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ISRC, ISWC and UPC: which code is which

Three codes for three different things: the recording, the song as written, and the release. Here is what each one is for, who gives it, and where to write it down.

By , a composer with 300+ tracks on audio stock and 12 years in production. Updated 4 October 2026. 4 min read.

In short. An ISRC names one recording. An ISWC names the composition behind it. A UPC names a release: an album, an EP or a single. One song can have several ISRCs: the main mix, a remix, a short edit. A release has one UPC, and each track on it has its own ISRC.

The three codes side by side

ISRC ISWC UPC
Names A recording A composition A release
Looks like QZ-ABC-25-00001 T-123.456.789-0 195999000011
Who gives it Your distributor, or the ISRC agency in your country Your performing rights society, when you register the song Your distributor, or GS1
Who asks for it Distributors, stores, many libraries Societies and publishers Stores and distributors
Lives with The track The track The release

The codes in the table are made up. They only show the shape.

ISRC: one code for one recording

ISRC stands for International Standard Recording Code. It names a sound recording, not a song. It has 12 characters: a five-character prefix of the person or company who registered it, two digits for the year, and a five-digit number.

The rules come from the IFPI, which runs the system. The ones that matter in daily work:

  • The code stays with the recording for life. It does not change when the recording comes out again on a new release. It does not change when the rights move to someone else.
  • A changed recording gets a new code. A remix or an edit needs a new ISRC. So does a change in playing time of more than 10 seconds.
  • A remaster usually keeps the code. It is the same recording, unless the remaster adds real new creative work.
  • A code is never used twice. Not even for a recording that was deleted.

Short edits and loops

A 60-second edit of a 3-minute track differs by much more than 10 seconds. So if you register an ISRC for the edit, it gets its own. Many stock sites don't ask for codes for edits at all. Ask the platform what it needs before you register a code for every version.

The same track in several libraries

By the rules, a recording keeps one ISRC for life, whoever releases it. In practice, some libraries register the track under their own code when they release it. Then one recording ends up with two or three ISRCs.

You can't always prevent that. You can keep a record of it: write down every code a track has, and where each one came from.

ISWC: the song, not the recording

ISWC stands for International Standard Musical Work Code. It names the composition: the music and lyrics as written. All the recordings of one song share one ISWC.

You don't apply for an ISWC yourself. Your performing rights society gives it after you register the work. CISAC runs the system, and its free ISWC-Net database lets you look a code up.

An edit, a loop or a cutdown of your track is still the same composition. It keeps the ISWC of the full track.

UPC: the release

UPC stands for Universal Product Code. It is the barcode of a release: one number for a whole album, EP or single. A UPC has 12 digits. Outside North America the same thing is often an EAN with 13 digits, and most forms take either.

Your distributor usually gives a UPC for free with each release. You can buy your own from GS1, but most artists don't need to.

A track that comes out as a single and later on an album has one ISRC and two UPCs: one for the single, one for the album.

Where to keep the codes

  • ISRC and ISWC with the track. One column each in your catalog.
  • UPC with the release, not with the track. A track can be on several releases. If the UPC sits in the track's row, the second release has nowhere to go.
  • Extra ISRCs with a note of where they came from. "Library X registered its own" is enough.

Common mistakes

  • One ISRC for two different recordings. For example, the full mix and a 30-second edit under one code.
  • A new ISRC for the same recording on a new release. Then one recording looks like two in reports.
  • ISRC and ISWC swapped in a form. They look nothing alike: an ISWC starts with T.

Sources