Fix an ISWC that has the wrong shape

Use this guide when the checker reports an ISWC that is not in the form the specification asks for. CWR (Common Works Registration) is the text format publishers use to register works with collecting societies.

Your file is never uploaded.

What the checker tests

The checker tests the shape of an ISWC only: the letter T followed by ten digits. It does not check an ISWC check digit, and it does not look up whether the ISWC exists.

Rules you may see

All are warnings.

• NWR-F-004: the ISWC of a work.
• EWT-F-002: the ISWC of the entire work.
• VER-F-002: the ISWC of the original work.
• COM-F-002: the ISWC of a component.

The message shows the value found.

Common causes

• Dashes or dots, such as T-123.456.789-0.
• A lower-case t.
• A missing T.
• Nine or eleven digits.
• A spreadsheet that turned the value into a number or a date.

Steps

1. Open the file in the CWR checker.
2. In the Problems tab, select the ISWC problem. The viewer marks the field.
3. If the problem shows a Fix button, select it. It writes the ISWC in its written form.
4. To fix every ISWC, open the Tools tab and select Clean identifiers. Tick "ISWC" and read the list. The tool upper-cases the value and removes dashes, dots, and spaces.
5. Select Apply.
6. Read "Left as they are". The tool leaves a value alone when it cannot reach T and ten digits without guessing. For example:
   • an ISWC without its T;
   • a value with the wrong number of digits.
7. Fix those values by hand from your source. Do not guess a missing digit.

A dashed ISWC

The field holds 11 characters. A dashed ISWC has 15, so the file holds a cut-off value. The tool skips it. Take the correct ISWC from your source system and write it as T and ten digits.

What to check next

1. Check your copy again.
2. Confirm the ISWC against your source. A correct shape does not show that the ISWC exists or that its check digit is right.
3. Check the file in the CWR checker.