The ISRC, or International Standard Recording Code, identifies individual sound recordings and music videos. Standardised as ISO 3901 and coordinated by the International ISRC Registration Authority, based at IFPI in London, it has been recommended to the recording industry since 1988. It identifies a specific recording, not the underlying composition, a product or a performer.
Each code has 12 characters in three parts: a five-character prefix that identifies the registrant, two digits for the year in which the code was assigned and a five-digit designation number chosen by the registrant. Labels and distributors obtain prefixes from the national ISRC agency or, where there is none, from the international authority.
Once assigned, an ISRC stays with the recording for life, including on compilations and re-releases. A remix, an edit of different length or any version with new artistic input needs its own code. Streaming services use ISRCs to match plays to rights holders, and Spotify assesses royalty eligibility separately for each ISRC, so accurate codes matter even for a short lo-fi loop.