Electronic work declarations are promptly ingested into the documentation system of GEMA and work versions are generated with a work version number. The ingested work versions are allocated either registration status 1 (complete documentation) or registration status 2 (manual processing required). Due to the high volume of more than 1.6m work declarations per annum, work versions with registration status 2 are merely processed on a usage basis. This means that only if there is a licensed usage, work versions with registration status 2 are processed manually and changed to registration status 1.

The advantage for users of electronic work declarations is that registered claims are available in the online database within 1 to 2 work days.

Since the online database is linked to the online services and the services for the licensing and researching of sound recordings, work version numbers can therefore be applied within a very short time in the playlists or for licence applications for audio or music video productions. Work notifications via e-mail are dispatched daily. Work notifications by post are only dispatched once a week.

The ISWC is an ISO standard developed by the Confédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Auteurs et Compositeurs (CISAC), which as an "International Agency" is also responsible for the administration and further development of the ISWC.

If GEMA registers a new work with GEMA authors so that it is ready for distribution, each work version of the work where a GEMA author is involved will automatically be issued with an ISWC - the ISWC is thus a unique identifier for a work version and contributes to a more efficient documentation and distribution exchange between the collective management organisations.

The ISWC is thus an internationally valid work number.

It is set up as follows:

• Letter “T”, followed by a nine-digit number and a one-digit check number at the end.
• e.g. T-345.246.800-1 (The dots and the hyphens in this example are only inserted for better legibility, and are not components of the ISWC.)

You can view the ISWC of your work on the work confirmation or in the “Repertoire Search”.

The Territory Information System, TIS, is the multi-lingual territory standard of CISAC, the international umbrella organisation of the collective management organisations and contains all relevant information on territories. The standard is managed by GEMA and supervised by the TIS Management Committee.

The codes and names of the countries have been adapted from ISO standard 3166.

Description of the territory standard TIS
Analysis: Territory list
Analysis: Hierarchies among territories (bottom-up/top-down)
Description of the changes in the TIS data from the first to the current edition
TIS Database: complete data

Report List of territories
Report upward and downward hierarchies between territories

The document “Description of the territory standard TIS” contains a complete explanation of the standard as well as a conceptional data model with all relevant information objects and data elements.

The document “TIS database: complete data” is a compressed access file which contains the complete TIS data. The territory list in Excel file format can be accessed under “Analysis: Territory list”. Hierarchical analyses of the territories can be accessed under “Analysis: Hierarchies among territories (bottom-up/top-down).

Please note that the file “TIS database: complete data” contains the binding TIS data pursuant to the data model and the definition of the territory standard. The document “Description of the changes in the TIS data from the first to the current edition” contains amendments which have been made in the TIS data from the first to the current edition.