An International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) is a code that is used to permanently identify a specific sound recording. This ensures accurate tracking of streams, sales and royalty payments across the digital domain, and radio.
A sound recording should not have more than one ISRC attributed to it, and each sound recording (even of the same composition) should have its own unique ISRC. For example, even two different revisions of the same master are classed as different sound recordings from one another. They cannot share the same ISRC. For this reason, I shall only assign an ISRC to the final master, once you have given me full assurance that you have approved the final result for delivery and distribution. When I export the final master for delivery and distribution, the master file(s) will have their ISRCs already embedded within.
Learn more about ISRCs from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
When uploading to your distributor, you MUST disable the option to have your distributor assign your tracks an ISRC code, and instead enter the code(s) that I provide for you, one unique code for each track/file.
For a number of reasons, including:
Reduced risk of duplication or errors. Distributors, labels, and aggregators all have their own systems, and without a pre-assigned ISRC, your track is at risk of having multiple codes assigned to it across different platforms. This can greatly complicate royalty tracking. This ambiguity can be mitigated by embedding the ISRC and all relevant metadata into the file at the source.
You have the control. A file with its authoritative information embedded within it, prevents you from losing access to that important data, because of a third-party. Changing distributor, or losing your login to a platform could make it very difficult to retrieve your all-important ISRCs.
Establishes originality. Assigning an ISRC as soon as the file is made is not a bona fide copyright mechanism, but it does create a timestamped, internationally recognised identifier for a specific recording. This is useful evidence in any dispute over which version is the "original" master.
Royalty collection begins at registration. Your ISRC will already be established in the online registry by the time it comes to send the file to your distributor. The sooner the ISRC is registered and reported to relevant collecting societies, the sooner your royalties can be collected. On the flip-side, royalties that predate registration are difficult to recover.
You're paying for a professional service. Centric Engineering differentiates itself from others in the field by considering and taking care of every detail. It makes practical sense for your mastering engineer to take care of generating and embedding your ISRCs at the source of creation. This way, there is never a file of yours out in the world that isn't registered. It's one less thing for you to have to worry about.
Q: Who owns the ISRC?
A: The rights holder (usually the artist or label). Centric Engineering merely generates codes for the rights holder.
Q: Where are the ISRCs embedded?
A: They are encoded into the digital file metadata, or CD subcode.
Q: Do ISRCs expire or change?
A: No. One ISRC per recording, for life. If you create a separate sound recording of the same composition (e.g. a remix, radio edit, remaster, Dolby Atmos mix) those versions should have separate ISRC codes.
Q: Can I lookup my ISRC codes?
A: Yes! You can use the IFPI's free lookup tool. Click here to open it in a new tab.
Special thanks to Mastering Engineer and Music Producers Guild Member, Barry Grint, for pioneering the addition of the ISRC Identifier to the metadata header of Broadcast Wave Files in August 2012.
EBU Tech 3352 - Carriage of Identifiers in BWF
