Importing compositions with CSV
How to prepare a CSV file for Bulk Registration, including the column headers and what each field expects.
Last updated August 22, 2026
Download the template
The Bulk Register composition workflow provides an MRP CSV template. Download it, complete the headings without reordering them, then import the CSV for review. Importing creates review cards only; it does not add anything to My Catalog until you confirm registration.
Composition columns
The first two columns describe the composition itself:
- title — required; the primary title of the composition
- alternate_title — optional; any secondary or alternate title
Writer columns
After the composition columns, each writer has eleven columns. Writer 1 columns are prefixed writer_1_, writer 2 uses writer_2_, and so on up to writer_7_. The eleven fields per writer are:
- writer_N_name — the writer's full legal name
- writer_N_email — email address (required if the writer is not you; used to send invitation)
- writer_N_ipi — IPI / CAE number (recommended; required for TuneRegistry export)
- writer_N_pro — PRO acronym, e.g. ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN (recommended; required for TuneRegistry export)
- writer_N_role — music, lyrics, music_and_lyrics, or arranger
- writer_N_share — percentage share as a number, e.g. 50 (not 50%)
- writer_N_publishing — self, unpublished, or publisher
- writer_N_publisher_name — publisher's full legal name (required when publishing is publisher)
- writer_N_publisher_ipi — publisher's IPI number (required when publishing is publisher)
- writer_N_publisher_pro — publisher's PRO (optional)
- writer_N_publisher_share — publisher share percentage (optional when publishing is publisher)
Your email must appear in the file
MRP identifies which writer row is you by matching the email address to your account. Make sure your email address appears exactly as it does in your MRP account in one of the writer_N_email fields. If MRP cannot find a row that matches your email, the import will flag an error asking you to identify your writer row.
Publishing field values
The writer_N_publishing column accepts exactly three values:
- self — the writer is self-published
- unpublished — the writer has no publisher arrangement yet
- publisher — the writer has an external publisher (requires publisher_name and publisher_ipi)
Errors and warnings after import
After import, MRP validates every row and shows the results on each review card:
- Errors (red) — must be fixed before the composition can be submitted; examples include missing title, shares not totalling 100%, missing publisher IPI when publishing is set to publisher
- Warnings (amber) — the composition can still be submitted; examples include missing IPI number (recommended for TuneRegistry) or missing co-writer email
Tips for a clean import
A few practices that help avoid import errors:
- Use the downloaded template — column headers must match exactly
- Enter share values as plain numbers (50, not 50%)
- Leave unused writer columns blank rather than filling them with placeholder text
- Do not add extra columns or reorder the existing ones
- Make sure all writer shares in a row add up to 100 before importing