TheInternational Standard Musical Work Code (ISWC) is aunique identifier for musical works, similar to the book'sISBN. It is adopted as international standardISO 15707. TheISO subcommittee responsible for the standard isTC 46/SC 9.

Each code is composed of three parts:^[1]

1. prefix element (1 character)
2. work identifier (9 digits)
3. check digit (1 digit)

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.

With

• ${\displaystyle d_i}$: one of the nine digits of the work identifier (i=1 to 9) from left to right.
• ${\displaystyle C}$: check digit.

${\displaystyle S=1+\sum _{i=1}^{i=9}i{d}_i}$

${\displaystyle C=(10-(S\mathrm{mod}10))\mathrm{mod}10}$

${\displaystyle i}$	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
${\displaystyle d_i}$	0	3	4	5	2	4	6	8	0
${\displaystyle i\ast d_i}$	0	6	12	20	10	24	42	64	0

${\displaystyle S=1+0+6+12+20+10+24+42+64+0=179}$

${\displaystyle C=(10-(S\mathrm{mod}10))\mathrm{mod}10}$

${\displaystyle C=(10-(179\mathrm{mod}10))\mathrm{mod}10}$

${\displaystyle C=(10-9)\mathrm{mod}10}$

${\displaystyle C=1}$

ISWC identifiers are commonly written the formT-123.456.789-C. 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.

The first ISWC was assigned in 1995, for the song "Dancing Queen" byABBA; the code is T-000.000.001-0.^[2]

To register an ISWC, the following minimal information must be supplied:

• title
• names of all composers, arrangers, and authors, with their role in the piece (identified by role code) and theirCAE/IPI number
• work classification code (CIS)
• identification of other works it is a derivative of

Note: an ISWC identifies works, not recordings.ISRC 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...)

Its primary purpose iscollecting society administration and identify works in legal contracts. It would also be useful in library cataloguing.

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.^[3]

• International Standard Music Number
• Global Release Identifier

• New ISO standard for worldwide identification of musical works/key

• The registration authority
• TC 46 SC 9 website
• https://www.iswc.org/en/agencies.html
• look up at iswcnet.cisac.org
• 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.

• Music technology
• ISO standards
• Identifiers
• Unique identifiers

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