ISRC, ISWC, UPC and Credits

Why the boring stuff matters

Metadata is all the information attached to your song: the title, your artist name, who wrote it, who produced it, whether it's explicit, and a few codes. It sounds dull. It's also how every store, radio station and royalty society works out that the song is yours and who to pay.

Spotify displays your details exactly as your distributor delivers them, and any fix has to come back through that distributor ^[4]. Apple says some editorial hides can't be fixed by redelivering or updating metadata at all ^[5]. Get it right the first time and you save yourself weeks.

The four codes at a glance

• ISRC (International Standard Recording Code): identifies one specific recording. One per track, for life ^[1].
• ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code): identifies the song as written, no matter who records it ^[2].
• UPC or EAN: a barcode number for the whole release (single, EP or album), used by stores to identify the product ^[3].
• IPI (Interested Parties Information): a number that identifies you as a songwriter member of a collecting society like APRA AMCOS ^[2].

ISRC: your recording's fingerprint

In Australia, ARIA is the national ISRC agency. It hands out the country and registrant parts of the code, and you create the rest ^[1]. An Australian ISRC has four parts: AU (country), a 3 character registrant code from ARIA, a 2 digit year, and a 5 digit number you choose ^[1].

ARIA's rule is simple: each recording only ever gets one ISRC, and it stays with that recording for life, even if ownership or distribution changes. Every unique recording needs its own, and the same recording must never get two ^[1].

Spotify uses this too. Its royalty threshold is counted per recording, usually by ISRC, and it notes single and album versions usually share an ISRC while live and acoustic versions usually have their own ^[7].

1. Easiest way: let your distributor assign ISRCs when you upload. Write them down and keep them forever.
2. Want your own? If you own your masters, fill in ARIA's ISRC Rights Holder Form and email it to isrc@aria.com.au. ARIA usually replies within 1 to 2 business days, and codes can only be obtained by email ^[1].
3. Distributors or studios assigning codes for you use ARIA's ISRC Manager Form, and must hand all codes back to you if the relationship ends ^[1].
4. Number your recordings in order: AU-XXX-26-00001, AU-XXX-26-00002 and so on. Never reuse a number in the same year ^[1].

ISWC: your song's ID card

The ISWC belongs to the composition, not the audio. CISAC (the international confederation of songwriter societies) assigns all ISWCs centrally, and APRA AMCOS allocates one automatically as the final step when you register a work ^[2]. You don't apply for it separately.

An ISWC looks like T-034.524.680-1: a T, nine digits and a check digit ^[2]. APRA AMCOS says royalties can still be paid on works without an ISWC, but it encourages you to add your ISRCs when you register, because it helps them pay you faster and more accurately ^[2].

To register works you need to be a member. Joining APRA AMCOS as a writer is free, and you're eligible if you write songs and they're performed live, broadcast, or available to stream ^[10].

UPC and EAN: the release barcode

A UPC (Universal Product Code) or EAN (European Article Number) is a barcode number for the whole product. Your single gets one, your EP gets one, your album gets one. Spotify even asks for the UPC or EAN of your upcoming release when you're claiming a brand new artist profile ^[6].

Most distributors include a UPC for free. If you want your own, GS1 Australia is the official issuer. Its site lists single barcodes from A$72, 10 packs from A$445 and 100 packs from A$620, with fees depending on membership and turnover ^[3]. Check whether GST is included before you buy.

Credits: why getting names right pays

Credits are how songwriters, producers and featured artists get recognised, found and paid. Spotify says to add every artist who contributed, each in their own field, with roles set at both track and release level, including composers, lyricists, producers and remixers ^[4]. Roles decide who's credited and where the song appears on artist profiles ^[4].

Apple's style guide asks for full, standard name spellings, kept consistent everywhere, with only one artist name per field. No X & Y in one box ^[5]. If an artist also wrote the song, credit them as composer as well ^[5]. If you don't know a credit yet, leave it out entirely rather than typing TBD or Pending ^[5].

Featured artists go in the featuring role, not as a main artist, and not typed into the title ^{[5] [4]}. Spotify says don't put artist names in titles at all ^[4].

• Use real full names for songwriters, the same way they're registered with APRA AMCOS.
• Agree on splits in writing before release. A split sheet takes ten minutes and saves arguments later.
• Producers who leased you a beat: Apple says to credit licensed beats with the Licensed Beat role, not as a primary or featured artist ^[5].
• AI use: Spotify supports AI disclosures in song credits, covering AI vocals, instrumentation or post-production, submitted through your distributor ^[9]. Be honest. With us, AI-made music is welcome with honest labelling.

Explicit flags

If a song has swearing or explicit content, tick the explicit box in your distributor's form. Spotify says to mark explicit tracks as explicit and not add the E or the word to the title, because it shows the icon itself ^[4].

Apple says explicit content must be flagged with a parental advisory tag, and only tracks with a matching explicit version should be flagged Clean ^[5]. Don't write (Explicit), (Clean) or (Edited) in titles, and don't use asterisks to censor words ^[5]. And don't put a parental advisory logo on cover art for a release that isn't explicit ^[11].

Artist name consistency

Spell your artist name exactly the same way on every release, including punctuation and capitals ^[4]. One stray full stop can create a second profile.

Spotify doesn't allow artist names made of search terms like Sleep Music or Christmas Hits ^[4], and Apple rejects generic names like White Noise or Lo-Fi Beats ^[5].

If your music ends up on someone else's profile (common with popular names), report it with Spotify's content mismatch form or through your distributor. Spotify says delivering through a distributor that lets you set your artist ID helps prevent mix-ups ^[8].

Common metadata mistakes that cause rejections

• Titles in ALL CAPS or all lowercase. Apple wants title case for English titles ^[5].
• Emoji in titles or artist names ^[5].
• Keywords or search terms stuffed into titles, like Rock Top 40 Indie Pop ^[5].
• Artist names in the title instead of the featuring field ^[4].
• Two artists in one artist field ^[5].
• Placeholder credits like TBD or Unknown ^[5].
• Version info written inconsistently. Apple wants standard spellings like Radio Edit or Extended Mix, no abbreviations ^[5].
• Explicit words in the title instead of using the flag ^{[4] [5]}.
• Reusing an ISRC on a different recording, or giving the same recording a new one ^[1].
• Changing the title or audio on a re-upload, which stops Spotify linking the play counts ^[12].

Your release metadata checklist

1. Final title, in title case, spelled as it'll appear forever.
2. Main artist name, exactly as on past releases.
3. Featured artists, each in their own field.
4. Songwriters and composers with full legal names.
5. Producer, mixer and mastering credits.
6. Explicit or not.
7. ISRC for each track (new or reused if it's the same recording).
8. UPC for the release.
9. Language of the lyrics and the genre.
10. AI disclosure, if any part used AI.

Questions people ask

Sources

General information, not legal or financial advice. Last checked 2026-10-26.

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