The International Standard Recording Code

IFPI is the ISO-appointed international registration authority for ISRC

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August 2001

BACKGROUND

Since its appointment in 1989 as the International Registration Authority for the International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) by ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation), IFPI Secretariat has appointed 48 national ISRC Agencies.

A complete list of these is available here.

National ISRC Agencies are obliged according to ISO 3901to do the following:

1. Inform all producers in their respective countries about the ISRC system and its benefits and promote its use;
2. Use best endeavours to ensure that all tracks of digital recordings issued by producers after 1 January 1992, have an ISRC number;
3. Inform all producers of the national Country Code, as per ISO 3166;
4. Allocate Registrant Codes to all producers and inform them of their codes;
5. Ensure that all tracks originated in the country are allocated ISRC numbers by the producer. (The (P) notice on a recording is to be used as a guide to the correct allocation and use of Registrant Codes);
6. Provide producers with guidelines on the practical implementation of the system and resolve operational problems in liaison with the International Registration Authority (IFPI Secretariat) to prevent inconsistencies;
7. Keep a record of all Registrant Codes and to which companies they were allocated and in accordance with ISO 3901, prepare two listings in alphanumeric sequence;
8. Act as a controller and arbitrator for all ISRC matters in the country;
9. Report, once a year, to the International Registration Authority (IFPI Secretariat) on the implementation of ISRC in their respective countries;
10. When possible, act as a repository for information on sound recording identification and ownership in their country.

PROCEDURE

Once an entity has decided that it would like to be appointed as a National ISRC Agency, the following procedure applies:

1. The entity wishing to become a National ISRC Agency should apply to the International Registration Authority (IFPI Secretariat), using a standard form (MS Word document) giving full contact details, a rationale for why it should be appointed and its capability to fulfil the role.
2. The International Registration Authority (IFPI Secretariat) will mail a skeleton of the application to other national agencies, and local recording industry members (if the applicant is not their trade association). It will take representations, make appropriate enquiries and recommend acceptance or rejection.
3. Once a decision has been made, this will be communicated as above and made public on the IFPI website (www.ifpi.org ) for a period of 14 days for comments, after which an unopposed decision will become final.
4. Substantive objections from an applicant to a provisional rejection or from another party to a provisional acceptance will be referred to an appeal panel consisting of the CEO of IFPI, the Secretary of ISO TC46/SC9 (the standards committee dealing with the ISRC) and an independent expert agreed by the first two members. The appeal panel will take into account local conditions in the relevant territory and the smooth operation of the international ISRC system in making its decision, which will be final.
5. Names of successful applications will be published on the IFPI web site.

For further information, please contact the ISRC Administrator, IFPI Secretariat, 54 Regent Street, London W1R 5PJ, United Kingdom, Tel: +44 (0)20 7878 7900; Fax: +44 (0)20 7878 6832; e-mail: isrc@ifpi.org Website: www.ifpi.org