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What is an ISWC code

Your song's ID number

While ISRC deals with the “sound” (the recording), ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code) deals with the “notes and lyrics” (the work). Many artists mix these two codes up, but each one is used to collect different money.

ISRC
Recording A specific sound recording – the WAV file that goes to Spotify.
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ISWC
Work The musical composition and lyrics – what was created in the author's head.

An example: “Yesterday”

Think of the famous song by the Beatles.

Yesterday – Beatles

There is only one ISWC: There is just one unique code for the song “Yesterday” (music & lyrics: McCartney/Lennon). That code represents the composition as such.

There are thousands of ISRCs: The recording by the Beatles (one ISRC). The recording by Elvis (a different ISRC). The recording by Frank Sinatra (yet another ISRC). Every version, every cover, every remaster = always a new ISRC.

How it all fits together: All of these recordings (different ISRCs) send author royalties to that one work (the same ISWC) – in other words, to the authors.

What is it for?

ISWC is essential for authors' collecting societies (OSA, SOZA, GEMA, ASCAP…). This code is what allows money from all over the world to be matched to the work.

Your song is played on the radio in Germany the German society GEMA uses the ISWC to recognise that it should send the money to the Czech society OSA. OSA then sends it to you.

How do I get one?

Note: ISWCs are not assigned by the distributor (Bez Labelu). We work with recordings (ISRC). ISWCs are assigned by authors' collecting societies – in the Czech Republic, for example, by OSA.

  1. You finish the song.

  2. You log in to the INFOSA portal (OSA's information system) and fill in a “work notification” (title, authors, shares).

  3. OSA registers the work in the international database and assigns it an ISWC.

Example of an ISWC (always starts with the letter T):

T-123.456.789-0

Do I need an ISWC before release?

No, you don't. That is a big difference from ISRC. You don't even enter the ISWC in our system.

ISRC – BEFORE release

You need the ISRC before release. Without it, we simply cannot get the recording onto Spotify and the other platforms. You either provide your own ISRC or let us generate one for you free of charge.

ISWC – AFTER release

You often get the ISWC only after release. You release your music through us and we give you an ISRC (if you don't have your own). You then go to OSA, register the work and add the ISRC to it. That closes the loop and connects the systems. To find out why registering pays off, read the article Why register your original work with OSA.

Don't confuse ISWC with ISRC!

ISWC = work (notes, lyrics, authors). ISRC = recording (a specific sound recording). You can learn more about ISRC in the article What is an ISRC code?.