You get an ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) in one of three ways: your distributor assigns one when you upload a release, you get your own prefix from the ISRC agency in your country and assign codes yourself, or, if you release on your own, you buy codes through the International ISRC Agency's online service (£15 for 30 credits in 2026, and one code costs 3 credits). Only the owner of the recording, or someone they appoint, may assign the code.

An ISRC identifies one sound recording or one music video, for life. Streaming services, collecting societies and neighbouring-rights societies such as PPL and SoundExchange use it to match plays to the right recording and pay the right people.

What an ISRC looks like

An ISRC has 12 characters in three parts, for example AA6QZ2000047:

• Prefix code (AA6QZ): two letters and three letters or digits, allocated by an ISRC agency. It tells the world who assigned the code.
• Year of reference (20): the last two digits of the year the code was assigned. That is not always the year you recorded the track.
• Designation code (00047): five digits you assign yourself, usually counting up from 00001. A number can only be used once per year.

Printed on a sleeve or a label copy, it carries the prefix "ISRC", often with hyphens: ISRC AA-6QZ-20-00047. In upload forms you usually type it without hyphens.

Three ways to get one

1. From your distributor

Most digital distributors assign ISRCs for you when you upload a release, unless you enter your own. This is the easiest route and fine for most independent artists. Two things to check:

• Write the codes down. If you ever move your catalogue to another distributor, re-upload the same recordings with the same ISRCs, or your play history and royalty matching start over.
• Ask whether the distributor sends your data to the International ISRC Database. Some do, some do not.

2. Your own prefix from your national ISRC agency

If you run a label, or you want the codes to be yours whoever distributes you, ask your country's ISRC agency for a prefix. You then assign every code yourself and keep a register of what you assigned. A few examples:

• United States: the US ISRC Agency, run by the RIAA, charges a one-time $95 fee for a Rights Owner Prefix, with no further costs.
• United Kingdom: PPL issues ISRCs when you register as a recording rightsholder, and has an "ISRC only" option if you just need codes. See our PPL guide.
• Netherlands: Sena gives producers a master owner code for free, and you create as many ISRCs from it as you need. See our Sena guide.

The International ISRC Agency keeps a list of agencies per country. Where a country has none, you can get a prefix from the international agency itself.

3. The International ISRC Agency's online service

For self-releasing artists, the International ISRC Agency (run from the IFPI secretariat in London) sells codes online. You register, pay £15 plus UK VAT for 30 credits, and enter the recording details: artist, title, version, year of first publication, duration, whether it is audio or a music video, and whether it is explicit. A code costs 3 credits. The service first checks a dataset of 150 million recordings, and if your recording already has an ISRC it tells you which one for 1 credit instead of issuing a second code. Your codes appear in the International ISRC Database after about 10 days.

When a recording needs a new ISRC

The rule is one ISRC per distinct recording. In practice:

Common mistakes

• Reusing a code. An ISRC you assigned to a track you never released still cannot go on another recording. Once assigned, it is never reused.
• Using the ISRC for the song or the release. An ISRC identifies a recording. The composition has an ISWC, which your collecting society assigns, and a release has a UPC or EAN barcode.
• Letting the codes change between distributors. A re-upload with new ISRCs looks like a new recording to every service and society.
• Assigning codes to recordings you do not own. Only the rights owner, or an ISRC manager they appoint, may assign them.
• Forgetting societies need it too. Some songwriter societies ask for the ISRC when you register a work or report a live show. Koda in Denmark wants it on the work at least 14 days before release, and PRS for Music asks for it when you register recorded works.

Keep your splits and registrations in one place

In Aden, every track keeps its ISRC in its metadata, and each version (the radio edit, the instrumental, the extended mix) carries its own. Next to it sit the ISWC, the UPC and the society work number, and the track's Collaborators tab holds every writer and performer with their roles, splits and IPI. When a distributor, a society or a label asks for the codes, they are in one place instead of spread across emails. Create your Aden account and add the codes to your next release.

Related: What are all the royalties in music? and neighbouring rights explained.

Sources, checked October 2026: International ISRC Agency: assign ISRC online, ISRC structure, ISRC FAQ, when to assign, when not to assign, US ISRC Agency, PPL: how do I get an ISRC?, Sena: ISRC.