An ISRC is a twelve-character code that identifies one specific recording. Not the song as written, not the release, but this exact piece of audio. Streaming services, rights organisations and sales reports use it to know which recording was played.
Most artists only notice ISRCs when something goes wrong: play counts split in two, a re-release that starts from zero, a duplicate warning. All of that is avoidable once you know the few rules.
What the code looks like
ISRC stands for International Standard Recording Code. It is often printed with hyphens for readability, but in metadata it is usually written as twelve characters in a row. The structure is always the same:
- Country code, two letters. It shows where the registrant who issued the code is based, not the artist's nationality.
- Registrant code, three characters. It identifies who issued the code, usually a label or a distributor.
- Year, two digits. The year the code was assigned, which is not necessarily the year the song was recorded.
- Designation, five digits. A unique number for that recording within that registrant's year.
You do not need to decode it. You only need to keep it attached to the right file.
One recording, one code
The core rule: the same audio keeps the same ISRC everywhere, and different audio gets a new one.
Say Elvin Rza releases "Gecə yolu" as a single in spring. In autumn the same track goes on his album "Şəhər işıqları". It is the same recording, so it keeps the same ISRC. Many services use that code to recognise that the album track and the single are one recording, which helps keep the song's history together.
Now Lalə Nova makes a remix of "Gecə yolu". That is a new recording, so it needs its own ISRC. The same applies to:
- a radio edit or any shortened version
- an acoustic, live or orchestral version
- a sped-up or slowed version
- an instrumental
- a new mix or a remaster that changes how it sounds
- explicit and clean versions, which each get their own code
What does not need a new ISRC: a new cover, putting the single on an album or compilation, or moving the catalogue to another distributor.
Why it matters more than it looks
Your history stays with the song. When you move to a new distributor, deliver the old tracks with their original ISRCs. If they go out with new codes, stores may see brand-new tracks. Saved songs, playlist positions and play counts can stay behind on the old version.
Reports find the right owner. Streams and other uses are reported per recording. A correct ISRC is how the money and the numbers reach the person who owns that master.
Duplicates are easier to spot. If the same audio appears with two different codes, stores may flag it as a duplicate, or two versions of the same song end up competing with each other in search.
Where ISRCs come from
ISRCs are issued by registrants: labels, distributors, and in some countries individual artists who register with the national ISRC agency. Many distributors assign codes automatically if you do not have them. Find out how yours works, and save the codes you receive.
Three things never to do:
- Do not make up a code that looks right.
- Do not reuse a code from another song, even an unreleased one.
- Do not issue a new code for a track that already has one, just because you are re-releasing it.
If you are bringing an older release to a new distributor, have the original ISRCs ready before you submit. You can usually find them in your old distributor's dashboard or in the release details you were sent.
ISRC, UPC and ISWC are not the same thing
These three get mixed up all the time:
- ISRC identifies a recording, one per track version.
- UPC (or EAN) identifies the release as a product: the single, the EP or the album. An album has one UPC and a separate ISRC for each track inside it.
- ISWC identifies the composition, the song as written. It is used in publishing and by collecting societies, and one composition can have many recordings.
Short answers to common questions
The single will be on the album. New code?
No, if the audio is identical. Use the same ISRC.
I fixed a small click in the master. Does that need a new code?
If the track is not released yet, the code simply stays with the corrected file. Once a track is out, most stores do not let you quietly swap the audio. A noticeably different master is usually released as a new version with its own ISRC.
I changed the title. Does the ISRC change?
Fixing a typo in the metadata does not create a new recording. But if the new title marks a different version, such as "Sped Up", that is a different recording and needs a different code.
Can my cover of another artist's song use their ISRC?
No. Your recording is a different recording, even if the song is the same. It gets its own ISRC, and the composition is credited to its original writers.