ISRC and UPC Codes Explained for Artists

An ISRC identifies a recording, and a UPC identifies a release. Those two sentences explain most of what you need to know, and most distribution mistakes come from mixing them up. Stores, collecting societies and royalty reports all rely on these codes to know which recording is which, so entering them correctly, or letting your distributor generate them, protects your catalogue for years.

This guide explains ISRC and UPC codes in plain terms: what each one is, how they are built, who issues them, when a recording keeps its code and when it needs a new one, and how to handle them when you release for the first time or move a catalogue.

ISRC and UPC at a glance

	ISRC	UPC / EAN
Stands for	International Standard Recording Code	Universal Product Code / European Article Number
Identifies	One recording, such as a studio take of a song	One release product, such as a single, EP or album
Length	12 characters	12 digits (UPC) or 13 digits (EAN)
You need	One per track	One per release
Stays the same when	The same recording appears on another release	The same product is moved to another distributor

What an ISRC is

An ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is a permanent identifier for a sound recording. It is written with hyphens for readability, but it has 12 characters: a two-letter country code, a three-character registrant code, a two-digit year of reference and a five-digit designation code. A made-up example looks like this: GB-ABC-26-00001. In the wizard and in most systems you type it without the hyphens.

The registrant code shows who was issued the code, not who owns the recording. When your distributor generates ISRCs for you, they carry the distributor’s registrant code, and that is normal. The year is the year the code was allocated, so it need not match the release year.

ISRCs are issued by national agencies. In the UK, that role is held by PPL. An ISRC follows the recording for life. It is used to match streams to the right track, to report royalties line by line, to register a recording with a neighbouring-rights society and to build a reference for services such as Content ID. A recording without a valid ISRC is hard for any of them to handle.

What a UPC is

A UPC is the barcode number of a release as a product. Retail systems use UPC or EAN codes for physical goods, and music stores use the same codes for digital releases. The code identifies the whole release, so a single, an EP and an album each have their own.

The same recording can live on more than one product. If a song is released as a single and then included on an album, it keeps one ISRC, and each of the two releases has its own UPC. A deluxe edition with extra tracks is a new product and gets a new UPC, even though most of its tracks keep their old ISRCs.

Barcodes themselves are issued through GS1 member organisations. As an artist you rarely need to buy one, because your distributor can assign a UPC for you.

How WBBT handles the codes

ISRC and UPC codes are part of every WBBT plan, including Free, so you do not have to buy codes elsewhere before you release. This is how the Release Wizard treats them:

• New music: leave the ISRC and UPC fields blank. WBBT generates the codes, and the review screen shows them as automatic until they are assigned.
• Music released before: tick that the release has been distributed before. The wizard then asks for the original release date and the original UPC, and you enter the ISRC of every track in its details. Keep these exactly as they were.
• After release: the UPC of a release that went out, and the ISRCs of its tracks, cannot be changed in the wizard.
• WBBT references: you may see WUPC and WISRC in your account. They are internal tracking references used for support and do not replace the industry codes.

When you keep a code and when you need a new one

Use this table as a working rule, then ask support about any case that does not fit it.

Situation	ISRC	UPC
A new song, first release	New	New
The same audio added to an album after a single	Keep	New for the album
The identical release moved to a new distributor	Keep	Keep
A remix, re-recording or live version	New	New if released as a new product
A deluxe edition with added tracks	Existing tracks keep theirs, new tracks get new ones	New
A compilation of earlier releases	Keep for each track	New
A typo in a title or artist name	Keep	Keep. Send a correction request
A remaster or edit that changes the audio	Ask support first	Ask support first

The principle is that an ISRC belongs to one performance as it was recorded. Preserve it for the same recording, and do not reuse an identifier for a materially different performance just to keep play counts. That rule is why the final row says to ask. What counts as materially different depends on the change.

A worked example: a single, then an album

The codes below are made up and only show the pattern. An artist releases a single called “Harbour Lights” and, three months later, an album that includes it.

Release	Track	ISRC	UPC
Single, “Harbour Lights”	Harbour Lights	GB-ABC-26-00001	Single’s own UPC
Album, “Night Ferry”	Harbour Lights (same audio)	GB-ABC-26-00001, unchanged	Album’s own UPC
Album, “Night Ferry”	Ten new songs	Ten new ISRCs	Album’s own UPC
Single, “Harbour Lights (Remix)”	Remix	New ISRC	Its own UPC

Because the album reuses the single’s ISRC, the stores and the royalty reports can see that the two appearances are the same recording. The remix is a different performance, so it gets its own code. When the artist later moves the whole catalogue to another distributor, the single and the album keep their UPCs and every track keeps its ISRC, which is what lets the stores treat the move as the same product.

