Frequently Asked Questions
About ISRC Codes

Yes, it is.

The ISRC is your Sound/Video Recording Identifier. The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) is the standard unique international identifier for sound and music video recording itself. The ISRC is tied to the recording in the track and not the carrier of the track (CD/Vinyl/Digital Album or individual digital sound/video file).

The UPC is your Release Identifier. The Universal Product Code (UPC) is the standard unique identifier for the release that carries your audio or video performance(s). The UPC may identify a single, an EP, an LP and the various versions thereof (digital download, CD, vinyl, tape, or DVD).

You can get both the required ISRC and UPC codes on our order form.

The registration fee for your album, single, or DVD includes issuance of your ISRC codes, the collection of your track information, and the database submission of your tracks as required by the Recording Industry Association of America and IFPI.

Are there other ways of getting ISRC codes?

Yes, there are two other ways:

1. You could get them directly from the ISRC authority. But, they charge $95 and you will have to handle the assignment and registration on your own.
2. Some agents, labels, and other third parties offer ISRC services as part of a bundle of services that you hire them for. Sometimes they advertise this as “free ISRC codes”. Read more here.

Yes, absolutely. We have provided ISRC Codes to artists in over 157 countries and are authorised by the governing body of ISRC to issue International Standard Recording Codes to clients in ANY country.

You can obtain your ISRC codes from us today, using your Credit Card or Paypal account. Here is the process…

1st Go to our Order Page or call us at 1-877-872-2060 (USA/Canada) or +1-404-869-0701 (international).
2nd Place your order.
3rd Complete the track registration form. What if I do not have all of the information?

1st Upon completion of your order, you receive an email confirmation of your purchase of ISRC Codes, UPC Codes, and File Processing.
2nd The ISRC Team assigns your official ISRC code for each track or video and UPC code for the versions of the release.
3rd We send your ISRC code assignment and the UPC codes to you via email.
4th We file proper submission of your codes with the ISRC database appointed by the Recording Industry Association and IFPI.

The turn-around time from receipt of your track information is often within a few hours. All orders received before 4 p.m. Eastern Time on business days are completed the same day. Orders placed after 4 p.m. will be processed next business day. If it’s after 4pm and you urgently need your ISRC codes today, please call us 1-877-872-2060 (toll-free) or +1-404-869-0701 (international) and we will see what we can do to help.

The retailers, online distributors, and the Billboard Charts (SoundScan) set forth these requirements:

You need ISRC codes for each track of your album. However, the album itself requires a UPC code. In fact, if you plan to sell your album as a digital download AND as a physical audio CD then you need 2 UPC codes: one for the digital album download and a second one for the physical audio CD. This is the only way that performance on your individual songs can be tracked versus sales of the physical audio CD versus downloads of the complete digital album.

What about Singles?

For singles, you definitely need an ISRC code for the track. It is highly recommended that you also get a UPC code for singles because a UPC code is required on a single by:

• • Apple Music (iTunes)
  • SoundScan to participate in the Billboard Charts
  • Retailers, if you plan to release the single as a physical CD
  • Even most all of the aggregators, streaming sites, and download sites

No. The ISRC code for a song stays the same no matter what album this track occurs on. A new ISRC is required only if ANYTHING about the song changes (track length, title, audio mastering, etc.).

According to the ISRC Manual, a new ISRC must be issued when:

• • A sound recording is re-mixed or edited.
  • If a new fade changes the length of a track by more than 10 seconds.
  • Edits that change the length of a sound recording by more than 10 seconds (playing time is measured from the first recorded modulation to the last recorded modulation).
  • A previously released sound recording is partially used as part of a compilation.
  • A “full restoration” of a historical recording is performed by re-mastering, re-pitching, re-equalizing, de-noising or de-clicking a sound recording to meet contemporary quality standards. The registrant of the recording has discretion when making the determination between full re-mastering (sound restoration) and simple re-mastering (reproduction without sound restoration).

ISRC codes identify audio or video performances. Your cover is a different performance from the original. Hence, a cover song requires its own ISRC just like any other song. (When you complete our track data submission form, you simply list yourself or your band as the featured artist along with the track’s original title.)

Yes, you do. The registrants must be able to distinguish between the ISRCs that are assigned to audio and those that are assigned to video. Conventionally, video ISRCs are identified with a “9” in position #8 of the 12-digit video ISRC code.

