Guide for Music Citation - Chicago/Turabian Style (New 18th ed)

• For physical recordings (CDs, vinyl records, cassettes, etc.), indicate the format at the end of the citation. Spell out "compact disc(s)" for CDs. For EPs and LPs, use 33⅓ rpm, 78rpm, etc. 
• You must track down information about recording label, date, etc. You can often find this information in IUCAT, MusicBrainz, or by asking a librarian. 
• In a bibliography, cite the whole album. After an album title, the order is usually soloist, ensemble, conductor. You can cite tracks/portions in a footnote.
• For digital recordings (such as Spotify), you are not required to reference the streaming platform or digital file format.
• If there are more than six performers, you may list the first three followed by "et al" in the bibliography. In the footnote, insert the first name followed by "et al."
• You may choose to begin the bibliographic citation with either the composer or performer/conductor, whichever is most relevant to your argument. For a footnote, you can begin with an album or track title instead.

General Template: Composer (or conductor or soloist). Title of Album. Other contribuors (if relevant). Label and # (if relevant). Date of publication. Format (if relevant).

Bibliography examples of the same recording formatted multiple ways: 

COMPOSER FIRST:

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Beethoven and Brahms Concertos. Jascha Heifetz, violin. Boston Symphony Orchestra. Conducted by Charles Munch. RCA Red Seal RCD1-5402, 1985, compact disc. Includes Concerto in D, op. 61.

Brahms, Johannes. Beethoven and Brahms Concertos. Jascha Heifetz, violin. Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Conducted by Fritz Reiner. RCA Red Seal RCD1-5402, 1985, compact disc. Includes Concerto in D. op. 77.

PERFORMER/SOLOIST FIRST:

Heifetz, Jascha, violin. Beethoven and Brahms Concertos. RCA Red Seal RCD1-5402, 1985, compact disc.

CONDUCTOR FIRST:

Munch, Charles, conductor. Beethoven and Brahms Concertos. Boston Symphony Orchestra. Jascha Heifetz, violin. RCA Red Seal RCD1-5402, 1985, compact disc. Includes Beethoven’s Concerto in D, op. 61.

Reiner, Fritz, conductor. Beethoven and Brahms Concertos. Boston Symphony Orchestra. Jascha Heifetz, violin. RCA Red Seal RCD1-5402, 1985, compact disc. Includes Brahms’s Concerto in D, op. 77.

More bibliography examples

Stravinsky, Igor. The Rake’s Progress. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Sadlers Wells Opera Chorus. With Judith Raskin, Alexander Young, John Reardon, and Regina Sarfaty. Conducted by Igor Stravinsky. Columbia MS 6651-6653, 1964, 3 sound discs, 331/3 rpm.

Wallace, Wayne and Rita Hargrave, producers. Salsa de la Bahia Vol. 3: Renegade Queens. Patois Records. Released March 21, 2025.

Cui, Daniel. The Wall. Prism Quartet. Composed for the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music composition department’s 48 Hours project. Recorded live in Merrill Hall, November 6, 2022. https://soundcloud.com/daniel-cui-854104924/the-wall-for-saxophone-quartet.

Minkus, Ludwig. Star On the Rise: La Bayadère…Reimagined! A Musical Comedy Ballet in Two Acts. Adapted and orchestrated by Larry Moore. Aram Hengen, Rebecca Janes, Freddy Arsenault, Ruth Connelly, Indiana Coté, Christian Claessens. Indiana University Ballet Theater with Jacobs Academy Ballet and Indiana University Orchestra. Conducted by Marzio Conti. Recorded live in the Musical Arts Center at Indiana University March 29, 2024. https://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/media/2870898s8b.