ISRC Code – What It Is & How You Can Get One

Understanding how music copyright laws work is essential to any musician who wishes to live off of their art. There are a lot of rules that apply here and a couple of different terms that a recording artist needs to learn. You have to be aware of what is an ISRC code, for instance. Do all of your songs have one? Keep reading to fully understand what this is and how you can use it to make sure you’re getting all the money you’re owed from your discography.  

Learn about your copyrights

First of all, let’s start from the basics: how to copyright music. This is the intellectual property over one’s work. Whoever owns the copyright has the right – as the name implies – to make a copy of that piece of media. In the US, music copyright is generated automatically as the songwriting progresses. This is what was stated by the Copyright Act of 1976. Even though the process is somewhat spontaneous, artists are still encouraged to register their work with the U.S. Copyright Office. Copyrighted music can and often will be licensed to make it available to a larger audience. The process to do that is slightly different depending on where that song is going to be played. The contract should specify if it is about mechanical licensing, performance licensing, print licensing or sync licensing. There are a couple of different organizations protecting music copyrights. For performing rights, there are the PROs (Performing Rights Organizations), you might be interested in knowing what is BMI music, or ASCAP, or SESAC. In order to make the process easier and more organized, they rely on the International Standard Recording Code (ISRC code). It's important even to what regards sampling music laws.  

What is an ISRC code?

  Music knows no boundaries and we all know that by now. A song created in a small garage can reach the other half of the world in a couple of days and become a phenomenon. With sales and digital plays all over the globe, the revenue ends up coming from different sources most times. So, to make the process more accurate, the International Standard Recording Code was put in place. An ISRC code contains 12 characters, divided into four different groups. The first two numbers represent the country it came from. Then, we have three numbers used to identify the copyrights holder of that song. Next, there are two numbers that signalize the year of reference for that registration. The last five characters can be customized by the rights holder in a way they see fit to better organize their catalogue.  

Why is it so important?

Sometimes, identifying a song can be tricky, especially with language barriers. But with the ISRC code, music can be easily identified even in a non-English speaking market. The system helps ID each and every song through an alphanumeric code that can be easily shared through different outlets. Each code is unique and permanent, which means it goes unchanged forever. And this makes it so much easier to account for all the sales around the world over the years.

How can you get an ISRC?

Each country has a different ISRC agency responsible for assigning new music with a code. In order to get a code for their music, artists can become registrants and pay a small one-time fee. But for musicians that choose to go with a digital aggregator such as Magroove, the process is completely free of charge. Whenever you release new music with us, you will automatically get an ISRC code for that track.  

Get the help from experts

Living off of their music is every artists’ dream. But to get to that point it’s important to understand how music copyright laws work. You need to learn how the system functions and how to navigate it. ISRC codes are an important part of that process. This system helps to ID music from all over the world and to make sure artists will get paid. If you need help registering and distributing your music, check out Magroove and all of our solutions for independent artists.  

We'll get you an ISRC Code for free

So, as you must have understood, even to collect royalties from digital streaming services, you'll need an ISRC code. If you upload your songs with Magroove, we'll promptly get the codes for you! You'll be able to use it for any other intentions you may come to have, and we'll charge no fees for that. Other advantages of uploading your music with us is that you get to keep 100% of your royalties generated in every platform we put your music on! Nice deal, right? It takes but a 5 min subscription and you'll get your music on all major streaming platforms and a bunch of other services we provide, like a website builder for your band and some customizable band merch for you to sell. And your music will be available on our main service, which is music recommendation. We've developed an app with cutting edge AI technology that recommends music through identification of similar elements. Our mission is to broaden mainstream music recommendation in such a way your music will be side-by-side to music legends! Sign up!