Encyclopedia

Wikifonia

2006-2013 sheet music website

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Source updated March 11, 2026

Wikifonia was an on-line publisher of sheet music, combining a MusicXML-based technology in a wiki system, with copyright clearance. Its score database was accessible from 2006 to 2013.

01Development

The Wikifonia system was developed in a collaboration between several institutes of higher education in Ghent, Belgium. In March 2005 the researchers of the project received the Creativity to Business Award from the Ghent University Association. The system went live on 6 November 2006.

02Copyrights

The Wikifonia system aimed at the creation of music, the publication of public domain traditionals, and the publication of previously copyrighted music.

Music published on the Wikifonia website was licensed by Musi©opy, a music copyright clearance organisation based in the Netherlands. The actual rights were paid for by the Wikifonia foundation, a non-profit organisation founded in July 2006.

03Wiki

The Wikifonia website could be browsed and the sheet music downloaded in PDF or MusicXML format, without login or subscription.

Uploading music, in MusicXML format, and commenting on published music required login or registration.

04Termination

The Wikifonia website was discontinued on 25 December 2013 due to Wikifonia Foundation's inability to continue to obtain copyright licenses. After this date, the website encouraged visitors to use MuseScore.

Watch videos about WikifoniaExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Wikifonia”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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