Your masters are ready? Before sending them to a distributor, there is one discreet but essential step left: identification. Codes and metadata let platforms, radio stations and collecting societies know which recording was played and who should be paid.
ISRC: one code per recording
The ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) identifies one specific recording. It has twelve characters: the country code, the registrant code, the last two digits of the year of assignment and a designation number. For example: FR-XXX-26-00001.
Each distinct version gets its own code: the radio edit, the extended version, the instrumental, a remix. On the other hand, the same recording keeps the same ISRC whether it comes out as a single and then on an album.
In France, producers can obtain codes from their collecting society (SCPP or SPPF) if they are members. Most digital distributors also assign ISRCs to their clients. What matters is never to give two different codes to the same recording.
UPC or EAN: one code per release
The UPC (or EAN) code identifies the product: the single, EP or album as a release. It is usually supplied by the distributor. A five-track EP therefore has one UPC and five ISRCs.
ISWC: the code of the work
The ISWC identifies the composition itself (melody and lyrics), independently of its recordings. It is assigned when the work is registered with an authors' society, such as SACEM in France. A song covered by ten artists has one ISWC but ten ISRCs.
The metadata to prepare
- Exact title, spelt the same way everywhere (capitals, accents, "feat." mentions).
- Main artist and featured artists, written identically from one release to the next.
- Authors, composers and publishers, with their respective shares.
- Musicians and performers, producer, recording, mixing and mastering engineers.
- Genre, language of the lyrics, "explicit" flag where needed.
- Release date and owner of the rights in the recording (the ℗ line followed by the year and the producer's name).
Complete credits benefit everyone: they make neighbouring-rights distribution easier and make everyone's work visible.
Embedding the codes in the files
At mastering we can embed ISRCs in the files used to manufacture a CD (DDP image) and, on request, in the metadata of WAV files. For streaming platforms, what matters most is entering them with the distributor, where the codes are attached to each track.
Send us your codes before the mastering session. If you do not have them yet, no need to worry: they can be added at distribution.
Frequent mistakes
- Reusing a demo's ISRC for the final version: they are two different recordings.
- Spelling the artist name differently from one release to another: platforms then create two separate profiles.
- Forgetting a co-writer or a musician: the corresponding royalties will not reach them, or will be blocked.
- Choosing a release date that is too close: most distributors recommend several weeks' notice so platforms have time to process the release.
A summary sheet
We recommend keeping one sheet per track: title, ISRC, ISWC if any, authors and shares, musicians, dates. You will use it for the distributor, the authors' society, grant applications and sync requests. We can send you a blank template on request.
