Newzik: An App for Managing and Viewing Digital Sheet Music for Performance

When considering the uses of sheet music, music notation software and digital sheet music reader applications (hereafter referred to as score readers) can be said to be tools at opposite ends of the musical score usage; music notation software at the entrance and score readers at the exit. 

I've written many articles about music notation software, but this time I'd like to write about score readers. 

A few couple of years ago, while installing a score reader on an iPad was considered a viable way to view sheet music during a performance, I thought most people felt that paper sheet music was the best option due to concerns about the device freezing or crashing during a performance. 

However, it seems that the “iPad + a score reader” combination has now become commonplace, even at professional performances.

Among these digital score readers, this article focuses on Newzik, a relatively rare example that supports MusicXML and therefore offers particularly strong compatibility with music notation software.

Newzik's Specifications Compared to Other Products

Developed and sold by Newzik, a company founded in Paris, France in 2014, Newzik boasts over 400,000 users worldwide, according to its official website.

While there are a variety of score readers available, ranging from beginners to professionals, Newzik's unique characteristics become clearer when compared to forScore, a professional-grade app aimed at the global market, and Piascore, a Japanese app that is widely used overseas.

In the table below, which compares the specifications of these three products, Newzik's two key features - its handling of MusicXML - are highlighted in yellow, while its integration with other users is highlighted in green.

	Newzik	forScore	Piascore
System Requirements	iPad, iPhone, Browser	iPad, iPhone, Mac (macOS)	iPad, iPhone, Mac (macOS)
Imported File Types	PDF, MusicXML	PDF	PDF
Sheet Music Capture by Camera	Yes	Yes	Yes
Setlist Creation and Management	Yes	Yes	Yes
Share Score with Other Users	Real-time changes can be shared on a dedicated server.	File-by-file sharing is possible via external cloud services (Dropbox, etc.) or AirDrop.	File-by-file sharing is possible via external cloud services (Dropbox, etc.) or AirDrop.
Display Options	Sepia Tone	A wide range of display options are available, including sepia tone, Best Fit mode, and Reflow.	Sepia Tone, Inverted Black and White
Bluetooth Pedal page turning support	Yes	Yes	Yes
Dual-screen (double-page spread) display	Yes	Yes	Yes
Notating Music	No	No	Bring up blank staff and add handwritten notes
Annotations	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sharing Annotations	Changes can be shared in real time on a dedicated server	File-by-file sharing is possible via external cloud services (Dropbox, etc.) or AirDrop	File-by-file sharing is possible via external cloud services (Dropbox, etc.) or AirDrop
Exporting Score	PDF, MusicXML	PDF	PDF
OMR (Scanning)	Yes (LiveScore conversion: limited accuracy)	なし	なし
Playback	- Upload audio files to a dedicated server or connect to YouTube - Play directly from MusicXML files	Built-in audio player (plays audio files linked to sheet music) Connects to iPad's Music Library	Connects to iPad's Music Library (plays audio files linked to sheet music)
Automatic sheet music layout adjustment with zoom	Yes (MusicXML)	No	No
Tuner	Yes	Yes	Yes
Metronome	Yes	Yes	Yes
Audio Player	Yes	Yes	Yes
Key Change in Audio Player	Yes	Yes	Yes
Tempo Change in Audio Player	Yes	Yes	Yes
Virtual Keyboard (Piano)	Yes	No	Yes
IMSLP Integration	Yes (Search and Download from IMSLP)	Yes (Search and Download from IMSLP)	Yes (Search and Download from IMSLP)
Use of External Libraries	Yes	Yes	Yes
User Interface Support in Japanese	iOS version is supported in Japanese, but web version is only in English	English only	Japanese Support
Language for tech support	English	English	Japanese
Price	◆Free Version with Limited Features: Yes ◆Essentials: Perpetual License ¥4,000 ・Cloud Storage for up to 1,000 Songs ・Access to Web App ・Available on All Devices ◆Premium: 1 Year ¥7,000, Perpetual License ¥30,000 ・Unlimited Cloud Storage ・Unlimited LiveScore Conversion ・MusicXML & MIDI export support - Facial page turning function and more	◆ Limited-feature free version: No ◆ Perpetual license: ¥4,000	◆ Limited-feature free version: Yes ◆ Perpetual license: ¥1,000

To sum up Newzik's features in one sentence, just like the official website describes it as “the music score management and reading app”, it's an app for managing and viewing digital sheet music for performance. 

While forScore and Piascore are primarily designed for single-user use and rely on external cloud services for file sharing, Newzik offers its own cloud service with comprehensive features for multiple users to share scores and annotations.

This shows that Newzik is designed not only for individual use by a single user, but also for managing and using specific scores among multiple users, such as bands and orchestras.

Also, when looking purely at performance as a score reader, forScore seems to be superior, followed by Piascore. However, Newzik's crucial difference from forScore and Piascore is its ability to read MusicXML, which enables automatic changes to the sheet music layout as the sheet music is resized and playback based on the structure information in the Newzik file (MusicXML).

For this reason, when it comes to integration with music notation software, Newzik, which can also read MusicXML, is more suitable than forScore and Piascore, which can only read PDFs. *

*However, it should be noted that MusicXML reproduction between different products is not perfect, just as it is when exchanging files between different music notation software.

The video below shows a song imported using MusicXML opened in Newzik and the sheet music layout changing in real time in response to two-finger Zoom in & Out gestures on an iPad.

For Dorico users, it's easy to understand that Newzik does roughly the same thing as the Fill View feature introduced in Dorico 6.

How to make use of Newzik

As mentioned above, Newzik imports MusicXML, allowing users to freely change the display layout on their iPad. I think this feature will be particularly useful for users during individual practice before rehearsals, helping each member understand the structure of the phrases they should be performing.

Also, if you import MusicXML, you can play it directly from the file on Newzik. Unlike loading and playing back audio files such as mp3, this plays back in conjunction with the caret, just like playback in music notation software, so it will be a great help, especially for performers who are not good at reading music.

The next step will be to use PDF scores to share annotations with relevant parties as needed, while continuing to rehearse with the composer, arranger, and other members.

Managing scores with Newzik allows annotations to be shared with relevant parties almost in real time, without the need for special operations.

Based on these annotations, arrangers and copyists can easily revise the score and reshare the latest version.

I think these Newzik features will be a great advantage for large ensembles that require a librarian. 

ーーー

Speaking of score readers, there was once an amazing product called GVIDO that seemed to embody the dreams of performers. However, unfortunately, sales of this product were discontinued at the end of March 2022, likely due to its price tag of nearly ¥200,000 (about 1,268USD, as of the end of 2025).

As of the end of 2025, while dedicated digital sheet music devices like GVIDO have disappeared from the market, score readers designed for use on iPads, which have already become widely used as versatile display devices, are now widespread in the market.

However, since the iPad's screen is too small to display sheet music, it is not the optimal device for viewing sheet music like GVIDO, so there may still be times when paper sheet music is more practical.

It's also possible that cheaper products based on the GVIDO concept will appear again in the future, and I personally look forward to this possibility.