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Free ISWC tool

ISWC lookup,
made simple

Have a recording and want the song behind it? Have an ISWC and want every version recorded? Use the free tool below — no account, no jargon, no technical knowledge required.

Find a recording's ISWC

Paste an ISRC (or a SonoVault track ID) to see the composition code(s) behind that recording.

Find recordings of a work

Enter an ISWC to list every recording of that composition — originals, covers, remixes, and re-releases.

Searches a catalog of 90M+ recordings. Results are for reference and metadata lookup.

The basics

What is an ISWC code?

An ISWC — International Standard Musical Work Code — is a unique ID for a musical work: the underlying composition, the melody and lyrics, not any one recording of it.

The same ISWC covers every version of a song. The original studio cut, a live take, a cover by a different artist, an acoustic re-record, and a club remix all share one ISWC — because they are all the same composition. That is what makes it so useful: it lets publishers, collecting societies, and royalty systems agree on which song they mean, no matter how many times — or by whom — it has been recorded.

An ISWC identifies a composition, not a recording. One ISWC maps to many recordings (covers, remixes, re-releases), and a single recording can map to several ISWCs (a medley or sample touching more than one work) — so the relationship runs one-to-many in both directions.

Anatomy

What an ISWC code looks like

An ISWC is the letter T plus nine digits and a check digit — for example T-070142799-7. The dashes are only there to make it easier to read; the code itself is the T and ten digits with no separators.

T-
Prefix
Marks the code as a musical work — every ISWC begins with T.
070142799-
Work number
Nine digits that uniquely number the composition.
7
Check digit
A final digit used to validate the code.
Step by step

How to find a song's ISWC

Streaming apps don't show ISWC codes to listeners, so the simplest way to find one is a metadata database like the tool on this page. Start from a recording you know — its ISRC or track ID — and the tool resolves the work code behind it.

  1. 1

    Open the finder

    Scroll to the lookup tool above and find the “Find a recording’s ISWC” box.

  2. 2

    Enter an ISRC or track ID

    Paste the recording’s ISRC code (or a SonoVault track ID) into the field.

  3. 3

    Read the ISWC

    Press Find ISWC. The composition code appears with its work title. A recording can list several ISWCs when it samples or quotes more than one work.

Where they come from

Who needs an ISWC, and how to get one

Songwriters, composers, and publishers rely on ISWCs — they are how performing rights organizations track a composition across every recording and performance, and route songwriting royalties to the right work.

Because an ISWC belongs to the composition rather than the recording, it comes from the publishing side, not a distributor. When you register a work with a performing rights organization or collecting society — such as ASCAP or BMI in the United States, or PRS in the United Kingdom — an ISWC is allocated to that work.

Don't mix them up

ISWC vs ISRC vs UPC

Music has three different codes that are easy to confuse. Each one identifies a different thing — the song, the recording, or the product.

ISWC
International Standard Musical Work Code
The written song itself — the composition.
ExampleT-070142799-7
ISRC
International Standard Recording Code
One sound recording — a single track.
ExampleGB-DUW-00-00059
UPC / EAN
Universal Product Code
A release as a product — an album or single.
Example0 06025 12345 6

Need to go the other way and look up a recording? Try the free ISRC lookup tool.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

An ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code) is a unique ID for a musical work — the underlying composition, meaning the melody and lyrics, not any particular recording of it. The same ISWC covers every version of a song: the original studio recording, a live take, a cover by a different artist, and a remix all share the work's ISWC. It is how publishers, collecting societies, and royalty systems identify a song no matter who performs or records it.
Use the free tool above: paste a recording's ISRC (or a SonoVault track ID) into the 'Find a recording's ISWC' box and press Find ISWC. The work code appears with its title. Streaming apps don't show ISWCs to listeners, so a metadata database like this is the easiest way to look one up.
Yes. Finding the ISWC for a recording, or listing every recording of a composition, is completely free here — no account, no payment, and no technical knowledge needed.
An ISWC starts with the letter T, followed by nine digits and a single check digit — for example T-070142799-7. The dashes are only there for readability; the code is stored as the letter T plus ten digits. The leading T marks it as a musical work code, distinguishing it from other identifiers.
An ISRC identifies one sound recording — a single track, such as the studio version of a song. An ISWC identifies the composition itself — the written song. One ISWC therefore maps to many ISRCs: every recording, cover, and remix of a song shares the work's ISWC but has its own ISRC. The link runs both ways: a recording can also carry several ISWCs when it samples or stitches together more than one composition (medleys, mashups).
A single composition has one ISWC. But a single recording can be linked to several ISWCs — for example a medley that performs three works back to back, or a track that samples another song's composition. That is why ISWC lookup is one-to-many in both directions: one work maps to many recordings, and one recording can map to many works.
ISWCs are assigned to the composition, not the recording, so they come from the publishing side rather than a distributor. When you register a work with a performing rights organization or collecting society — such as ASCAP or BMI in the US, or PRS in the UK — an ISWC is allocated to that work. You don't request them one at a time the way you might think of a barcode.

Need ISWC data for an app?

This tool is powered by the SonoVault API — ISWC lookup, reverse search, ISRC lookup, and cross-platform track IDs for 90M+ recordings, behind one API key.

ISWC lookup for developersView the API docs →