IMSLP is happy to accept submissions from users. These submissions must either be in the public domain or available under an approved license.
Any score or recording whose copyright has expired is eligible to be added to IMSLP.
For a guide to which works are in the public domain, please see Copyright Made Simple and (for a detailed explanation) Public Domain. Generally, items whose authors (composer, librettist, arranger) all died in 1971 or earlier can be submitted (since these items are in the public domain in Canada, where IMSLP's main server is located).
Any score or recording that you have created for either an original or a public-domain work is eligible to be added to IMSLP. (You can't submit editions, arrangements or recordings of ineligible works, however; for example, you can't submit a transcription of a work by a contemporary composer who has not given permission.)
Any item that is available under a free license (see our rules), such as CC BY or CC BY-SA, or dedicated to the public domain by its author, may also be uploaded.
You need to be a registered user to upload items. Registration is free. If you have an account, you need to log in. If you don't have an account, create an account.
Use the search function to find the composer's page. (If you are adding an arrangement, search for the name of the composer who wrote the piece the arrangement is based on.)
If the composer has a page, continue. If the composer does not have a page, you can create a new composer page. (If you're uploading your own compositions, you'll need to create a page for yourself.) Before creating a new composer page, remember to:
If the item you want to add has a named editor, librettist or arranger (including if you are an editor or arranger), make sure that profiles exist for all those people. If one doesn't exist, create one. (Note that "Add Composer" is used to add profiles for arrangers, editors, librettists, etc. as well.)
When entering the name of an editor, librettist or arranger in the appropriate field, use the following format to link to that person's profile:
(If a person is still living, or the birth/death year is unknown, leave a blank space in that field.)
On the composer's page, find the page for the right work (or use the search function to find the work). Remember that a work may have multiple names; even so, the files must go on the same work page. (Example: Die Zauberflöte is the original German title for The Magic Flute.)
If the work page does not exist, click the menu option to create a new page for that work.
Before you submit any file(s) to IMSLP, please keep in mind that adding movements one at a time is not recommended (best to be avoided at all costs and you will need to find a PDF merger like a PDF editor to combine the files together if it is a multi-movement work) and there is an option on the uploader page to do a batch upload for uploading multiple files of the same edition, please only submit editions of the whole work when it is fully ready of all parts of the piece you trying to accomplish with your scanning or typesetting project. Also adding in Instrumental part files is only recommended to add in all part files for the whole worked that is scored for your edition (if it is a typeset, if it is a scan then we could accept it one at a time but if you have all of the part files to upload, then please upload those all at once) when it is fully ready for a batch upload and do not submit one movement or part file at a time:
Once you are on the work page, use the "Add File" menu to add your files. Note that the "New"/"Your Own" options ("New Edition"/"Your Own Edition") should be selected for adding files you created yourself.
Note: If you wish to add in more movement files later on, perhaps it is better for you to decide early on what you want to typeset for the workpage but it is still recommended to have everything ready to upload and do not upload in a work in progress manner on here. If this is a Public Domain scan, we will allow the files to be uploaded whatever you have able to submit but it needs to be at least a complete movement or completed excerpt at minimum like Cadenzas are OK to upload for example. Keep in mind specifically for uploading typesets especially, IMSLP is to be treated as a place to publish your works when you have your piece or work ready to the public, not as your own free private cloud storage option for uploading rough drafts of your works in progress, you can upload say the rough drafts after the final draft is uploaded is ready to upload under its own tab header on the workpage (if this is mainly your own composition your submitting).
If your files are indeed eligible to be added to IMSLP, a copyright reviewer will approve your file. This make take between a few hours and a few days. If there are any problems, you will be contacted by a reviewer.
