ISRC, UPC and ISWC: which code identifies what

Every release carries at least three identifiers, and every royalty problem that starts with "the metadata was wrong" is one of them being missing, duplicated or attached to the wrong thing. They are simple once separated.

ISRC — the recording

The International Standard Recording Code identifies one recording. Twelve characters: a two-letter country, a three-character registrant, two digits of year, and five digits of designation — for example US-ABC-24-00001, usually written without the hyphens.

One recording, one ISRC, for life. A remix is a different recording and gets its own. A remaster is a different recording and gets its own. The same recording on a single, on an album and on a compilation has the same ISRC on all three.

The ISRC is what stores report streams against and what distributors put on statements. It is the key that matches money to a recording. If a track's ISRC changes between releases — because a distributor assigned a new one on a re-delivery — the stores see a new recording, play counts start from zero, and statements for the old code and the new code have to be matched by hand.

UPC — the product

The Universal Product Code identifies a release as a product: this album, this single, this EP. Twelve digits (or thirteen as an EAN). It is the barcode.

One product, one UPC. A single and the album that contains the same recording have different UPCs and share an ISRC. A re-issue with a different tracklist is a different product.

Stores use the UPC to group tracks into a release page. Distributors use it to identify the delivery. Statements sometimes carry it beside the ISRC, and it is useful for grouping — but money is matched on the ISRC, not the UPC.

ISWC — the song

The International Standard Musical Work Code identifies a composition — the song itself, independent of any recording of it. It looks like T-123456789-1. It is assigned by collecting societies when a work is registered, not by a distributor.

One song, one ISWC, however many recordings of it exist. A cover version has a different ISRC and the same ISWC. Publishing royalties — mechanicals, performance — are matched on the ISWC and the writers' IPI numbers, not on the ISRC.

The three together

Code	Names	Assigned by	Matches
ISRC	A recording	The rights-holder or their distributor	Master royalties on statements
UPC	A product (release)	The distributor or GS1	The release in stores
ISWC	A composition (song)	A collecting society	Publishing royalties

What goes wrong

Two ISRCs for one recording. Nearly always a distributor switch where the new distributor assigned a fresh code. Streams split across two identities; statements for the old code keep arriving. Always carry the existing ISRC to the new distributor.

One ISRC on two recordings. A remix delivered under the original's code. Stores may merge them, statements will not distinguish them, and a split sheet that gives the remixer a share has nothing to attach to.

A UPC in the ISRC column. Twelve digits instead of twelve characters. Any statement reader will refuse the row, and any distributor will bounce the delivery.

No ISWC. The song was never registered with a society, so performance and mechanical royalties for it are collected by nobody or held as unmatched. Register works, and put the ISWC on the split sheet.

What SNVRKOTICS does

The catalog holds works and recordings separately: a work carries its ISWC and writers, a recording carries its ISRC and is linked to the work it records. Statement lines are matched to recordings by ISRC, and an unmatched line is never dropped — it is shown as unmatched, because money for a recording that is not in the catalog is a thing an operator must see. The free ISRC checker validates a code's structure before it goes on a delivery.