Think about the life of a song you’ve written. Once you release it to the world, it could be played on the radio, synced to a TV commercial or streamed on DSPs; it can be covered by other artists, sold as a CD or downloaded digitally. All of those different avenues are tracked differently, by multiple industry organizations. So how do you ensure that the right people are getting paid, no matter how your song is heard? It’s all about the metadata.

One of the important bits of metadata that you’ll encounter as an ASCAP member is the ISWC. Here’s a primer on what it is and how it works.

What is an ISWC?

The International Standard Musical Work Code (ISWC) is a unique, permanent and internationally-recognized reference number used to identify musical works. Simply put, it’s a unique identification number that organizations around the world use to track and verify specific information about a composition, like the song title, songwriters, music publishers and ownership shares. Think of an ISWC as a passport that distinguishes your song or score from every other musical composition around the world.

What are ISWCs used for?

Getting an ISWC assigned to your work is an important part of tracking uses of your music, and potentially getting paid by multiple industry organizations, ASCAP included. If royalties are generated for a performance/purchase of a recording of one of your songs or scores, your ISWC helps collection societies, distributors, digital streaming services and other organizations know who to pay.

Why are ISWCs important?

While the lack of an ISWC won’t necessarily prevent you from getting paid by ASCAP if your music is performed, having an ISWC attached to a work can increase the likelihood that more performances will be captured. ISWCs can also ensure that the right people are being paid by other organizations, for example if a distributor is trying to pay the correct entities for a digital download of a song. The more consistent and accessible your metadata is, the more likely you are to get paid properly whenever it’s used or purchased.

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How are ISWCs assigned?

ISWCs are assigned by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), but only after the works are registered with performing rights organizations (PROs) like ASCAP. When a new musical work is registered with ASCAP, we send the information about it to CISAC. Then they assign the ISWC, and it becomes part of the data attached to that work.

CISAC will only assign an ISWC after receiving info about the work from a PRO. You cannot request a new ISWC from CISAC directly.

Keep in mind that all the writers on the work must be identified with an IPI number before an ISWC can be assigned to the work. CISAC is also responsible for assigning IPI numbers to music creators and publishers after they join a PRO. Typically, IPIs are immediately available to new members when they join ASCAP. As with ISWCs, you cannot go to CISAC directly for an IPI number.

How does ASCAP use ISWCs?

Every year, ASCAP processes trillions of performances of the 20 million songs and scores in our repertory. That’s a lot of music! We are constantly improving the efficiency of our tracking and the scope of our surveys, but we also rely on metadata like ISWCs to get you paid correctly.

ISWCs are especially helpful when your music is performed overseas. When we send data about ASCAP music to our PRO partners abroad, they have an easier time tracking your music if the data includes ISWCs. Imagine all the different songwriters named “John Smith” with performances around the world – an ISWC code will help disentangle which one is which.

We also use ISWCs to match works for display in our shared Songview database. If your work is missing an ISWC, there is the potential that it won’t be displayed in Songview, or that someone searching the database by ISWC won’t be able to find your work.

How do I find the ISWCs for music in my catalog?

Once assigned, ISWCs will be listed in your catalog in Member Access. You can also find them via the public ASCAP Repertory Search.

Is an ISWC the same as an ISRC?

An ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is a different code used for different reasons. ISWCs are related to the underlying composition, whereas an ISRC references a specific recording of a composition. A song can only have one ISWC attached to it, but it can have multiple ISRCs.

ISRCs can also be helpful in identifying performances of your music, especially on streaming platforms. So when you’re registering a new song with ASCAP, make sure to add ISRCs if you know them.

How is an ISWC different from an IPI number?

Both ISWCs and Interested Party Information (IPI) numbers are internationally-accepted codes attached to an underlying musical composition. But an ISWC refers to a song or score, whereas IPIs represent the entitled parties on that song or score – the songwriters, composers, publishers, etc. A song with multiple co-writers will have multiple IPI numbers connected to it. But it will only have one ISWC.

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Keep in mind that all the writers on the work must be identified with an IPI number before an ISWC can be assigned to the work. CISAC is also responsible for assigning IPI numbers to music creators and publishers after they join a PRO. Typically, IPIs are immediately available to new members when they join ASCAP. As with ISWCs, you cannot go to CISAC directly for an IPI number.

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So there you have it. Make sure your ISWCs are noted wherever you have an opportunity to submit metadata for your music. Your wallet will thank you!