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What is an ISRC?
Once you have been in the recording industry for a while, you start to pick up on the language or shorthand of the industry. I remember the first time I heard someone ask me about ISRC codes. I had no idea what they were talking about. Working on the legal end of the industry, there really was no reason for me to know. However, I have many producers and independent recording studios as clients. When I learned that they did not know what an ISRC code was, I figured I would do some investigation on our behalf.
ISRC stands for International Standard Recording Code. This code is a twelve digit international identifier for sound and music video recordings. Many in the industry refer to it as the digital “fingerprint” for each track. Once an ISRC has been assigned to a track, it follows the track regardless of ownership change. It is an awesome tool for royalty collection, administration, and anti-piracy safeguards in the digital arena.
The ISRC is made of four parts. Those parts are: 1. Country Code, 2. Registrant Code, 3. Year of Reference and 4. A Code assigned by the Registrant. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is the National ISRC Administration for the United States. If you are a record label, studio, or wish to be an ISRC Registrant Manager, you may contact the RIAA to find out how to apply for your Registrant Code. If you don’t want the responsibility of administering a Registrant code, there are ISRC Managers that are authorized by the RIAA to offer ISRC codes for purchase. CDBaby.com, Postionmenow.com and INgrooves are just a few ISRC Managers in the United States.
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