Applications

Application FAQ's

What do I get?
You will be allocated an ISRC Registrant Code, which allows Recording Owners and ISRC Managers to assign up to 100,000 ISRCs per year. Even for the largest label this is usually plenty. This Registrant Code will stay with you for life, and the ISRCs you assign will work in any territory of distribution. Once registered with us, there are no additional costs involved with assigning ISRCs for your recordings, and you will never have to re-register or pay any additional fee.

Compared with the costs of other media identifiers, it is a great value at $95 per Registrant. 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 two dollars a track. We think that's good value.

Why is there a fee?
The application fee helps to cover the costs of administering and supporting the ISRC system in the US. The per-ISRC rate is substantially less than the costs of identifiers for other media (e.g. ISBN for books) and is in line with the expected start-up or registration fees of other industry services. We aim to keep the US ISRC Registrant Code as affordable and accessible as possible.

Is this a recurring fee?
No. This is a one-time fee to cover the costs of processing your request.

Can I obtain ISRCs elsewhere?
ISRC Managers that have been approved by the US ISRC Agency 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. A list of ISRC Managers through which you can obtain ISRCs is available here. If you have any questions about the legitimacy of an entity that is providing ISRCs, you may contact us to determine whether they have been approved.

How long will this take? I need to assign my ISRCs immediately.
We process registration requests each business day, usually throughout the day. This means that your application will be processed within one business day. Once approved, you will be emailed a log-in and password that will provide you immediate access to your Registrant Code and the information you need to begin assigning ISRCs. If you do not receive an email response by the next business day, please email us at: isrc@riaa.com.

I see "No Match" next to the Verify Code on the Registrant Information page and am unable to continue. What am I doing wrong?

The Registrant Information page has the verification -or verify- code at the bottom. The problem some people experience with the verification code is due to users' internet browser settings. The verification code changes frequently, so if a user is on the application page for too long, or is on the page seconds before the change, the verification code will refresh but the browser page will not - so you are actually looking at an old code. Usually closing out of the browser, restarting the computer or waiting a 10 minutes, and then re-applying will generate a new verification code. You should then be able to apply without trouble.

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