Common Works Registration (CWR) is the industry standard format used by publishers, sub-publishers, administrators, and CMOs/PROs/MROs to exchange rights data. Managing CWR deliveries correctly is essential to ensure that works are registered accurately, mandates are recognized, and royalties are distributed without delays or conflicts.

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If you want to import an existing catalog into your account from a CWR file, please refer to the dedicated CWR Importer documentation.

Best Practices

Before sending a full CWR batch, always start with a one-work test.

This ensures that your format, codes, and splits are understood correctly by the recipient society or partner.

Recommended workflow:

Send a single work that reflects a real agreement.
Review the results: check the ACK file, confirm identifiers (ISWC, internal codes), and ensure the splits and roles are processed correctly.
Proceed to mass delivery only after validation.

👉 This approach reduces the risk of errors, prevents rejections, and saves time when onboarding new partners or societies.

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Never edit a CWR file manually
CWR files use a strict fixed-width syntax defined by CISAC. Even a single misplaced character, space, or line break can corrupt the file and cause it to be rejected by the society or partner. Always use Reprtoir’s export and import tools without modifying the files in between.

Prerequisites

Before exporting a CWR file, some configuration steps must be completed in the Settings section. If not, you will see the following message in the export side panel: "You must configure CWR parameters in the settings to be able to export CWR files."

Two elements must be configured:

CWR Senders

At least one Sender must be created in your account. This Sender contains the identifiers (Sender ID, Sender Name, Sender Code) that allow societies and partners to recognize you as the official source of the data.

👉 See the dedicated CWR Senders page for detailed instructions.

CWR Sequences

Sequence numbers are required by the CWR standard to track the order of files exchanged between a sender and a recipient.

They are automatically created and incremented each time you export a CWR file.
Optionally, you can also create a sequence manually if you need to start from a specific number (for example, to continue an existing numbering system with a society).

👉 See the dedicated CWR Sequences page for setup instructions.

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If you need to follow an existing sequence with a society, make sure to configure it manually before your first export. Otherwise, the automatic numbering will start from zero and may lead to rejection by the recipient.

CWR Workflow Step-by-Step

Managing CWR deliveries always follows the same cycle: prepare your account, export the file (NWR / REV), transmit it to the recipient, and finally process the acknowledgement (ACK / ISW). Following this workflow ensures that your works are registered accurately and remain aligned with the official records of societies and partners.

Follow the process below to manage CWR workflow:

◼ Step 1: Export a CWR File (NWR / REV)

To export a CWR file (NWR / REV), open the navigation menu on the left of the Workspace, click on the Catalog Management icon, go to the Assets section, and select the Works list.

From the list, select one or multiple Works (see Selecting Rows for details). Right-click on your selection and choose Export → CWR from the context menu.

This will open a side panel where you can fill in the required information for generating your CWR file.

Form Fields

Field	Description
Version *	The CWR version required by the receiving society (2.1 or 2.2).
Encoding Mode *	The encoding of the file, usually UTF-8 unless the recipient requests ASCII Alphanumeric Only.
Transaction Type *	The type of transaction: NWR/REV (New Work Registration or Revised Registration).
Send As *	The sender code that identifies your company in the exchange. This code must be set in your CWR Settings .
Receiver Code *	The code of the society or partner receiving the file.
Sequence Number	The sequence automatically incremented for each sender/receiver combination, reset each calendar year.
Type of Shares *	Whether to export Ownership only or Ownership and Collection.
Territories	The territories included in the export (all or specific).
Territories Selection Mode *	Strict for exact matches, Smart to include surrounding regions.
Priority Flag	An optional flag for priority handling, used only if explicitly requested by the society.

Once the form is filled in, click the orange "Export" button to generate the file.

Click the grey "Cancel" button to cancel the action.

When you confirm the export, the side panel will close and a job will be added to the Queued Processes. Once the job is finished, you will receive both an in-app notification and an email confirming that your CWR file is ready for download.

If an error occurs during the export, no CWR file will be generated. Instead, a .txt error log will be provided. This file replaces the CWR export and contains detailed explanations to help you identify and resolve the issues before running the export again.

The error log will be available for download both in the in-app notifications and in the email notification you receive.

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Each time you retry an export, the sequence number will automatically increment by 1, even if the previous attempt failed. This is normal and fully accepted by CMOs/PROs. No manual adjustment is required.

