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For further information on citing audio works, see pages 344-345, section 10.13, of the APA manual and be sure to review the “How to cite a music album reference This link opens in a new window ” and “How to cite a single song or track reference This link opens in a new window ” posts from the APA Style blog.

Adams, A. (2021, October 27). How to cite a single song or track reference. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/song-or-track-references This link opens in a new window

Adams, A. (2021, November 10). How to cite a music album reference. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/music-album-references This link opens in a new window

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Music Album

General Format

Artist, A. A. (Year). Title of work [Description]. Label. (original work published xxxx)

Notes
  • For classical works, list the composer as the author and put the individual or group who recorded it in the square bracket description. The publication date will be the publication year of the version you listened to, and you will indicate the original year of composition in the parentheses at the end of the reference.
  • For all other recordings, use the name of the recording artist or group as the author.
  • There is no need to specify how you listened to the album (Spotify, iTunes, CD, etc.). However, the format or other important information may be included in the square bracket description.
  • Include a URL if that location is the only means of retrieval (for example, SoundCloud or the artist’s website), but otherwise leave it off.

For Example

Rachmaninoff, S. (1994). Rachmaninoff plays Rachmaninoff: The 4 piano concertos; rhapsody on a theme of Paganini [Album recorded by Philadelphia Orchestra]. Sony Masterworks. (Original work published 1934)

The Beatles. (2021). Let it be. (Remixed) [Album]. Capitol. (Original work published 1970)

Corresponding In-Text Citation

(Rachmaninoff, 1934/1994)

(The Beatles, 1970/2021)

Notes

References to reissued works contain two dates in the in-text citation: the year of publication of the original work and the year of the publication of the reissued work. Separate the years with a slash, with the earlier year first.

Single Song or Track

General Format

Artist, A. A. (Year). Title of song [Description]. On Title of album. Label. (original work published xxxx)

Notes
  • If the song has no album, just leave that part out of the reference.
  • Include the URL only if that location is the only way to access the song, for example if you can only access the song via SoundCloud or the artist’s website.

For Example

Rachmaninoff, S. (1994). Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation XVI – Allegretto [Song recorded by Philadelphia Orchestra]. On Rachmaninoff plays Rachmaninoff: The 4 piano concertos; rhapsody on a theme of Paganini. Sony Masterworks. (Original work published 1934)

The Beatles. (2021). Get Back (Remix) [Song]. On Let it be. Capitol. (Original work published 1970)

Corresponding In-Text Citation

(Rachmaninoff, 1934/1994)

(The Beatles, 1970/2021)

Notes

References to reissued works contain two dates in the in-text citation: the year of publication of the original work and the year of the publication of the reissued work. Separate the years with a slash, with the earlier year first.

More Information

Further Help

This information is intended to be a guideline, not expert advice. Please be sure to speak to your professor about the appropriate way to cite sources in your class assignments and projects.

Campus Students

To access Academic Support, visit your Brightspace course and select “Tutoring and Mentoring” from the Academic Support pulldown menu.

Online Students

To access help with citations and more, visit the Academic Support via modules in Brightspace:

Content authored by: GS

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