It derived several key concepts from existing academic formats (such as Walter Hewlett's ASCII-based MuseData[6] and David Huron's Humdrum).

[12][13] Version 3.1 was released in December 2017 with improved support for the Standard Music Font Layout (SMuFL).

[15] The MusicXML DTDs and XSDs are each freely redistributable under the W3C Community Final Specification Agreement.

[18] Features include key and time signatures, clefs, beaming information, stem directions, slurs, ornaments, barlines, and written repeats.

[20] The textual representation listed above is verbose; MusicXML v2.0 addresses this by adding a compressed zip format with a .mxl suffix that can make files roughly one-twentieth the size of the uncompressed version.