International Standard Musical Work Code

<h2 id="format">Format</h2>
<p>Each code is composed of three parts:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a>
</p>
<ol><li>prefix element (1 character)</li>
<li>work identifier (9 digits)</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Check_digit/qMlumJpU">check digit</a> (1 digit)</li></ol>
<p>Currently, the only prefix defined is "T," indicating Musical works. However, additional prefixes may be defined in the future to expand the available range of identifiers and/or expand the system to additional types of works.
</p>
<h3>Computation of the check digit</h3>
<p>With
</p>
<ul><li>
  
    
      
        
          d
          
            i
          
        
      
    
    {\displaystyle d_{i}}
  
: one of the nine digits of the work identifier (i=1 to 9) from left to right.</li>
<li>
  
    
      
        C
      
    
    {\displaystyle C}
  
: check digit.</li></ul>
<p>
  
    
      
        S
        =
        1
        +
        
          ∑
          
            i
            =
            1
          
          
            i
            =
            9
          
        
        i
        
          d
          
            i
          
        
      
    
    {\displaystyle S=1+\sum _{i=1}^{i=9}id_{i}}

</p><p>
  
    
      
        C
        =
        (
        10
        −
        (
        S
        
        mod
        
        
        10
        )
        )
        
        mod
        
        
        10
      
    
    {\displaystyle C=(10-(S\mod 10))\mod 10}

</p>
<h4>Example: T-034.524.680-C</h4>
<table><tbody><tr><td>                    i              {\displaystyle i}  </td><td>1</td><td>2</td><td>3</td><td>4</td><td>5</td><td>6</td><td>7</td><td>8</td><td>9</td></tr><tr><td>                              d                      i                                {\displaystyle d_{i}}  </td><td>0</td><td>3</td><td>4</td><td>5</td><td>2</td><td>4</td><td>6</td><td>8</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>                    i        ∗                  d                      i                                {\displaystyle i*d_{i}}  </td><td>0</td><td>6</td><td>12</td><td>20</td><td>10</td><td>24</td><td>42</td><td>64</td><td>0</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>
  
    
      
        S
        =
        1
        +
        0
        +
        6
        +
        12
        +
        20
        +
        10
        +
        24
        +
        42
        +
        64
        +
        0
        =
        179
      
    
    {\displaystyle S=1+0+6+12+20+10+24+42+64+0=179}

</p><p>
  
    
      
        C
        =
        (
        10
        −
        (
        179
        
        mod
        
        
        10
        )
        )
        
        mod
        
        
        10
      
    
    {\displaystyle C=(10-(179\mod 10))\mod 10}

</p><p>
  
    
      
        C
        =
        (
        10
        −
        9
        )
        
        mod
        
        
        10
      
    
    {\displaystyle C=(10-9)\mod 10}

</p><p>
  
    
      
        C
        =
        1
      
    
    {\displaystyle C=1}

</p><p>ISWC identifiers are commonly written the form <i>T-123.456.789-C</i>. The grouping is for easy reading only; the numbers do not incorporate information about the work's region, author, publisher, etc. Rather, they are simply issued in sequence. These separators are not required, and no other separators are allowed.
</p><p>The first ISWC was assigned in 1995, for the song "<a href="/facts/Dancing_Queen/06Nrn7Q9">Dancing Queen</a>" by <a href="/facts/ABBA/I0tITJ24">ABBA</a>; the code is T-000.000.001-0.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a>
</p>
<h2 id="usage">Usage</h2>
<p>To register an ISWC, the following minimal information must be supplied:
</p>
<ul><li>title</li>
<li>names of all composers, arrangers, and authors, with their role in the piece (identified by role code) and their <a href="/facts/CAE_number/b8vMW7Tt">CAE</a>/<a href="/facts/Interested_Parties_Information/xopcKbv5">IPI</a> number</li>
<li>work classification code (CIS)</li>
<li>identification of other works it is a derivative of</li></ul>
<p>Note: an ISWC identifies works, not recordings. <a href="/facts/ISRC/24XgqCwd">ISRC</a> can be used to identify recordings. Nor does it identify individual publications (e.g. issues of a recording on physical media, sheet music, broadcast at a particular frequency/modulation/time/location...)
</p><p>Its primary purpose is <a href="/facts/Collecting_society/nAKg1vB1">collecting society</a> administration and identify works in legal contracts. It would also be useful in library cataloguing.
</p>
<blockquote><p>Due to the fact that a musical work can have multiple authors, it is inevitable that, on rare occasions, a duplicate ISWC might exist and not be detected immediately. Because of the existing business practices among collecting societies, it is not possible to declare an ISWC as obsolete. In such cases, as soon as they are identified, the system will deal with duplicate registrations by linking such registration records in the ISWC database and its related products.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a></p></blockquote>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/International_Standard_Music_Number/9TvAErAh">International Standard Music Number</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Global_Release_Identifier/QM2v0GBV">Global Release Identifier</a></li></ul>

<ul><li><a href="http://www.iso.org/iso/pressrelease.htm?refid=Ref821">New ISO standard for worldwide identification of musical works/key</a></li></ul>
<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.iswc.org/">The registration authority</a></li>
<li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20051218164350/http://www.collectionscanada.ca/iso/tc46sc9/15707.htm">TC 46 SC 9 website</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.iswc.org/en/agencies.html">http://www.iswc.org/en/agencies.html</a></li>
<li><a href="http://iswcnet.cisac.org">look up at iswcnet.cisac.org</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2020/09/24/cisac-iswc-overhaul/">The International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) has overhauled the ISWC global-identification system for the first time since 2005, and more than 100 societies are onboard with the changes.</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Willer, Mirna, ed. (2009). "International Standard Musical Work Code (ISWC)". UNIMARC Manual: Authorities Format. IFLA Series on Bibliographic Control. Vol. 38 (3rd ed.). München: K. G. Saur Verlag. p. 54. ISBN 978-3-598-24286-1. The third element of the ISWC is the check digit. This is calculated using a MOD 10 algorithm. <a href="978-3-598-24286-1" target="_blank">978-3-598-24286-1</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>"ISWC: Portal". <a href="https://iswcnet.cisac.org/search" target="_blank">https://iswcnet.cisac.org/search</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>http://www.collectionscanada.ca/iso/tc46sc9/docs/sc9n298.pdf Archived 2007-03-17 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL PDF] <a href="http://www.collectionscanada.ca/iso/tc46sc9/docs/sc9n298.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.collectionscanada.ca/iso/tc46sc9/docs/sc9n298.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

International Standard Musical Work Code open-in-new

International Standard Musical Work Code