LibGuides: Music, Creative and Performing Arts: Resources

Music, Creative and Performing Arts Databases

Searching in databases is a great way to ensure you're getting the best possible search results. Try these music and creative and performing arts databases to find resources that are most relevant to your discipline.

Humanities Source Ultimate (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Covers literary, scholarly and creative thought. Incldes feature articles, interviews, obituaries, bibliographies, book reviews, original works of fiction, reviews of ballets, dance programs, motion pictures, musicals, operas and plays that illuminate human thinking, action and interaction. English-language and native-language full-text journals from Asia,Oceania, Europe and Latin America are included.
Literature Online (LION) This link opens in a new window
English and American poetry, drama and prose, articles, other criticism and reference resources. Some full-text.
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Full-text scholarly journals and books covering performing arts.
AustLit This link opens in a new window
Information on the publication of Australian literature and related critical texts. Authoritative biographical, bibliographic, critical and production information about Australian writers and writing. Research collection includes Australian Popular Theatre and Australian Drama.
International index to music periodicals full text (Proquest) This link opens in a new window
Detailed abstracts and full text from 1874 to current, covering the scholarly to the popular. Collection covers the subject areas of Classical music and opera, jazz and blues, Rock, soul and hip-hop, folk music, music business and education, sound recording, ethnomusicology, music therapy and instruments.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Archival access to scholarly journals published on music, creative and performing arts.

Music resources

Find public domain sheet music.

IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
Petrucci Music Library of public domain music scores.
International Inventory of Music Scores RISM
Music manuscripts from before 1800 indexed from libraries, music archives, and private collections.
Music Manuscripts online
Provides online access to high-quality images and descriptions of music manuscripts owned by The Morgan Library & Museum
National Library of Australia Music Collection
Free musical scores and Australian music research resources.

Music copyright

Can I copy print sheet music?

For study purpose, you can copy 10% of a work
This limit applies to individual works in an album or a collection of musical works where 10% of an individual work can be copied.

Australian Music Centre - Indigenous Music
The Australian Music Centre (AMC) is the national service organisation dedicated to the promotion and support of art music in Australia.
National Indigenous Music Awards
The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) are recognised as one of Australia’s most prominent Indigenous music awards and they have been celebrating Australian music for 14 years.
ABC news - Indigenous Music
The ABC news website for Indigenous music.
NITV - SBS
National Indigenous Television (NITV) is a channel made by, for and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)
AIATSIS is a research, collections and publishing organisation with a priceless collection of print, photographs, video and audio. It promotes knowledge and research on all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, languages and stories. You can explore their online collections, research guides, publications, and many digitised collections including The Koori Mail, Dawn and New Dawn, notebooks and diaries.

Naxos music library This link opens in a new window
Streaming collection of classical, jazz, world, folk and Chinese music. Includes the complete BIS, Chandos, Hänssler, Hungaroton, Marco Polo, Naxos, Ondine and selected titles of other leading independent labels.
5 user licence

British Library Sounds
A selection from the British Library’s extensive collections of sound recordings from all over the world and cover the entire range of recorded sound: music, drama and literature, oral history, wildlife and environmental sounds.
Internet Archive - Audio Archive
Free digital recordings ranging from alternative news programming, to Grateful Dead concerts, to Old Time Radio shows, to original music uploaded by users.

ClickView This link opens in a new window
Streaming video solution offering access to thousands of educational videos and resources covering a broad range of topics, as well as TV programs recorded in the last 14 days from free-to-air digital channels.
Kanopy Video Streaming This link opens in a new window
Includes streamed videos on various music genres such as hip-hop, rock, classical and more

Music and Performing Arts in Video
Alexander Street Press collection of online streaming video for Music and Performing Arts

TVNews This link opens in a new window
Streaming videos of all Australian television news, current affairs and selected documentaries from the free-to-air networks. TVNews is updated daily.

Professional Associations

It can be valuable to build your career prospects and networks by connecting with professional associations. You might like to engage with these music, creative and performing arts groups as a student, or even throughout your career.

PAC Australia
Performing Arts Connections Australia is the national peak body representing and supporting performing arts presenters and creators in Australia.
Australian Music Industry Network
A network support the state based music organisations and sponsoring the Save Live Australian Music (SLAM), and develops events that support the contemporary music industry in Australia.
NIDA - National Institute of Performing Arts
NIDA is Australia’s leading institute for education and training in the dramatic arts.
AFTRS - Australian Film, Television & Radio School
Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school, the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) is the leading institution for the education and training of creative talent in the screen arts and broadcast industries.

Dictionaries & Encyclopaedias

Useful resources for understanding your topic and finding the right keywords to use in your searching.

The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre (2 ed.) by Hartnoll, Phyllis (editor) and Found, Peter (editor)
Publication Date: 2003
The Oxford Dictionary of Music by Tim Rutherford-Johnson; Michael Kennedy; Joyce Kennedy
Publication Date: 2012

Your Subject Librarians

This guide has been created by University of Newcastle Librarians who work with your schools to make sure you have access to the resources you need. The Librarians supporting music, creative and performing arts are:

Teaching Liaison Librarian

Jessica Davis

Research Liaison Librarian

Currently recruiting, please see our Liaison Librarian page for alternative contacts.