Searching works
Once you’re logged-in, you can use our search tool to search for your own works, as well as the works by other writers and publishers. You'll be able to see the owners, creators and other interested parties for each work, as well as details like tune code and duration.
Help with searching for works and viewing my works
Whether you need help with searching for works or viewing your own works, the below information will help guide you and answer some of the most common works related questions.
Help with searching for works
Firstly you'll need to log in to your online account and find the ‘Search works’ button on the homepage. Alternatively, you can find a link to it under Works in the top-bar navigation.
Once you're in, you can search by work title, writer, publisher, tunecode or membership number.
In the search results, simply click or press the work title to bring up the work details.
You can find tunecodes for all your registered works by logging in to your online account and selecting the My works button on the homepage. Look for the tunecode column in the listed works.
You can also find the tunecodes of works by other writers by using the the search works tool. To access the search works tool, you can usually find a button for it on the logged in homepage. Or on the Works page, which you can get to via Works in the top navigation.
There are a few ways to find your registered works:
My works
You can find and download a list of all your registered works by logging in to your online account and selecting the ‘My works’ button on the homepage. Once in the ‘My works’ area, you can filter the list of your works, using work registered date. You can also download a list of your works within this area, by selecting the download icon.
Searching works
Log in to your account and select the Search works button. Here, you can select ‘Membership no.(CAE/IPI)’ from the dropdown menu and enter your membership (CAE/IPI) number. If you don’t know your membership number, it can be found within the My works section. Once you have entered your membership number and selected search, the database will find your repertoire and return search results which have your membership number listed on the work.
You can also search by writer last name or publisher name if you'd prefer, however you will need to recognise your membership number in the search results to find your works.
For easy database access, you'll find a button on your homepage. Or on the Works page, which you can get to via Works in the top-bar navigation.
Why aren't all my works showing in the database?
If you can't find your works in the database, here's a few things you can try to track them down:
- Check your pseudonyms
Some works may be registered under a pseudonym CAE/IPI number. Be sure to try any pseudonym CAE/IPI numbers when searching the database.
- Search by title and surname
It could be that there is no CAE/IPI number attached to the work you're trying to find. Try using Quick search to search the Title and Surname. If something comes up, simply amend the work.
If you still can't find what you're after, register your work.
Why isn't one of my members works showing in the database?
If your members' works aren't showing on the database, get in touch using raise a query. Please supply us with registrations of works which are active in the UK and we will arrange for these to be added. If you're not already logged in, you'll be prompted to do so.
If you're a writer or publisher, you can go straight to a list of your works using the My Works button. You'll find this under your latest distribution amount on the homepage once you've logged in. This will only show the works you have registered personally. It won't show anything registered on your behalf by someone with a different membership number.
Why does the 'My Works' button not show all my works?
The My Works button acts as a shortcut to works registered under the CAE number linked to your online account. Please use the member search feature in our database to find your entire repertoire.
What happens if I notice a change to one of my works in the database?
If you notice a change to your works that you haven't made, please get in touch so we can investigate or let you know what's happened.
Please include the tune codes affected by the change in your message.
You will have to log in before you raise a query so we can more easily access your works and membership information.
What if there's the same work twice on my list?
If you've found multiple copies of the same work, it's nothing to fret about. Our system will automatically merge the works when one of them earns royalties above €5. You still may not receive royalties if you haven’t earned above the distribution threshold which is typically £30 but drops to £1 in the October distribution.
The work may also be listed twice if you've recently updated a work. The system creates a duplicate with the amended information and waits for usage to be tracked before completely overwriting and consolidating the original registration.
This all happens automatically and there’s no need to raise a query in this instance.
If there's a writer on your work that you don't recognise, amend your work to register it what you believe to be correct. Once the duplicate registration appears on the database, please contact Member Services with both tunecodes and ask us to raise a dispute.
If you're not sure, follow these steps:
- Go to Amending works. This can be found on your homepage once you've logged in. Or on our Works page, which you can get to via Works in the top-bar navigation.
- Select Amend an existing work.
- Search by tune code or ISWC number for the work you'd like to update. Can't find your tune code?
- When you can see the Work Details screen, press Next to get to Your Interested Parties.
- Increase your share percentage.
A possible match means that the database has recognised two works that it thinks should be merged.
- If you're a writer or publisher
If you think this is a mistake, please get in touch with our Member Services team. If you're not already logged in, you'll be prompted to do so.
- If you work for a society
If the possible match you've found is incorrect, get in touch using the button below and let us know the differences between the works if possible. If you're not already logged in, you'll be prompted to do so.
What do I do if my works have been merged incorrectly?
If you think two works have been merged in our system when they shouldn't have been, please raise a query with our membership team. Be sure to let them know the relevant work titles and tune codes if you can.
If you're not already logged in, you'll be directed to a login page first.
Help with share splits
A share split explains how the royalties will be distributed between all interested parties. As an example, imagine a work has two writers, A and B, and is published by C. PRS and MCPS will assume, unless otherwise advised, that A and B have agreed to share the royalties equally, giving them 25 percent each and C, the remaining 50 percent.
When you register a work with us, you add your agreed share for performance if you're a PRS member, and mechanical royalties if you're a member of MCPS. Your co-writer will then add their share. So if this work was to be registered today, both A and B would need to register the song individually and add their 25 percent at the point of registration.
What's a normal share split?
There is no normal share split. However the combined total of the writer share must be at least 50 percent. You can only give yourself less than 50 percent if you're adding co-writers. But even then you need to ensure that your share and their share add up to at least 50 percent.
Other than that, it's up to the you and the other interested parties to decide the correct share splits for your work.
You can find all work share information on our database. If you're not sure, follow these steps:
- Search our database to find the work you want.
- Select the work title in the search results.
- Then scroll down to Share view to see all the details on shares, including the splits.
How do I contest share splits?
If you're a writer or publisher
If you feel your share splits are incorrect, we recommend that you amend the work and update the shares information to the split percentage you believe you should have.
This may cause the total share percentage to exceed 100 percent. If so, once the new registration appears in the database, please contact Member Services with both tunecodes and we will merge the registrations and create a counterclaim. You then have 60 days to provide supporting documentation to enforce your claim.
If you work for a society
If you need to contest work shares on behalf of your members, please raise a query and supply us with all the documentation you can. This could include agreements, fiches and ISWC numbers. From there we'll look into it for you.
Please make sure you're logged in before getting in touch.
I've joined MCPS but my mechanical share isn't on the work
If you've joined MCPS recently but your mechanical share isn't showing on the work, follow these steps to add it:
- Firstly, make sure you register your share on the work as this won’t be added automatically.
- Go to Amending works. This can be found on your homepage once you've logged in or on our Works page, which you can get to via Works in the top-bar navigation.
- Select Amend an existing work.
- Search by tune code or ISWC number for the work you'd like to update. Can't find your tune code?
- When you can see the Work Details screen, press Next to get to Your Interested Parties.
- Register the mechanical share as a percentage up to two decimal places.
Please note that amending a work won't overwrite the existing work immediately. Instead, it creates a duplicate which the system will automatically merge as soon as the royalties against the work reach a certain value.
