Open Score Format

Open Digital Scores

Open Score Format is an open and non-proprietary distribution, interchange and archive file format for digital scores (sheet music). The motivation for developing the format is to improve choice - both for content creators and consumers; tools for creating and viewing digital scores should compete on their merits rather than lock users into their proprietary file formats.

Click here to go to the project's SourceForge site

Open Score Format builds on MusicXML

At the core of Open Score Format is MusicXML 2.0. Around this we've added features relevant to the largest application for digital scores today: internet delivery of popular songs scores and tuition content.

• A package format for combining digital scores with other media assets such as HTML, video, audio and MIDI into a single distribution package
• MusicXML 2.0 profiles for common content types. These are subsets of MusicXML that form the basis of software compatibility, simplifying the job of writing and testing score editing and viewing software
• A Structured metadata format based on the Dublin Core used for decribing the content of packages and their relationships with other content
• Digital signing for packages and their contents
• The OSF Packaging Toolkit - A command-line tool for creating, unpacking, validating and signing Open Score Format packages