FAQ's
Registration Fee FAQs
Why is there a fee?
Is this a recurring fee?
Where else can I go for ISRCs?
Why have you begun to charge now?
Aren?t you asking small labels and independent artists to pay a
disproportionate amount?
What do I get for my money?
Registration Fee FAQs
Q. Why is there a fee?
The application fee helps to cover the costs of administering and supporting
the ISRC system in the US. The fee is substantially less than the costs of
identifiers for other media and will form a very small part of the total costs
of creating a record. We aim to keep the US ISRC Registrant Code as affordable
and accessible as possible.
Q. Is this a recurring fee?
No. This is a one-time fee to cover the costs of processing your request.
Q. Where else can I go for ISRCs?
A comprehensive list of approved ISRC Managers is available on request:
isrc@riaa.com. Approved ISRC Managers can provide individual ISRCs for artists
or labels who do not wish to manage their own ISRC assignment. ISRCs are issued
as a part of the recording owners' business arrangement with an ISRC Manager
and are provided on a song-by-song basis.
If you have any questions about the legitimacy of an entity that is offering to
provide ISRCs, you may contact us at isrc@riaa.com to determine whether they
have been approved.
Q. Why have you begun to charge now?
RIAA has for many years administered the ISRC system in the US as a
complimentary service to the whole music community, including thousands of
small labels and independent artists, and it has absorbed all of the operating
costs. Due to increasing demand for ISRC Registrant Codes and the current
economic climate, we need to make a nominal charge to contribute towards these
costs so we can continue offering a good service.
Q. Aren?t you asking small labels and independent artists to pay a
disproportionate amount?
We aim to keep the US ISRC Registrant Code as affordable and accessible as
possible, and we feel that the $75 fee for a Rights Owner is in line with
expected start-up or registration fees of other industry services in the United
States. Considering your Registrant Code is yours for life, this is much
smaller than other fees that are paid by small businesses.
Q. What do I get for my money?
The Registrant Code you receive will allow you to assign up to 100,000 ISRCs
per year for recordings that you own. Even for the largest label this is
plenty. The Registrant Code will stay with you for life, and the ISRCs you
assign will work in any territory of distribution.
The charge is truly a one-time fee, and compared with the costs of other media
identifiers, it is a great value at the prices detailed above. If you were to
assign the full 100,000 ISRCs per year, the cost of an individual ISRC is less
than 1 cent per ISRC.
If you make one album a year for five years, that still works out at only about
a dollar a track. We think that?s good value.
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