If you’re about to release your first single, you’ll quickly run into a string of letters and numbers called an ISRC. It looks technical, but it’s one of the most important things attached to your music — getting it right is how you actually get paid and credited for every play.
What is an ISRC?
ISRC stands for International Standard Recording Code. It’s a unique ID assigned to one specific recording of a song — think of it as a digital fingerprint that identifies your exact recording everywhere it’s streamed, sold or played. Crucially, it’s tied to the recording, not the song itself. So the original, a remix, a live version and an acoustic version of the same song each get their own separate ISRC.
What an ISRC looks like
An ISRC is always 12 characters, usually written like this: US-ABC-25-12345.
- Country code (2 letters) — where the code was issued, e.g. US or GB.
- Registrant code (3 characters) — identifies who issued it.
- Year (2 digits) — the year the code was assigned.
- Designation (5 digits) — a unique number for that recording.
The country code reflects where the ISRC was issued, not necessarily where you live.
Why your song needs one
- Royalty tracking — streaming platforms and collection societies use the ISRC to count plays and route royalties to the right people. With no ISRC, plays can go untracked.
- Accurate analytics — it ties all your streams, downloads and plays for that recording together, so your numbers stay correct.
- Playlists and charts — pitching tools and chart reporting identify your track by its ISRC.
- Sync and licensing — when your music is used in film, TV or ads, the ISRC helps identify it for payment.
How to get one
Most artists never apply manually. When you upload through a distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, Amuse and others), it assigns an ISRC to each track automatically, usually for free. If you’d rather manage codes yourself, you can register as an ISRC manager through your national agency — in the US that’s the RIAA, and other countries have their own. For most independent artists, letting the distributor handle it is the simplest route.
Mistakes to avoid
- Don’t reuse one ISRC across different versions — each version needs its own.
- Don’t assign a new ISRC when you re-release the exact same recording — keep the original so your stream history stays intact.
- Check the ISRC is embedded before you submit; it should travel with the audio file.
Quick FAQ
- Do I have to pay for an ISRC? Usually no — distributors include it free.
- Is an ISRC the same as a UPC? No. An ISRC identifies a single recording; a UPC identifies a whole release. (More on that in the next post.)
- Can one song have two ISRCs? Only if there are two different recordings of it.
