What is an ISRC?
ISRC stands for International Standard Recording Code. It is a unique identifier assigned to individual sound recordings, allowing for the tracking and management of music recordings across various platforms and territories. ISRCs are used primarily for tracking and managing sound recordings for royalty collection, reporting, and distribution purposes. They help ensure that the correct rights holders receive royalties when their music is played or streamed on various platforms worldwide. Additionally, ISRCs facilitate accurate metadata management and copyright identification across the music industry.
Each ISRC is a 12-character alphanumeric code, typically formatted as follows: "CC-XXX-YY-NNNNN".
Here's what each part of the ISRC represents:
Country Code (CC): The first two characters represent the country where the recording was issued. This code is assigned by the International ISRC Agency and follows ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes.
Registrant Code (XXX): The next three characters represent the unique identifier assigned to the rights holder or the entity responsible for registering the ISRC.
Year of Reference (YY): The following two characters indicate the year in which the ISRC was assigned to the recording.
Designation Code (NNNNN): The final five characters are a unique designation code assigned by the rights holder or the registering agency to identify the specific recording.
