There are four important codes attached to a track, denoting the recording, the song, the person behind it, and the release. Here’s what each one means, which is which, and where each is generated.

The codes attached to a track are actually quite straightforward, and once committed to memory, easy to navigate. The ISWC identifies a song (i.e the composition), while the ISRC identifies the specific recording. The IPI number identifies a person, and finally the UPC/EAN identifies the associated release. A single track will normally have all four. They are always distinct, not interchangeable, and they are each issued by a different place.

To help get your head around them, it’s worth spelling out the acronyms out for yourself. The International Standard Recording Code, International Standard Musical Work Code, Interested Party Information. The IPI was previously called a CAE number, so some older paperwork still says CAE.

Let’s look at the codes themselves:

The rules you need to navigate

Every distinct ‘recording’ of the song needs its own ISRC, so that means in most cases the album version, a single/radio edit, any remaster, a live version, any remix, etc. Each will have its own unique ISRC. If you are generating and uploading these somewhere yourself and reuse the same number for different recordings, then the data is merged and reporting is lost.

Equally, one composition only has one ISWC, no matter how many different recordings exist. So even if a song has hundreds of covers, they all share the same ISWC.

Put in this way, it’s quite a clear way to discern the divide between the master and publishing.

Next up is the IPI number. This follows the person, not the song. A bit like a National Insurance or Social Security number, it’s yours and only yours, and you keep it for life. It is conveyed to every song you write and every society you move between. To complicate matters slightly, you may hold a second one for your publishing entity.

ISRCs are free. A service may charge you for them, so if you prefer you can register with your national agency and issue your own instead. Distributors will generate ISRCs automatically unless you supply them first. That is pretty standard nowadays, but make sure you record them and retain them somewhere you will keep control of.

How to get started

Create a spreadsheet with four columns, one for each: the track, ISRC, ISWC, and the IPI of every writer. Fill it in for your last release. Is there anything you can’t easily fill in? This is what you need to resolve first! Whatever you cannot fill in could be the reason some of your royalty money is not arriving.

Creds brings the rights, metadata and splits behind a track together in one record, set once by the people who own them. When someone wants to use your music, the licence and the payment go to the right people.