Anyone who releases music or sheet music will sooner or later encounter a series of abbreviations: ISRC, ISWC, EAN, UPC, ISMN. What do they mean? Which code belongs to which product? And what do they have to do with royalties, streaming rankings and performing rights organisations?

This article explains all the relevant music identification numbers – clearly, without jargon, with concrete guidance for practice.

International music identification codes are the foundation for royalties being correctly attributed and paid out. Without an ISRC, Spotify does not know who a stream should be credited to. Without an ISWC, a performing rights organisation may not be able to identify a work unambiguously. Without an EAN, an album is not clearly recognisable as a product in digital distribution. Without an ISMN, a sheet music edition is invisible in international catalogues.

In short: anyone who does not have these codes or uses them incorrectly may be losing royalties – often without realising it.

ISRC stands for International Standard Recording Code. It identifies a specific recording – not the work itself, but the particular version or take.

Format: 12 characters – country code (2) + registrant code (3) + year code (2) + recording number (5). Example: GB-A1B-25-00001

What does this mean in practice? A song can have multiple ISRCs: the studio version has one, the live version another, the remix a third. Every new recording of the same work gets its own ISRC – while the ISWC of the underlying work remains the same.

What is the ISRC used for? It is the basis for royalty accounting on streaming platforms, for chart tracking and for attribution at collecting societies such as PPL in the UK, SoundExchange in the USA or GVL in Germany – the societies that collect royalties for performing artists and record producers, separately from the songwriter royalties handled by GEMA, PRS or ASCAP.

How do you get an ISRC? Most music distributors (DistroKid, TuneCore, Recordjet, iGroove etc.) assign ISRCs automatically at upload. Anyone who wants to manage their own ISRCs permanently can apply for a registrant code through their national ISRC agency – IFPI in many countries.

Important practical note – switching distributors: The ISRC is tied to the recording, not to the distributor. Anyone who switches providers and does not carry the ISRC across loses all existing streaming statistics, algorithmic momentum and potentially playlist placements that have built up over time. Streaming platforms treat the recording as a completely new release. The rule is simple: when switching distributors, always enter the existing ISRC at the new provider.

ISWC – the Code for the Work
ISWC stands for International Standard Musical Work Code. It identifies the musical work itself – composition and lyrics, regardless of how many times or by whom it has been recorded.

Format: Starts with "T", followed by a nine-digit number and a check digit. Example: T-050.357.923-1

What does this mean in practice? A work has exactly one ISWC – regardless of how many different recordings exist. The studio version, the live version and the remix all share the same ISWC but each have their own ISRCs.

What is the ISWC used for? It is the basis for royalty accounting at performing rights organisations such as GEMA, PRS, ASCAP or SUISA for performance and streaming royalties. It connects the work unambiguously to the composer and lyricist and ensures that income is correctly attributed – even when the same piece is recorded and distributed by different artists.

How do you get an ISWC? In most countries, the ISWC is assigned automatically by the performing rights organisation when a work is registered. In Germany, GEMA assigns the ISWC automatically as part of the work registration process – no separate application is needed.

EAN (European Article Number) and UPC (Universal Product Code) are product codes that identify a release as a whole – an album, EP or single as a product, not individual tracks.

Format: EAN has 13 digits, UPC has 12. A UPC can be converted to an EAN by adding a leading zero. The term GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is the modern international designation for the same system.

What does this mean in practice? While the ISRC identifies each individual track, the EAN/UPC identifies the entire release as a product. An album has one EAN – and each individual track on it has its own ISRC.

What is the EAN/UPC used for? It is required for digital and physical distribution. Streaming platforms, download stores and physical retailers use it to catalogue a release unambiguously.

How do you get an EAN/UPC? Most music distributors assign EAN/UPC codes automatically and free of charge at upload. Anyone who wants to assign their own codes permanently can apply through GS1, the international standards organisation.

ISMN stands for International Standard Music Number. It is the equivalent of the ISBN for books – but specifically for sheet music editions.

Format: Starts with "979-0", followed by a publisher code and title number plus a check digit. Example: 979-0-2600-0043-8

What does this mean in practice? Anyone who publishes a sheet music edition – printed or digital – should assign an ISMN. It identifies the edition unambiguously in international sheet music trade and facilitates listing in library catalogues worldwide.

What is the ISMN used for? It enables the unambiguous cataloguing of a sheet music edition in libraries and the book trade, simplifies ordering and is an internationally recognised signal of a professional edition.

How do you get an ISMN? ISMNs are issued through the national ISMN agency – in Germany through the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, in the UK through the British Library, in the USA through the Library of Congress. Publishers apply for a publisher code once and can then assign ISMNs to their own editions. Soundnotation assigns ISMNs automatically as part of its sheet music distribution service.

Missing ISRC: Streaming royalties cannot be correctly attributed. Performing artist collecting societies such as PPL, SoundExchange or GVL cannot identify the recording.

ISRC not transferred when switching distributors: Streaming platforms treat the recording as a new release. All existing streams, playlist entries and algorithmic data are permanently lost.

Missing ISWC: The performing rights organisation may not be able to attribute the work unambiguously to a composer – particularly problematic when multiple recordings or arrangers are involved.

Missing ISMN: The sheet music edition is harder to find in international library catalogues and some professional directories.

The good news: most codes require no manual application. Music distributors assign ISRC and EAN automatically at upload. Performing rights organisations assign the ISWC automatically when a work is registered.

Anyone who publishes sheet music through Soundnotation receives the ISMN automatically as part of the distribution service. For audio distribution through Soundtribution, ISRC and EAN are assigned at upload.

The only code that requires active thought: the ISRC when switching distributors. Take it with you. Always.

More on Soundnotation: soundnotation.com/en/sheet-music-creation More on Soundtribution: soundtribution.com

Note: This article provides a general overview. Regulations and issuing bodies may change – for current information consult the relevant national organisations directly.