The ISRC standard restricts the assignment of codes to the “the owner or exclusive licensee” of a sound recording or music video, or an entity expressly authorised by the International ISRC Registration Authority.

In some circumstances the producer of a recording or its right holder may wish to delegate the assignment of ISRC to another party, often an aggregator, distributor, or other specialist having the capability to manage this function efficiently.

Since March 2009 when the rules were simplified, parties other than the rights owners can apply to be permitted to assign ISRCs on behalf of clients or customers that are owners or exclusive licensees of the applicable recordings. If their application is approved, these parties are known as ISRC Managers.

ISRC codes assigned by an ISRC Manager are assigned as part of the business arrangement between the manager entity and the producer. They are assigned only to those recordings that are covered by that particular business arrangement.

The rationale for authorising ISRC Managers is to improve the quality of data by allowing skilled service providers to develop effective and accurate processes that are then used by their clients.

ISRC Managers need to be specifically appointed in that role. As part of the appointment process, ISRC Managers are allocated Prefix Codes that are set aside for the purposes of assigning ISRC to the recordings owned by clients or customers. Normal Prefix Codes allocated to a registrant for its own recordings must not be used for assigning ISRC in a management capacity to recordings owned by other parties. A fee is payable for such appointment.

ISRC Agencies are not compelled to appoint ISRC Managers, but where they choose to do so, appointments in that role are non-exclusive and registrants remain free to obtain their own Prefix Codes.

ISRC Managers must follow procedures as specified by ISRC Agencies or by the International ISRC Registration Authority, to ensure that this form of ISRC assignment is properly carried out.

Codes assigned by ISRC Managers function under the same rules as other ISRCs, and last for the lifetime of the recording. They MUST NOT be changed if the rights are sold or transferred to another party.

If you wish to apply to be appointed as an ISRC Manager, please contact your National Agencies for more details. For territories that do not have a National ISRC Agency, you may download the ISRC Manager Application Form at the link below and submit an application to the International ISRC Agency.