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How It Works

Widely used in digital commerce by music services and licensing companies, the ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is the national and international identification system for sound recordings and music video recordings. Each ISRC is a unique and permanent identifier for a specific recording, independent of the format on which it appears (CD, download, stream) or the rights holders involved.

Code Structure

Hover over the ISRC for a breakdown of the code

ISRC XX-XXX-XX-XXXXX-

Code Identifier

Prefix Code: A five character alphanumeric code allocated by the ISRC Agency (formerly known as Country Code + Registrant Code)

YEAR OF REFERENCE: The last two digits of the year in which the ISRC is assigned to the track – assigned by the registrant

DESIGNATION CODE: Five digit unique code assigned by the Registrant. These numbers must not be repeated in the same calendar year.

The three distinct ISRC segments are as follows:

  • The prefix code comprises 2 letters (formerly known as the Country Code) followed by 3 alphanumeric characters (formerly known as the Registrant Code). This is for compatibility with previous versions of the ISRC standard. 

    In the United States, the first 2 letters of your prefix may begin with “US”, “QM”, “QZ” or “QT”. The following 3 alphanumeric characters are uniquely allocated to you by the National ISRC Agency. Please note that the sequence of characters allocated is not significant except that it is different from codes allocated to other registrants. The allocated codes will be assigned in sequence and cannot be altered after allocation.

    Please check your account dashboard to view your prefix before issuing ISRCs.  You must be careful to use the correct one. If you are still unsure about your prefix, please contact the US ISRC Agency (isrc@riaa.com).

  • The ‘Year of Reference’ element identifies the year in which the ISRC is assigned to the recording. It consists of the last two digits of that year (e.g. 17 for 2017, 25 for 2025)

    The ISRC will normally, but not necessarily always, be assigned to the recording in the year in which the preparation of the final production master of the recording is made. The purpose of the Year of Reference element is to refresh the space of codes which may be assigned each calendar year, to ensure that codes assigned in prior years cannot be inadvertently re-assigned.

    The year in which the ISRC is assigned may be a different year from the year of recording. The year of recording is important information, but it should be entered into and obtained from the metadata associated with the recording, and not from the Year of Reference element of the ISRC.

  • The Designation Code consists of the final five digits assigned by the Registrant and is used to create a unique code for each recording or track. You should take care to ensure that duplicates are not issued and that you do not issue more than one ISRC to the same track. Only numeric digits are acceptable in this segment (00000 to 99999).

Assignment Guidelines

  1. If you have applied as a rights owner, you should only use your Registrant prefix to assign ISRCs for recordings that you own. If you are working on behalf of someone else, you cannot use this Registrant prefix, and you should ask the owner of the recordings to apply for a Registrant prefix themselves so that they can assign ISRCs. Read More
  2. An ISRC should remain with its recording for the life of the recording regardless of changes in ownership, licensing, territory or method of distribution. The rights may vary territory by territory but the ISRC remains the same.
  3. You should take particular care to ensure that you (i) never assign the same ISRC to two different recordings and (ii) never assign an ISRC to a recording that already has an ISRC issued.
  4. You should keep good records of the ISRCs that you assign using this/these code(s). As a minimum you should store the information necessary to distinguish one ISRC from another but you will probably find that you need much more than this for your own purposes. Please see Annex E of the ISRC Handbook for the reference metadata that should be maintained for each ISRC that you assign.
  5. Although you do not need to inform us of the ISRCs that you assign, we recommend that you register the recordings and their ISRCs with the local performance rights organization that deals with sound and/or video recordings (as distinct from the organization that deals with songwriters rights – who you may also want to contact if you are the songwriter). In the US, this organization is SoundExchange. This should help you if you are eligible for royalties from public performances, for example on satellite radio and internet streaming.
  6. You should review the ISRC Handbook and other information on the International ISRC website, and you should be very careful to comply with all the ISRC rules. New information is posted to that site from time to time and you should look for it.
  7. You should comply with the relevant copyright law. Normally this will require you to have permission for the owner for any recorded material included in your recording.

What if I Don’t Want to Manage My Own Codes?

You can go through an approved ISRC Manager. A handful of companies are approved to assign ISRCs on behalf of the owner of a recording. These companies have guaranteed that they will abide by the Procedures for Assignment of ISRCs by ISRC Managers.

View the list of approved ISRC Managers

ISRC Managers

Below is a list of ISRC Managers appointed by the US ISRC Agency. Only these companies are approved to assign ISRCs on behalf of the owner of a recording. These companies have guaranteed that they will abide by the ISRC Managers Terms & Conditions as well as the Procedures for Assignment of ISRCs by ISRC Managers.

Other companies claiming to assign ISRCs on behalf of their clients are not authorized to do so and the ISRC’s they generate are invalid and risk collisions with codes issued by authorized registrants and ISRC Managers.

If you wish to become an ISRC Manager, please fill out the ISRC Manager application.

About the Agency

The Recording Industry Association of America has been appointed by the International ISRC Agency to oversee the ISRC system within the United States and its territories. As the U.S. Agency, we promote and monitor the ISRC system within the United States and its territories.

We regularly perform the following duties:

  • ISRC Registrant Prefix Allocation: We allocate Registrant Prefixes for use by recording rights owners and third party administrators to create ISRCs.
  • Provide Local Support: We provide Registrants with guidelines on the practical implementation of the system and resolve operational problems for all users in liaison with the International ISRC Agency.
  • Encourage Proper Use of the ISRC System: Our goal is to ensure that ISRCs are assigned to all tracks of digital recordings and that the system effectively serves the needs of recording rights owners, collecting societies, broadcasters and others.
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Common Guidance and Support Topics

Got a question about ISRCs? Check out our Guidance and Support section.

What does my ISRC mean?

A completed ISRC is considered a ‘dumb’ number. It identifies the sound or music video recording to which it is assigned but the individual elements do not signify anything themselves o...

Read More

Do I need a new Registrant Prefix for each of my projects?

No. Your Registrant Prefix can be used to assign ISRCs for all recordings that you create.

Read More

Where do I submit my ISRCs once they have been assigned?

In the US, we recommend registering your recordings with SoundExchange. They distribute royalties due to you from internet streaming and satellite radio. They use the ISRCs you assign to assist in ...

Read More
All Guidance and Support

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