---
title: Societies
description: "Choose the societies you register with, pick a profile where one is offered, and see what TrackForge checks for each society."
keywords: [societies, choose societies, add society, remove society, profile, checks, what we check, settings]
---

The societies you choose decide which statuses each work has: TrackForge checks every work for every [society](/docs/cwr/glossary#society) you add, and shows where the work stands with each (see [What the statuses mean](/docs/workspace/catalogue/statuses)). This is step two of the **Get set up** card. Until you choose some, a work shows one summary, **Not checked yet — choose your societies**, instead of a status.

## Before you start

Only owners and editors can add or remove a society. If you can only look, the list is shown with its controls switched off. You can choose up to 20 societies.

## Add a society

1. Open **Settings**. The card **Your societies** is at the top.
2. Press the box **Add a society**, which reads "Search for a society to add". Type a name, abbreviation or country. Only music rights societies are listed, with the common ones under **Most used** and the rest under **All music societies**.
3. Choose the society. It is saved at once: **Saving…**, then **Societies saved**. The count beside the card's title goes up by one.

![The Your societies card, with three chosen societies, the Add a society box and the block of societies named on your works.](/docs/img/workspace/settings-societies.png)

If your works already name societies, a block **Societies named on your works** lists them, with how many works each is on. Tick the ones you send registrations to, or tick **Select all**, then press **Add selected**. They are all added in one save. Add only the ones you really register with, because each one is checked for every work.

## Choose a profile

Some societies offer more than one [profile](/docs/cwr/glossary#recipient_profile), the account set-up you have with them. For those, a box **Profile** appears, starting on the society's default. Choose the one that matches your account. If none is chosen, the fold **What we check for** says **Choose an account profile**.

## See what TrackForge checks

Beside a society's name, a label may say how far the checks go:

- **General checks only**: TrackForge applies its general checks for a [CWR](/docs/cwr/glossary#cwr) file, not rules of that society's own.
- **File preparation not available**: no file can be prepared for that society yet. Your other societies are not affected. If you do not register with it, remove it.
- The profile's name followed by the word "checks": TrackForge checks against that profile.

Open the fold **What we check for** and the society's name to see more:

- **Checks** gives the level of checking and what it means.
- **Society registration route** is the route the society itself publishes for registering works, or **Unknown**.
- **What we know about this society** is a second fold inside the first. Open it to see **CWR versions**, **Acknowledgement stages**, **ISWC notifications** and **Work-list access**. Each is **Unknown** unless it has been checked, in which case a link to the source and the date checked sit beside it.

## Remove a society

Press **Remove** beside it. It is saved at once, with no further question.

## What you will see

- If you are an owner or editor and have a society but no publisher name, a notice **Now** says **Next: add your publisher details, below.** Its button **Add publisher details** takes you to the box. See [Publisher details](/docs/workspace/settings/publisher-details).

## If something goes wrong

- **The society is not in the list.** The box says **No music society matches. Try the society's full name or country.** Try the full name or the country.
- **You cannot add another.** At the limit the card says **The 20-society limit is reached. Remove one before adding another.**
- **Works still say they are not checked.** No society is chosen yet, or **Checking…** has not finished.

## Related

- [Your first file in five steps](/docs/workspace/start-here)
- [Prepare a file](/docs/workspace/files/prepare)
- [Getting help](/docs/workspace/help/)