Please note, you will need separate unique ISRC codes for different types of your videos:

• full motion picture music videos,
• visualizer videos,
• lyric or static-image videos,
• teaser/commercial videos,
• explicit vs. TV versions of your videos.

The META data (ISRC Code, UPC, Artist Name, Video Title, Recording Year, etc.) are then embedded into the MP4 video files.

Yes, you can get ISRC codes before having 100% of the track information finalized. We understand that you may need the ISRC codes for mastering but do not yet have complete track times, for example. That is OK!

For us to issue ISRC codes to you, only Artist and Track Title are required.

Please note, however, that we can only pass along complete information to the Recording Industry (including the Track Duration, Version, and Recording Date). While it is not required for distribution of your work presently, it is highly recommended. After completion of your final mastering, consider ordering a Track Information Update at only $15 via our order form to complete the missing optional information.

You’ve got 3 different options:

1. Enter the information into the spreadsheet we sent you with your ISRC codes and email it back to us;
2. Use the link we sent you in your receipt email;
3. Use this form https://www.isrc.net/trackdata/ (You don’t have to complete everything again. Just fill in what you were missing).

ISRC codes look like this: **-***-**-*****. They are structured using dashes for easier readability. However, the dashes are NOT considered to be part of the 12-digit ISRC code. When entering your ISRC codes at an online music distribution site like Apple Music (iTunes), registering at SoundScan, or encoding your ISRCs, you should enter it as a 12-digit code without dashes or spaces. (Unless, of course, they specifically instruct you to enter it differently.)

We are often asked: How are ISRC (and UPC) codes embedded in music or video? There are two ways in which ISRC and UPC codes get encoded in your music and video. Both are important and done SEPARATELY.

1) Embedding ISRC Codes in your individual digital audio or video files for uploading, selling/streaming online, radio submission, and a more complete copyright submission. (Done by us – see our Embedding Service)

2) Embedding ISRC Codes in the Master Audio CD for duplication and mass production. (Done by your mastering house, studio, or duplication facility.)

Click to view our ISRC Embedding Guide.

(For our many international clients, please consult your domestic copyright office for details.)

In the United States, the U.S. Copyright office does have a field to supply your ISRC code(s) at the time of filing for your copyright. While not (yet?) mandatory, it certainly is helpful in making your registration as complete as possible. The field on their form is called “International Identification Number” You first pick ISRC from the “International Standard Number Type” drop-down and then enter your ISRC code for the recording that you are registering for copyright in the “International Identification Number” field.

We also recommend that when you upload your audio files to the copyright office, where possible, you upload the fully-embedded files. These are the versions that have the ISRC Code and all other META data already inside the audio files.

Please click for important information regarding using your ISRC Codes for Apple Music (iTunes).

Luminate’s SoundScan (formerly Nielsen SoundScan) tracks sales and streams. In order to have a chance at making the Billboard music sales/streaming charts, any release must be registered with SoundScan using UPC number (for the whole album) and ISRC codes (for the individual tracks). Without a registration, the sales figures will not be counted, and you will remain invisible to the system.

At the time of this FAQ’s publication, Luminate SoundScan registration is still free of charge.

Please click for our SoundScan Registration Guide.

Mediabase tracks airplay for the charts, monitoring the music airplay of more than 1,800 media outlets in over 160 markets. In order to have a chance at making the Billboard music charts, your release should be registered AND uploaded as stripped files to Mediabase. Without registration AND upload of your stripped files, airplays will not be counted for the charts, and will you remain invisible to the system.

At the time of this FAQ’s publication, Mediabase registration is still free of charge. Don’t miss out; get registered!

Please click for our Mediabase Registration Guide.

As of November 1st, 2022 BDSradio airplay tracking services have been merged into Mediabase. This means you no longer have to register in two different spots for your airplay tracking.

Please click for our Mediabase Registration Guide.

Official Charts Company is the UK’s source for definitive music and video charts. According to them, they collect sales and streaming data from “all significant retailers/music services – including Apple Music (iTunes), Amazon, HMV, Google Play, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Spotify, Deezer and over 2,600 independent record and video shops. As a result, we estimate that we capture around 99% of all singles sold, 98% of all albums and over 90% of all videos/DVDs.”

A registration of your works with the Official Charts assures that your sales & streams get counted properly.

Please click for our Official Charts Registration Guide.

ISRC Codes are standard for spoken word recordings such as audio books, Podcasts, training programs, sermons, and similar audio recordings.

Please click to learn more about how to assign ISRC Codes for audio books, podcasts, and other spoken word recordings.