The Common Works Registration (CWR) format is a flat text file with a strict structure defined by CISAC. It is the global standard for exchanging musical works and rights data between publishers, administrators, and collective management organizations (CMOs/PROs/MROs).

You do not need to edit CWR files manually in Reprtoir, but understanding their structure and codes helps when interpreting errors, ACK messages, or society-specific requirements.

File Naming Convention

CWR files follow a strict naming pattern:

CWyynnnnsss_rrr.Vxx

Where:

CW — identifies the file as a CWR file.
yy — the year of the delivery.
nnnn — the sequence number assigned by the sender.
sss — the sender code (2–3 characters for publishers, or 3 digits for societies).
rrr — the receiver code (2–3 characters for publishers, or 3 digits for societies).
Vxx — the CWR version (e.g., V21 or V22).

Example: "CW240045ABC_012.V22" → a file sent in 2024, sequence 0045, sender “ABC”, receiver “012”, using CWR v2.2.

If the file is zipped, it will be named with the same pattern but with a .zip extension. The file inside keeps the .Vxx extension.

👉 When the same file is sent to several societies, the receiver code should be set to 000.

❗️
Never rename CWR files
File names contain critical metadata such as sender and receiver codes. Doing so can cause them to be rejected by societies and misenterpted by Reprtoir when you improt files.

File Structure

A CWR file is made up of records, each identified by a three-letter code. These records are grouped into transactions, usually one per work.

Record	Name	Description
HDR	Header	General file metadata: sender, sequence, date, version.
NWR	New Work Registration	Declares a new work to a society.
REV	Revision	Updates a previously submitted work.
ACK	Acknowledgement	Society’s reply to an NWR or REV, indicating acceptance or rejection.
SPU	Publisher	Controlled publisher: ownership rights and affiliated societies.
OPU	Other Publisher	Uncontrolled publisher, included for transparency.
SWR	Songwriter	Controlled writer: ownership rights and affiliated societies.
OWR	Other Songwriter	Uncontrolled writer, included for transparency.
SPT	Publisher Territory	Declares collection shares of a publisher in one or more territories.
SWT	Songwriter Territory	Declares collection shares of a writer in one or more territories.
PWR	Publisher for Writer	Links a writer to a publisher.
PER	Performing Artist	Identifies the performer(s) linked to the work (if declared).
REC	Recording	Links the work to a recording.
XRF	Cross-Reference	Associates works with identifiers such as ISW or ISWC.

Key Concepts

Identifiers: Works are tracked using ISWC, IPI, internal society codes, and submitter numbers.
Rights & Shares: CWR captures mechanical, performance, and synchronization rights, along with collection shares where applicable.
Status Codes (ACK): Returned by societies to indicate the result of a registration (AS, AC, RJ, NP).
Encoding: UTF-8 is recommended, though some societies still require ASCII Alphanumeric Only.
File Naming: File names must respect sequence numbering and extensions such as .V21 or .V22 for versioning.

Further References

For more detailed information, see the dedicated pages:

CWR Versions — overview of 2.1 and 2.2, plus why version 3 is not yet supported.
CWR Version Types — codes for arrangements, lyric adaptations, and originals.
CISAC Receiver Codes — official list of publisher and society codes.
CISAC Territory Groups (TIS) — how territories are grouped and referenced in CWR.

👉 This page serves as a technical reference and entry point. Use the linked sub-pages for precise details when dealing with society-specific requirements or troubleshooting.