If you bring your own codes

You may already hold codes, either because the music was released before or because you have your own registrant code. That is fine, with a few rules:

1. Use only codes you are entitled to use. Do not copy a code from another artist’s release.
2. Enter an ISRC as 12 characters, two letters, three letters or digits and seven digits. If the form rejects hyphens, remove them.
3. Never give two different recordings the same ISRC, and never give one recording two ISRCs on purpose.
4. Check the UPC belongs to the same release product. A code from an earlier single is not the code for the album that contains it.
5. Keep a spreadsheet with the title, version, ISRC, UPC, release date and original distributor for every release. It becomes essential when you move a catalogue.

A five-minute audit before you submit

1. List every track with its ISRC, and check no two tracks share one unless they are the same recording.
2. Count the characters in each ISRC. There should be 12, with no spaces.
3. Confirm each UPC or EAN belongs to the release you are sending, not to an earlier single or a different edition.
4. Compare the codes with the audio files’ embedded metadata and with your previous distributor’s dashboard, if there is one.
5. If the music is already live anywhere, tick the distributed-before option and enter the original release date as well.

Ten minutes here is cheaper than a correction request after the release is live, because a released UPC and its ISRCs cannot be changed in the wizard.

Where to find your codes

Your release details in WBBT show the UPC and the ISRC of each track once they are assigned. Royalty statement lines identify recordings by their codes, and your delivery history shows what has been sent. If you are unsure where a code came from, check the file’s embedded metadata in your audio editor and the notes from your previous distributor.

Other identifiers you will see

An ISWC identifies a musical work, meaning the composition, and is allocated through the societies that manage the writer’s rights. An IPI number identifies a songwriter or publisher in society databases. A catalogue number is an internal reference a label gives its own releases. None of these replaces an ISRC or a UPC, and none is something you create in the release form. For how recording income and songwriting income differ, read royalty splits and payouts explained.

Common mistakes

• Creating a brand new release for music that has already been released, which generates fresh codes and splits the history of the recording.
• Using the single’s UPC for the album, or the album’s for a reissue.
• Typing an ISRC from memory and swapping a character.
• Reusing one ISRC for a remix because it keeps the play counts together.
• Leaving the codes of an earlier release out of the form when moving to WBBT, so the stores see a new recording.
• Putting the code into the title or description, where it is not recognised as an identifier.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to buy ISRC or UPC codes before I distribute?

No. WBBT can provide the codes when you leave the fields blank, and ISRC and UPC codes are part of every plan, including Free. Enter your own codes only if the music has already been released, or if you issue ISRCs under your own registrant code.

Does every track need its own ISRC?

Yes. An ISRC identifies one recording, so each track on a single, EP or album has its own. The release as a whole has one UPC.

Can I change an ISRC or UPC after the release is live?

Not in the Release Wizard. The UPC of a release that has gone out and the ISRCs of its tracks cannot be changed there. If a code is wrong, send support the release, the track and the correct code, and let them tell you what the stores will accept. Do not upload a duplicate release to fix it.

Are UPC and EAN the same thing?

They are closely related barcode formats. A UPC has 12 digits and an EAN has 13. The WBBT form is labelled UPC / EAN, and either kind identifies the release product.

Will keeping the same ISRC keep my streams and playlists?

It helps the stores recognise the same recording, but it is not a guarantee. Matching also depends on the artist, title, version and audio. Read how to switch distributors without losing streams before you move a catalogue.

What are WUPC and WISRC in my WBBT account?

They are WBBT internal tracking references used for account and support work. They do not replace the industry UPC and ISRC that stores use to identify your release and recordings.

Next steps and further reading

When your codes are in order, submit your music and follow the seven-step distribution guide through the rest of the release. The music distribution page summarises what WBBT delivers. If you are moving a catalogue, use the continuity checklist and the earlier catalogue transfer guide. The WBBT FAQ answers more questions on identifiers, and the plans show what each tier includes. For the barcode side, see GS1, and for the recording code, the PPL website explains how UK ISRC allocation works. Standards and agency practice can change, so confirm details with the issuing body.