The ISRC code is a unique and permanent identifier for a specific recording, regardless of the medium (CD, audio file, etc.).
These codes are used by collecting societies to correctly attribute royalties from the exploitation of the repertoire and to identify the tracks made available to the public via the internet.
Identifying a recording
Encoding tracks with ISRC codes is essential for recognising the ownership of a phonogram at an international level:
- Immediately identifies recordings for the payment of related rights (royalties)
- It is used by most digital distribution companies and online content sales sites, being compatible with the standards and hardware used in the recording industry.
The ISRC cannot be modified: if you sell or temporarily licence your catalogue, the ISRC codes remain unchanged.
The 12 characters of the ISRC code
An ISRC code consists of 12 characters divided into 4 sections.
Country Code
- The first two characters identify the country of the producer.
Registrant code
- An alphanumeric code that identifies the producer who first assigned the ISRC to the recording.
Year of references
The third section identifies the year in which the ISRC code was assigned to the recording. It is only possible to retroactively encode a recording if it has never been assigned an ISRC code.
Designation Code
The last five characters are assigned at the discretion of the assigning producer. We suggest assigning '00001' to the first recording, '00002' to the second... and resetting the sequence at the beginning of each year from '00001'.
How to obtain the First Owner Code
FIMI is the agency appointed by IFPI to manage ISRC codes in Italy.
If you are a Phonographic Producer based in Italy, if you own audio and/or music video recordings produced in Italy that have never been assigned a First Owner Code, you can request it from FIMI.
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