upload two separate files: a Front Cover and a Back Cover.

Need templates to help you format your cover? Download cover templates here.

Want to create a cover with bleed? Read our article Creating a Cover With Bleed.

Score Formats

Saddle Stitched

Saddle stitched scores are stapled at the spine to keep the cover and score content together. This is the default for standard sized scores (8.5 x 11 in & 9 x 12 in) or scores/booklets with less than 60 pages.

Coil Bound

Coil Bound scores use a plastic coil to bind the cover and score content together. This is the default for oversized scores (11 x 17 inches) or scores with 60 or more pages.

Additional binding formats such as perfect bound or lay flat are available for short run printing only.

Part Formats

Default (Printer Recommended)

This option means you want the printer to choose the most common and cost effective way to produce the part. Below are the formats that we consider default based on the type of part/page count.

2 Pages – Folded part with content printed on the outside (pages 4 and 1)

3 to 4 pages – Folded part with content printed in page order (pages 1, 2, 3 and/or 4).

5 or more pages – Printed in page order and stapled. If you do not want your part stapled then you should specify “Folded (not stapled)” from the “Print Specifications” dropdown.

Stapled

Parts with 5 or more pages will be stapled at the fold line. If you select “Default (Printer Recommended),” your parts will print automatically with this format.

Folded (Not Stapled)

This option is available for parts with 2 or more pages. This is the default for parts with 2-4 pages. For parts with 5 or more pages, you will need to select this option form the dropdown.

Taped

Parts with 3 or more pages can have the option to be taped between pages 2 and 3, or between pages 4 and 5.

What is Print-on-Demand?

March 20, 2025June 3, 2022 by Songburd Music

The invention of the printing press by Johannes Guttenburg in the 1400s revolutionized the world of publishing. Suddenly, mass-producing information became affordable and accessible, creating a new gateway to communicate with the world. Today, we have an even more versatile innovation in printing and publishing – print-on-demand!

Print-on-demand is a method of digital printing that enables you to print only the required amounts of a score or book, even a single copy. Previously, publishers or authors had to produce larger quantities, but with print-on-demand, a score is produced only when a customer places an order.

Here are four key things you should know about print on demand:

Cost Efficiency

Although the cost to print a single copy can be slightly higher than for a short print run, print-on-demand eliminates the need for investing all your money upfront with the hope that composition is a major hit. Editions are only printed when the order is placed.

Reduces Waste

Prior to print-on-demand, publishers would have to estimate the interest in a book, score, or product and produce a run based on sales projections. Because of the upfront costs associated with publishing (artists, legal, editing), publishers need to recoup as much of their investment as possible to make a profit. However, if a work fails to sell, money and paper are wasted. Print-on-demand allows you to produce a single copy only when a customer places an order. This way, you can gauge the success of the work over time before printing a short run of copies to reduce printing costs.

Eliminates Inventory or Warehousing

With print runs, you need to store the inventory until it is sold. However, if you are not set up to keep inventory in a clean, controlled environment, this can be a costly investment. Since print-on-demand allows for shipping directly from the manufacturer, you no longer need to warehouse any inventory.

Flexibility to Make Changes

If you discover a glaring error in your symphony or book, you can make changes without having to live with misprints or editorial errors when orchestras or readers purchase your work in the future. Since print-on-demand doesn’t require producing a large number of copies upfront, you have the flexibility to make corrections when you find them. However, we still recommend hiring an editor and engraver for all your projects. This way, you can ensure that your work has less errors and is of the highest quality before going to print.

Does Songburd offer print-on-demand?

Yes! We offer print-on-demand for most common formats and sizes. Check out our different print options.

What is an ISBN and ISMN?

Basics of Public Domain & Creative Commons

Print Specifications

What is Print-on-Demand?

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