Getting Started with CWR

CWR (Common Works Registration) is an international data standard developed by CISAC. CWR enables music publishers to electronically register musical works with performing rights organisations (PROs) and collecting societies worldwide in a standardised format.

Harvest allows publishers to generate and submit CWR registrations directly from their admin account.

There are a few requirements to complete before starting registrations via Harvest Admin. These are outlined below, and once each is confirmed, we’ll be able to proceed.

Pre-Registration Requirements

1. Account Model 

Your Harvest Account must be on the Collection model to submit registrations. The Harvest team will confirm and if you need to migrate to this model, the team will provide next steps.

2. CISAC Sender Code

A CISAC Sender Code is required for registrations. This code must be supplied directly by you via CISAC. This is a global requirement. 

3. Publisher Rightholder Setup

A Sending Rightholder (Publisher) must be set up in your account.

• If a Publisher already exists, please confirm the details

• If no Publisher exists, you will need to set one up in the Right Holders tab

  Please ensure:

  • Legal entity name matches society records

  • IPI/CAE number is correct

  • Contact details are accurate

4. Collecting Society Contact Details

Please provide the contact email address for your Publisher at the relevant Collecting Society.

5. Registration Territory

Please confirm the territory for registrations (e.g. World, Australasia). This determines where works will be claimed and registered.

Harvest currently supports CWR versions 2.1 and 2.2. If a society you are targeting requires a specific version or you want to explore newer formats (e.g., 3.1), please confirm with the Harvest team before proceeding.

Best Practices for Successful CWR Registrations

We recommend submitting a small test CWR file before large batches. After submission, societies return an acknowledgment (ACK) file with validation results. Review and correct any errors noted before proceeding with additional submissions.

Accurate data is essential. Incorrect splits or missing writer information can delay registration or cause conflicts at society level. 

When a work involves multiple contractual relationships (e.g., main publisher and sub-publisher), ensure the agreement structure is correctly represented in the work metadata per CWR specifications.