Identify the artist's name. For instance, a band's name would be the "artist" of the sound recording. If the sound recording is of a work by a composer, the composer would be considered the "artist." The "artist" is listed first in the citation of a "Works Cited" page. If the artist is a band name, write it out as it is shown on the recording. If the artist is a person or composer's name, write the last name first, put a comma after the last name, and write the first name. For instance, the artist Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart will be cited as "Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus."
Place a period after the artist name. Two spaces will follow each period in a citation. If you are citing a particular song, the song title goes next in the citation, and it is placed inside quotation marks. Place a period after the title, and the period will go inside the end quotation mark.
Put the title of the recording after the artist's name if you are not citing a song. The title will be italicized. Place a period after the title.
Write the recording manufacturer, followed by a comma and the year of publication. For example, "RCA, 2008" is the proper way to cite the publication information. Use "n.d." for "no date" if the date is unknown. Place a period after the year of publication.
Write the medium of the sound recording. "CD" is the appropriate notation for compact discs. Write a period after the medium.
Write "Perf." in front of performers and "Cond." in front of conductors' names if you need this information in your citation. For sound recordings by composers, you will notate the performers and conductors, if applicable. This information should be written after the title.
Add parenthetical citations in the body of your paper. These citations should relate directly to the "Works Cited" page. Place the artist's name inside parentheses. Write a period outside the end parentheses. You do not need to write a number because there are no page numbers for compact discs. An example of a full Works Cited citation is as follows:
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Mozart: The Great Piano Concertos, Vol. 1. Perf. Alfred Bendel. Cond. Neville Marriner. Phillips, 1994. CD.
This citation requires some changes--the title should be italicized, and the whole citation must have a hanging indent. The parenthetical citation for this Works Cited citation would be as follows: (Mozart).
See References for further examples of citations.