The International Standard Recording Code — the globally recognised identifier assigned to individual recordings of music and video, administered internationally by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association. ISRC is distinct from other music identifiers: it does not identify a song as a composition — that is the function of the ISWC — but rather a specific recording of that song. A studio version, a live version, and an acoustic version of the same song are three separate recordings and therefore carry three separate ISRCs. The code follows the recording permanently, regardless of how many times it is distributed, licensed, or repackaged.
The ISRC serves as the primary identifier through which royalties are tracked, attributed, and collected across digital service providers worldwide. Without it, a recording exists in the distribution system without a reliable mechanism for tracing plays, downloads, or sync uses back to a specific owner. Assigning an ISRC is not optional for serious catalogue management — it is the act that makes a recording legible to the industry infrastructure that exists to compensate rights holders.
Rights holders meeting the qualifying criteria may apply to become ISRC registrants and self-assign codes within their allocated prefix. The registrant prefix for Seeker James Publishing is AU-UVZ, issued under the Seeker James Publishing entity. For the official registration framework and Australian assignment process, refer to the Australian Recording Industry Association at aria.com.au/industry/isrc.