Music or Sound Recording
MLA:
Rage Against the Machine. “Killing in the Name.” Rage Against the Machine. Epic, 1992.
[artist.] [“title of piece.”] [title of album or longer work.] [production company, year.]APA:
Rage Against the Machine (Writers & Performers). (1992). Killing in the Name
[writer or producer (role).] [(year).] [title of piece]
[Sound Recording]. In Rage Against the Machine. New York: Epic Records.
[[format.]] [In title of album or longer work.] [production city: production company.]Chicago:
30. Rage Against the Machine, “Killing in the Name.”
[fn. #.] [artist,] [”title.”]
[Shortened Chicago reference; see More Notes on Chicago Style for more information.]
Conventions for citing music and sound recordings are less fixed than those for print and even many online sources. This ambiguity is caused in part by the group nature of such productions: even if you identify a writer, producer, or director, a performance seldom has the single authorship of a written text or image. Your citation should always include the same basic elements (as described below), but their order can vary—especially concerning the first item listed.
A solid basic format includes the artist’s name, the title of the piece, and the title of the longer work (if you cite one song from an album or CD). Also include the production company and release date.
MODIFIED FORMAT
But because academic essays may focus on very different aspects of a music or sound recording, citation conventions can vary. This is especially true of MLA style, which will be more common in courses where you analyze these texts. If you focus primarily on one person’s work in the production, you may decide to list by that name, followed by an abbreviation of their role. Then list the title and the rest of the information described above. (Example below in MLA style; adjust as needed for other styles.)
Morello, Thomas B., perf. “Killing in the Name.” Rage Against the Machine. Epic, 1992.
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