You are about to release your first song, two acronyms show up that nobody explained to you, and suddenly there are services offering to sell you those codes. Before you pay for them, read this: in most cases your distributor gives them to you for free.
ISRC: the fingerprint of your recording
ISRC stands for International Standard Recording Code. It is an international identifier for audio and music video recordings, permanently encoded into the file as its digital fingerprint.
It is twelve characters in three parts: a two-letter prefix followed by three alphanumeric characters, the two digits of the reference year, and five designation digits assigned sequentially.
The key point: an ISRC identifies that specific recording, not the song. If you record an acoustic version of the same track, that version gets its own ISRC. This is what lets platforms count your streams correctly and route royalties to the right people.
UPC: the code for the whole release
The UPC identifies the product, not the recording. It is the digital equivalent of the barcode on a CD.
A single carries one UPC and one ISRC. A ten-track album carries one UPC and ten ISRCs, one per track.
Why you probably do not need to buy them
Every well-known distributor assigns ISRCs and UPCs at no extra cost when you create a release. It is included in what you already pay.
So if you are about to publish your first single, the answer is simple: buy nothing. Create the release in your distributor and the codes appear on their own.
The business of selling codes to artists who do not know they come included exists, and it is entirely avoidable.
When owning your own codes does make sense
- You run a label, even a small one, releasing music by several artists. Your own prefix gives you control and consistency across the catalog.
- You switch distributors often. With your own codes, your streaming history follows you regardless of who you bought the service from.
- You manage a large catalog and need to run the numbering on your own logic.
- You work with sync licensing for advertising, film or television, where traceability of each recording matters a lot.
If none of that is your situation right now, use your distributor's codes and move on.
How to get your own
ISRC prefixes are issued by a national agency in each country, appointed by the IFPI. In Peru that agency is UNIMPRO, the Peruvian Union of Phonographic Producers, which assigns, controls and verifies ISRC usage.
If you are somewhere else, look up the national ISRC agency for your country. Requirements and fees vary, and in most cases they are not published, so you have to ask directly.
Common mistakes with codes
- Reusing the same ISRC across two different versions. Every recording needs its own. If the acoustic carries the same code as the original, the numbers get mixed up.
- Changing the ISRC when switching distributors. If you republish the same recording under a new code, you lose the accumulated history. When migrating, keep the original ISRC.
- Not writing them down. Keep the ISRC of every recording and the UPC of every release in a spreadsheet. The day you need them for a claim, a sync or a migration, you will be glad you did.
- Assuming the ISRC registers your rights. It does not. It is a technical identifier, not a proof of authorship. That is a completely separate process.
Frequently asked questions
Does an ISRC protect my song from plagiarism?
No. It is an identifier for counting streams and routing royalties, not proof of authorship. Copyright registration handles that.
Does a remix need a new ISRC?
Yes. It is a different recording, so it gets its own code.
What if the same song comes out as a single and later on the album?
The recording keeps its ISRC. What changes is the UPC, because the album is a different product.
Where do I find the ISRCs of songs I already released?
In your distributor's dashboard, on the release page. They also show up in your royalty reports.
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