◼ Step 2: Deliver the File to the Society

Once your file is successfully exported, deliver it exactly as generated. Do not rename, open, or edit the file — societies often reject altered files.

You have two main options to transmit your CWR file:

Send it directly by email or through the submission channel required by the recipient.
Upload it to the FTP account provided by the society.

After submission, wait for the society to send back an ACK file (Acknowledgement). This ACK confirms whether your file was accepted or rejected, and often includes new identifiers such as ISWC or internal work codes. These identifiers are essential to keep your catalog aligned with the society’s official records.

◼ Step 3: Import the ACK / ISW File

After sending your CWR, the society replies with an ACK (Acknowledgement) or ISW file. Importing this file into Reprtoir is critical: it confirms whether your submission was accepted or rejected, and often provides new identifiers such as ISWC or internal work codes that keep your catalog aligned with the society’s database.

Why ACK Matters

Confirms if your submission was accepted, accepted with changes, or rejected.
Provides new identifiers (ISWC, internal codes) to enrich your catalog.
Highlights discrepancies (roles, splits, missing fields) before they affect royalty distributions.

How to Import

◼ Start the Import

To import a CWR file (ACK / ISW), open the navigation menu on the left of the Workspace, click on the Catalog Management icon, go to the Import Tools section, and select the CWR Importer list.

Click the orange "Import a CWR File" button at the right top. This will open a side panel where you can fill in the required information for importing your CWR file.

This will open a side panel where you can fill in the required information for generating your CWR file.

Form Fields

Field	Instructions
Name *	Give a clear name to this import, so you can find it later in your history.
CWR File Type *	Choose ACK / ISW when importing a society’s acknowledgement file.
Work Identifiers	Decide where the submitter numbers and codes from the society should be stored. For CWR 2.2, ISW IDs in XRF records will be imported automatically.
Encoding Mode *	By default, encoding is read from the file header. If you encounter errors, retry with Force UTF-8 encoding.

Once the form is complete, click the orange "Save" button.

Click the grey "Cancel" button to abort.

From there, you’ll be taken to a detailed, step-by-step import page.

◼ Step 1: Upload the File(s)

Upload one or more files. For best results, do not rename or edit the file you received from the society.

If the files pass the initial checks, continue by clicking the white Validate Files button.

👉 Keep NWR/REV and ACK/ISW files in separate imports.

◼ Step 2: Validation

This step runs automatically. Reprtoir parses the file(s), checks structure and encoding, and prepares a per-work summary. No user action is required here.

◼ Step 3: Confirmation

This is the key review step. You’ll see:

A summary of how many works were found, accepted, or rejected.
A detailed table for each work with its status and messages from the society (e.g., missing fields, split inconsistencies, duplicate entries).
For accepted lines, any new identifiers (ISWC, internal codes) that will be written back into your catalog.

Example of reported data

Field	Description
Filename	The name of the imported CWR file. Helps trace the origin of the data.
Title	The musical work title included in the CWR file.
ISWC	The International Standard Musical Work Code assigned by the society, if available.
Transaction Status	How the society processed the transaction (see below for more details).
Submitter Creation Number	Your internal identifier used when exporting the work.
Recipient Creation Number	The identifier assigned by the society. May be empty if the work was not accepted.
Messages	Notes or error messages returned by the society (e.g., missing SWT, inconsistent splits).
Found Work	Indicates whether the work was matched to an existing record in your catalog.

Common Transaction Status Codes

When reviewing ACK confirmations, you will often see standardized transaction status codes. Below are the most frequent ones:

Code	Meaning	Description
AS	Accepted as Sent	The work was accepted exactly as provided.
AC	Accepted with Changes	The work was accepted but modified by the recipient (e.g., identifiers added, shares adjusted).
RJ	Rejected	The work was rejected. Check the error messages for details.
NP	No Participation	The society determined that your organization has no claim on this work.

👉 Always interpret these codes together with the society’s messages.

When satisfied, confirm the import. Works with AS or AC statuses will be written back to your catalog. Works with RJ or NP must be corrected and re-submitted according to the society’s feedback.

◼ Step 4: Import

Once confirmed, the import runs automatically. Your catalog is updated with accepted works and identifiers, and the import is stored in your history for full traceability.