CISAC launches new ‘ISWC IPI Context Search’ to help music publishers solve metadata challenges
December 1, 2025, PARIS – The International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), has launched the ISWC IPI Context Search, a new API service designed to help music publishers quickly and accurately identify creator Interested Party Information (IPI) numbers, a crucial step in ensuring correct work registration and royalty allocation.
Accurate IPI data is essential for correctly linking creators and publishers to their musical works, and for assigning the International Standard Musical Work Code (ISWC) — the unique, permanent identifier used worldwide to identify musical works. Missing or incorrect IPI data can lead to misallocations, registration delays, and lost royalties.
“Providing music publishers with quick and easy access to accurate IPI data is essential to the success of the ISWC, the industry’s key global identifier for musical works. Reliable IPI data improves the accuracy and speed of work registrations, supports correct royalty allocation and strengthens data exchanges across the music value chain. Since its relaunch in 2020, the ISWC system has now reached 80 million codes, enabling CISAC to develop new and more efficient services for publishers and other industry partners” said Sylvain Piat, CISAC’s Director of Business and Technology.
The new ISWC IPI Context Search allows music publishers to search for creator IPI numbers using a creator’s name and one or more known musical work titles. By enriching their internal databases with verified IPI data, music publishers can improve ISWC allocation, reduce registration errors at societies, and streamline royalty reporting and data exchanges with other partners.
This new service complements existing tools such as the IPI Pocket Edition provided by SUISA (who administers the global IPI database) and builds on CISAC’s suite of ISWC-related services supporting global metadata accuracy.
Matt Phipps-Taylor, CIO, peermusic and Chair – ICMP Metadata Expert Group, said: “We are very pleased to see the launch of this new service for publishers, and I encourage all music publishers to explore how they can take advantage of it. peermusic has supported CISAC with the testing of the new API and seen first-hand the benefit it will have for seamlessly retrieving and verifying creator IPI numbers directly in our systems, as early as possible in the administrative process. This is exactly the kind of access to global identifier systems that our industry needs to get on top of our metadata challenges.”
For more information about this new service, and other services available to publishers, visit https://www.iswc.org/creators-publishers
The International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) represents a global network of 228 collective management organisations located in 111 countries and territories. These societies represent more than five million creators across five repertoires: music, audiovisual, visual arts, literature, and drama. Working together to protect creators’ rights and strengthen copyright worldwide, CISAC sets professional and technical standards, advocates for fair legislation, and supports its membership in delivering transparent, efficient rights management in a rapidly evolving creative economy.