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MakeMusic Transfers MusicXML Development to W3C
[July 28, 2015]

MakeMusic Transfers MusicXML Development to W3C


MakeMusic, Inc. announced today that it is transferring development of its industry-standard MusicXML format to the new Music Notation Community Group at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C (News - Alert)).

Michael Good, MakeMusic vice president of R&D, invented the MusicXML format in 2000 to create a standard interchange format for music notation applications. It has been adopted by well over 200 applications, including nearly all the major web, desktop, and mobile notation programs.

The MusicXML format was developed at Michael's former company Recordare with the participation of a large and active developer and musician community. MakeMusic's 2011 acquisition of Recordare's assets changed the community dynamics, since the owner of the format was now a competitor of many developers. This increased the community's desire to move MusicXML development to a more neutral forum. W3C Community Groups provide a way to move MusicXML development forward in a more open process, without the overhead of producing formal W3C Recommendations.

Simultaneously, Steinberg has announced that it is transferring development of its Standard Music Font Layout (SMuFL) specification to the same W3C Music Notation Community Group. Michael Good from MakeMusic, Daniel Spreadbury from Steinberg, and Joe Berkovitz from Hal Leonard/Noteflight will serve as co-chairs of the Music Notation Community Group.

"We are excited that the MusicXML and SMuFL communities are coming together as a W3C Community Group," said Doug Schepers, W3C Web Standards Specialist. "Music notation is an essential cultural artifact, and worthy of having its own expression on the Web. W3C is pleased that our Community Groups framework will help move these important technologies forward."



"I am delighted that MakeMusic has decided to transfer MusicXML development to the W3C," said MusicXML inventor Michael Good. "Finale was the first widely used music notation application to support the MusicXML format. Today's announcement continues MakeMusic's leadership in open standards for the sheet music community."

MakeMusic, Steinberg, and Hal Leonard invite developers, publishers, musicians, and other interested parties to join the W3C Music Notation Community Group. Membership is free of charge. More details are available at https://www.w3.org/community/music-notation/.


About MakeMusic, Inc.
MakeMusic®, Inc. is a world leader in music technology whose mission is to develop and market solutions that transform how music is composed, taught, learned, and performed. For more than 25 years, Finale® has been the industry standard in music notation software, enabling musicians worldwide to create, edit, audition, print, and publish musical scores. MakeMusic's SmartMusic® interactive music learning software transforms the way students practice. With an online library of thousands of band, orchestra, and vocal pieces, students practice with background accompaniment and receive immediate feedback on their performance. Teachers leverage SmartMusic to individualize instruction and document the progress of every student. MakeMusic is also the creator of Garritan® sound libraries, providing state-of-the-art virtual instruments with the playback quality of a live performance, and MusicXML™, the internet-friendly way to publish musical scores, distribute interactive sheet music, and share music notation with a wide variety of software programs. Additional information can be found at www.makemusic.com.


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