Identifiers

The codes that say which recording, which song and which person: ISRC, ISWC and ISNI.

• International Standard Musical Work Code

  An International Standard Musical Work Code (ISWC) is the ISO 15707 identifier for a musical work: the composition, meaning its melody and any lyrics, independent of any recording. It is written as the letter T, nine digits and a check digit, for example T-123.456.789-C, and is usually assigned by a performing rights organization when the work is registered.

• International Standard Name Identifier

  An International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI) is a 16-character identifier, defined by ISO 27729 and published in 2012, for the public identity of a person or organization involved in creative works — a songwriter, a performer, a pseudonym or a label. It tells two people with the same name apart, and ties one person's several names together.

• International Standard Recording Code

  An International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) is a 12-character identifier, defined by ISO 3901, assigned to a single sound recording or music video recording. It identifies the recording rather than the song: a remix, a live take or a re-recording gets its own ISRC, while the same recording keeps its code wherever and however often it is released.