ISRC and UPC codes: what they are and where to get them

ISRC and UPC codes explained: one identifies a track, the other a whole release. How to get both free from your distributor, or buy your own.

ISRC and UPC codes are the two ID numbers every release needs: an ISRC identifies one recording, a UPC identifies the whole release. Your distributor makes both for free when you upload, so most people never buy either. If you’re still choosing where to release, the music distribution calculator compares what each distributor costs.

The difference in one go

  • ISRC: 12 characters, one per recording. A three-track EP has three.
  • UPC: the barcode number for the release, a single, EP or album. The same EP has one. Ditto describes UPCs as 12 digits and the European EAN as 12 or 13.

Royalties follow the ISRC. The UPC is how shops and streaming services tell one release from another.

What an ISRC is

An ISRC stays with the recording for good, even if it changes owner. PPL, which issues ISRCs in the UK, splits the code into three parts:

  • The stem: two letters and three characters that identify the rights owner.
  • The year: two digits for the year the code was given.
  • The designation: five digits the rights owner picks for that recording.

Each new recording of a song gets its own ISRC. If a track goes out with the wrong code, or the same recording ends up with two, plays can get split or go unpaid.

What a UPC is

Every release gets its own UPC, even a one-track single. Put that single on an EP later and the EP gets a new UPC, but the track keeps the ISRC it already has. That’s how the services can tell it’s the same recording.

Getting them free

Your distributor makes both when you upload. DistroKid, for example, has been appointed by the US ISRC Agency to assign ISRCs, and says it’s free and automatic for any recording that doesn’t already have one. Ditto gives you free barcodes and ISRCs too.

You’ll find the UPC in your distributor’s dashboard, on the release’s page, listed next to the release rather than the tracks. Copy both codes into wherever you keep your release details, with the song titles and dates.

The catches are about swapping in your own. DistroKid only lets you enter your own ISRCs on its Musician Plus and Ultimate plans, and it always issues its own UPC and won’t take one from anywhere else.

Buying your own

ISRCs in the US: the US ISRC Agency charges a one-off $95 for your own prefix. It’s for US-based applicants; everyone else is pointed to their national agency.

ISRCs in the UK: PPL handles it. You can request ISRCs when you join PPL as a recording rightsholder, which is free, or register for ISRCs only without joining.

UPCs: they come from GS1, the body that runs barcodes for everything from cereal to vinyl. GS1 US lists a single code at $30 with no yearly renewal fee, or a block of 10 at $250, then $50 a year. UK artists buy through GS1 UK, so check its current prices before you budget.

Your own codes make sense if you run a label, release a lot or want every code under your name. For a UPC, it’s mostly about physical releases: if you’re pressing CDs or vinyl to sell in shops, the sleeve barcode has to come from somewhere. For a digital-only release, a free distributor code does the job. Buying your own won’t earn you more or get you on playlists.

Why you should keep a list

Keep every ISRC and UPC with the song title, release and date. It matters most when you change distributor. Re-upload with the same ISRCs and your play counts and playlists usually come with you. The UPC may change, because some distributors won’t accept one from elsewhere. That’s fine: play counts follow the ISRCs, not the UPC. Our guide on how to switch distributors walks through the order to do it in.

Next step

Date every step of your next release, codes included, with the music release checklist, and see more of our music distribution guides.

Where these figures come from

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