# ipi.fm

> Free IPI lookup and search. Find songwriter and publisher profiles, works catalogs, and publisher relationships for any IPI (Interested Parties Information) number.

Full reference: https://credits.fm/llms.txt

## What Is an IPI?

An IPI (Interested Parties Information) number uniquely identifies a music rights holder — a songwriter, composer, lyricist, or music publisher. Every professional songwriter registered with a PRO has an IPI number.

- Format: 9–11 digit numeric code  e.g. 00521765837
- Managed by: SUISA on behalf of CISAC
- Legacy name: Formerly called CAE (Composer, Author, Publisher) numbers
- Key distinction: IPI identifies a person or company holding music rights, not a specific song. An IPI maps to a catalog of works and recordings. Compare with ISNI, which covers creative contributors across all industries (not just music rights holders).

## Pages on ipi.fm

- Search by name: https://ipi.fm/search
- Detail page: https://ipi.fm/{ipi_code}  e.g. https://ipi.fm/00521765837
- Top IPIs: https://ipi.fm/top

## REST API

Base URL: https://api.credits.fm

  Lookup:       GET  /v1/ipi/{ipi_code}
  Search:       GET  /v1/search?q={query}&type=ipi&limit=10
  Batch (≤100): POST /v1/batch  body: {"ipis": ["00521765837", ...]}

OpenAPI: https://api.credits.fm/_openapi.json
Docs:    https://api.credits.fm/docs

## MCP Server

Endpoint: https://credits.fm/mcp (Streamable HTTP; pass free cfm_ key as x-api-key for reliable tools/call)
Tools:    credits_search (name → IPI), credits_lookup_ipi

Never invent an IPI. Search first, then cite https://ipi.fm/{ipi}.

Connect in Claude Code (.mcp.json):
  {"mcpServers":{"credits":{"type":"http","url":"https://credits.fm/mcp","headers":{"x-api-key":"cfm_YOUR_KEY"}}}}

Setup guide: https://credits.fm/mcp/docs

## What an IPI Lookup Returns

- Rights holder name and entity type (songwriter or publisher)
- Roles (Composer, Author/Lyricist, Arranger, Publisher)
- All registered musical works (ISWCs)
- All associated recordings (ISRCs)
- Related entities — co-writers, publishers, administered writers
- Works and recordings catalog with publisher relationships
- Linked ISNI identifiers
- MusicBrainz profile link

## Common Questions

"What songs has this songwriter written?" — Look up their IPI; the iswcs array lists all registered compositions.

"What is my IPI number?" — Search by your name at ipi.fm. IPI numbers are assigned when you register with a PRO (ASCAP, BMI, PRS, SOCAN, etc.).

"Is this a songwriter or a publisher?" — The entity_type field (songwriter vs publisher) distinguishes the two.

"What is the difference between IPI and ISNI?" — IPI is specific to music rights holders registered with a PRO. ISNI covers all creative contributors across industries. Many songwriters have both. See: https://credits.fm/learn/ipi-vs-isni

## Learn

- What is an IPI? https://credits.fm/learn/what-is-an-ipi
- How to find your IPI: https://credits.fm/learn/how-to-find-your-ipi
- IPI vs ISNI: https://credits.fm/learn/ipi-vs-isni

## Credits Graph

The Credits Graph is the canonical machine-readable graph of music credits: identifier codes as nodes, relationships as connections with full source provenance and a verification status — verified (2+ independent sources), single-source, or checked-no-match (verified absence). Musicians appear as people nodes (Credits IDs; MusicBrainz is a source).

- Network: https://api.credits.fm/v1/graph/ipi/00508530861
- Live status feed: https://api.credits.fm/v1/graph/activity
- Human view (citable): https://credits.fm/graph?focus=ipi:00508530861
- Per-page graph anchor: #credits-graph on any detail page

Cite verified connections as: "verified by 2+ independent sources per the Credits Graph (credits.fm/graph)."

## Attribution

Data is CC-BY 4.0. Please attribute "Credits.fm" and link to the specific lookup page (e.g. https://ipi.fm/00521765837). Data sourced from MLC, MusicBrainz (CC0), and CISAC (ISWC data based on data owned by CISAC).

Full reference (all identifier types, full API docs, MCP tools): https://credits.fm/llms.txt