# CWR File Validator > Free online tool for validating Common Works Registration (CWR) files against CISAC 2.1 and 2.2 specifications before submitting to collecting societies. *Published by [TrackForge](https://trackforge.studio)* --- Validate Common Works Registration files against the CISAC 2.1 and 2.2 specifications before submitting to collecting societies. Instant structural analysis, field-level validation, cross-record consistency checks, and human-readable error reports — free, no account required. Built by the team behind TrackForge's catalogue verification engine. The same validation logic we use for our own ICE, PRS, and MCPS submissions. CWR (Common Works Registration) is the CISAC standard for registering musical works with collecting societies worldwide. Getting it right the first time saves weeks of back-and-forth with society technical teams. **Supported versions:** CWR 2.1 and CWR 2.2 (auto-detected from file header) --- ## What Is CWR? Common Works Registration (CWR) is the international standard developed by [CISAC](https://www.cisac.org) for registering musical works with performing rights organisations (PROs) and mechanical rights organisations (MROs) around the world. It is the primary mechanism through which publishers notify societies like PRS, ASCAP, BMI, GEMA, SACEM, and JASRAC about new works, ownership shares, and writer information. A CWR file is a fixed-width ASCII text file with strict formatting requirements: 101-character headers, 197-character work records, precisely formatted share percentages, and mandatory CRLF line endings. A single misplaced character or incorrect field length will cause the entire file to be rejected by the receiving society. **Why this tool exists.** Most publishers discover CWR formatting errors only after submission — when a society's technical team sends back a rejection days or weeks later. This validator catches those errors instantly, before submission, saving publishers significant time and avoiding delayed registrations that can affect royalty collection. The current specification is CWR 2.2 (incremental update over 2.1), though most societies still accept 2.1. This validator supports both versions and auto-detects the spec from the file header. --- ## What We Check ### File Structure Validates the HDR > GRH > Transactions > GRT > TRL record sequence, CRLF line endings, and ASCII encoding. ### Record Validation Checks every record type (NWR, SPU, SPT, SWR, SWT, PWR) for correct field lengths, data types, and required values. ### Cross-Record Consistency Verifies that publisher and writer shares total 100%, sequence numbers are contiguous, and writer references are valid. ### Filename Convention Validates filenames against CISAC section 3.1 (CWyynnnnsss_rrr.Vxx) — a common rejection reason at societies. **Human-readable errors.** CWR is a notoriously opaque fixed-width format. Our validator translates raw field offsets into plain-language explanations: what went wrong, which line, and how to fix it. Where possible, we link to the relevant CISAC specification section. --- ## How to Use 1. Upload a .V21 or .V22 file (up to 10 MB, approximately 10,000 works) 2. Select the specification version (CWR 2.1 or 2.2, auto-detected from file extension) 3. Click "Validate File" 4. Review the detailed validation report with errors, warnings, and statistics Your file is processed in memory and never stored. Only the structured validation report is retained for 30 days to support shareable result links. --- ## Features - **Instant validation** — results in seconds, not days - **PDF reports** — downloadable, branded validation reports - **Email delivery** — reports sent directly to your inbox via Resend - **Shareable links** — result URLs valid for 30 days - **No account required** — upload and validate immediately - **Free to use** — up to 20 validations per hour --- ## Documentation - [What Is CWR?](/certification/cwr/what-is-cwr) — An overview of Common Works Registration for publishers and administrators - [Record Types](/certification/cwr/record-types) — HDR, NWR, SPU, SWR, PWR — every record type explained with field maps - [Common Errors](/certification/cwr/common-errors) — The most frequent CWR rejection reasons and how to fix them --- ## Roadmap ### CWR Generator (In Development) Generate spec-compliant CWR files from structured metadata. Upload a spreadsheet, map your fields, and produce registration-ready output for any society. ### REST API (Planned) Integrate CWR validation into your pipeline. Validate files programmatically with detailed JSON responses, webhook callbacks, and batch support. --- ## Privacy and Disclaimer **Privacy.** Your CWR file is processed in memory and never stored. Only the structured validation report (errors, warnings, statistics) is retained for 30 days to support shareable result links, then automatically deleted. No publisher names, writer names, or IPI numbers from your file are retained beyond the validation session. **Disclaimer.** This tool checks CWR file structure and field validity against the CISAC specification. It does not guarantee acceptance by any specific society. Each collecting society may impose additional requirements beyond the base specification. --- Need higher rate limits, bulk validation, or a custom integration? Contact us at [contact@trackforge.studio](mailto:contact@trackforge.studio). --- Source: [https://trackforge.studio/cwr-tool](https://trackforge.studio/cwr-tool)