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Work declarations in the CWR format

Common Work Registration (CWR) is the international standard format of CISAC in order to register musical works for original and sub-publishers.  In order to register works with GEMA in the CWR format, please use the 2.2 version. We recommend the CWR format if you register more than 1,000 works per year.

This is how the registration process via the CWR format works

  1. Create technical prerequisites

  2. Transfer submitter code and submitter number

  3. Set up and text sharebox and SFTP account

  4. Data exchange via SFTP, data protection compliant

1. Create technical prerequisites

You have implemented the functional specifications for CWR 2.2. in your system. You can create CWR files and are ready to test them with us.

2. Submitter code and submitter number

In order to transfer CWR data, we need your submitter code and your submitter number:

  • Submitter code: Consists of 2 - 3 alphanumeric characters. You can choose this code freely. We then check with CISAC whether it is unique.
  • Submitter number corresponds to the IPI name number of your publisher creating and sending out the CWR files.

3. Die Sharebox, SFTP-Account und Tests

In order to transmit the test files to us in a data protection compliant manner, we provide a sharebox for the data exchange.

After the test phase has been completed, the file exchange will take place via SFTP.

In order to set up the sharebox and the SFTP account for you, we need details from you up front:

  • the contact person responsible for the CWR in your company
  • his or her phone number and
  • his or her e-mail address.

Please also tell us which e-mail address(es) should receive the automatic notification e-mails once we have processed a CWR file.

Please send all of the above details to regservices@gema.de.

As soon as the submitter code has been confirmed and the sharebox set up, you can upload your first test file to the sharebox. Please take our test file requirements into account.
The test file contains:

  • no more than 100 works (datasets)
  • all work constellations which you are going to register when carrying out live operations

Please also read the document: Further file requirements

The results of the processing of test files will then be stored in your sharebox. In the testphase, we accompany you on your journey and determine together with you, when you can submit your first “live” CWR file.

Information on the download

FAQs

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to process the CWR files. This is due to the fact thatsome files have such grave errors in them that the file is completely rejected in line with the provisions by CISAC. This means that no work within that file has been ingested. Whenever we send you this type of message, please correct the file and re-upload it. 

The error messages for the most frequently occurring errors are:

  • RECORD LENGTH DID NOT MATCH THE RECORD LENGTH SPECIFIED

    The row has a record length that is not admissible, mostly based on special characters or invalid characters that extend the record.

    Example:
    Error message sentence appearing right above the faulty row:

    FILF009RECORD LENGTH DID NOT MATCH THE RECORD LENGTH SPECIFIED
    ALT0000000000000015D@MP D€T€CT0R                                               ADAN

  • A DETAIL RECORD HAD A RECORD SEQUENCE NUMBER INCORRECTLY INCREMENTED

    Each new work wtihin the file must be submitted with a consecutive sequential number

    Excerpt of two consecutive works:

    NWR0000000000000000TESTWERK 1                                                    
    SPU000000000000000101000023314ORIGINALVERLAG 1
    SPU000000000000000201000007402ADMINISTRATOR 1
    SPU000000000000000301000006386DEUTSCHER SUBVERLAG
    SPT0000000000000004000006386      016660416703333I0276N001
    ...
    ...
    ...
    NWR0000000200000000TESTWERK 2
    SPU000000020000000101000003073ORIGINALVERLAG 4
    SPU000000020000000201000006386DEUTSCHER SUBVERLAG
    SPT0000000200000003000006386      006250062501875I0276N001

    After the work registered first, with the sequential number 0, the sequential number would have had to be increased consequently, instead of 2 the sequential number would have had to be 1.
  • RECORD TYPE WAS NEITHER A VALID TRANSACTION TYPE NOR A VALID DETAIL RECORD TYPE

    At the beginning of the respective row, a “RECORD TYPE” was used which is unknown as per CISAC provisions. 

    e. g.   
    OPT000000000000000903000025650
    INSTEAD OF
    OPU000000000000000903000025650ORIGINALVERLAG 3

The most common missing information is the Agreement Type.

The error message within the CWR files is:

INTERESTED PARTY EQUAL TO PUBLISHER TYPE "SE" ON AN SPU, BUT NO AGREEMENT TYPE WAS ENTERED (GEMA ONLY)

An individual dataset, also referred to as transaction, contains all data for the work you want to register. 

The error INTERESTED PARTY EQUAL TO PUBLISHER TYPE "SE" ON AN SPU, BUT NO AGREEMENT TYPE WAS ENTERED (GEMA ONLY) constitutes a special case as it is a GEMA peculiarity.

For each sub-publisher that is affiliated with GEMA, irrespective whether their affiliation relates to the entire territory “world” or is limited to a few regions, the Agreement Type must  be indicated in the respective SPU record of the GEMA member. 

Valid entries are:

  • PS = individual or option agreement or 
  • PG = general agreement

Please enter the Agreement Type to the missing records and re-transmit the affected works in a new CWR file. 

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