Knowledge Bank

news category created 13 January 2014 written by Dan Cox

The inclusion of ISRC codes within digital audio music files

This will bring major advantages to the music recording industry as illustrated in this recent MPG news item.

Please leave your comments below and vote either in favour or against, using the buttons above.

posted by Nikki H
Fantastic!!! I’ve been waiting for this and can’t wait for it to be implemented. In the future, if an app is developed to automatically pick the ISRC code somehow, it might help artists to recoup royalties that they would otherwise have lost through non-reporting of airplay. At a time when musicians are finding it really hard to make ends meet this is very welcome!

posted by Yoad Nevo
I am very much in favour of this idea! Great initiative.

posted by OD Hunte
Fantastic news. The standard should include ALL credits producers, programmers, arrangers, musicians, studio, mastering facilities and of course songwriters and the artist / label. OD Hunte

posted by Andy Brook
This is an immense and exciting achievement. I’m currently at Midem where many of the discussions are focused on issues arising from digital content mismanagement. One of the talks later this afternoon concerns the need for lossless formats over the MP3. This should be an intersting cat to drop among the pigeons. Andy Brook

posted by Stephe Meloy
Hoorah! About bloody time too! Well done to all those involved! What about MP3 and ISRC though?

posted by RUSSELL McNAMARA
This is most excellent! Thanks! Without wishing to sound too spoilt, any development with mp3 and ISRC?

posted by Maryann mendola
I’m much in favour

posted by Steve McCarthy-Hunt
Good. Makes total sense.

posted by jenna leigh-raine
finally and been told for long time there is gold in them hills for me and you

posted by Andy Haldane
incredible that this hasn’t been the case for years!

posted by Jon Cotton
Brilliant news. I’ll add to the chorus calling for this to be extended to mp3 and perhaps FLAC/Apple lossless/AAC – but it’s a heck of a move in the right direction. Well done all.

posted by Joram Pinxteren
Very good news! Looking forward to the practical implementation of this achievement.

posted by Jeffrey de Gans
Excellent news! I get this question quite a lot and so this will be more then welcome!

posted by Dave McNicholas
will the software needed be open source and who will distribute it? excellent initiative

posted by Mike
It’s about time something like this was standard I have lost so much money over the years as my songs could not be identified correctly in different market places and radio plays accounted for. I am at the small end of sales so every penny counts. BRING IT ON

posted by Johnny Griggs
Brilliant initiative. Long overdue and a real boost for writers.

posted by Stiffard
I’ve often been perplexed by why, in such an advanced digital age, this had never been implemented. It always seemed on a par with the industry missing the boat when the mp3 arrived. All I can say is that this is fantastic news and hats off to the MPG for taking up the cause and I will stand alongside you, giving my support where I can. This will go a long way towards bringing about stability and re-monetisation.

posted by Gareth
As OD Hunte says “The standard should include ALL credits producers, programmers, arrangers, musicians, studio, mastering facilities and of course songwriters and the artist / label” and let’s try to extend it to all Digital Audio formats, not just .wav as Jon Cotton says “I’ll add to the chorus calling for this to be extended to mp3 and perhaps FLAC/Apple lossless/AAC”

posted by stephen budd
Finally !! well done chaps. let me know and I’ll publicise. Stephen.budd@record-producers.com

posted by Martin Bettridge (drewBANG)
A great achievement and an exciting announcement, proud to be a part of the MPG! These are the issues that are being dealt with behind the scenes EVERY DAY here at the MPG, any and all help and support from MPG Members and industry affiliates is what keeps the MPG alive and facilitates developments such as these… Well Done Everyone!

posted by Neil Pickles
A great piece of work and it’s for these kind of initiatives that I joined the MPG who else is fighting our corner?

posted by David AShman
Great. Dont let it take 10 years to become reality. Lets get behind it.

posted by Phil English
Fantasic news.

posted by Mark Rose – MPG Vice Chair
Apart from the streaming benefits and reverse auditing/ tracking potential for all artists, wriiters, performers and producers alike with this latest MPG initiative We should ALL also insist all mastering houses putting ‘jobs on hold’ until client meta credit data is provided – As they would with no catalogue number a glitch/spike/Peak on materials. As for requests for flacc/.Mptwee being embedded with sane ID data – then the issue is one of insisting digital online aggregators to not strip out details from any delivered .wav content (this is a breach of our IP RIGHTS – altering/changing ownership details at any level other than from the original source/fixated final master) It is more time & effort to actually strip meta credit data details out rather than the easier task of simple migration Of both ID1 or ID2 data tables. The MPG are also releasing a one page on this issue to fully outline the benefits.

posted by Haydn Bendall
Excellent news. Congratulations to those involved.

posted by René Jacobi
Why not develop a form of audio container format that can include any codec available? I am thinking of a container such as .AVI or .MOV in the video world, where countless video and audio codecs can be embedded in those container formats. As an example, a .MOV container can include any codec from H.264 to Uncompressed Video in addition to its metadata. Translated to the audio world this would mean a new audio container format, lets call it .AUD (audio), could include ALL metadata including ISRC and have any audio codec embedded such as MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, FLAC or WAV/AIFF. Interestingly, such a container format would be FUTURE PROOF, as any newly developed audio codecs could simply be embedded inside this .AUD container. This would be a REAL STEP FORWARD and would make life a lot easier for all of us! This idea comes from a music manager / producer / engineer …and is of course the intellectual property of that individual. ? What do you think?

posted by Lupa
yes please to all formats: wav aiff mp3 mp4 ect ect…. great news!

posted by Mark Rose
Yep!!! Audio container codecs are potentially future proof – damn good call!
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posted by teepee
These ideas are very interesting but just serve to complicate the issue. The beauty and simplicity of just having one format is surely much better. Why should we need more formats? Why can’t one format evolve as new technology develops?
Ideas are nothing more than just ideas until someone takes the time and trouble to turn them into a reality. This is what the MPG Mastering Group are doing and we need to support and encourage the initiative.

posted by Mark Hutchinson
As a producer, Performer and REcord Company owner this all sounds great and long overdue. I’m just not sure how it would be implemented effectively. Very interested and excited to see how this one progresses.

posted by Michal
Pure and undeniable logic, and if done at mastering, the code will follow the file at every copy along the way, be it .wav, .mp3, .flac, .alac, .acc, or whatever. Truly a step towards a better future. Well done all…!

posted by wider…
On the face of it – a splendid idea. Well overdue . .

posted by Paul O’Neill
I’m brand new to the MPG (today in fact!) and this is VERY exciting, especially for a small fish like me. I agree with teepee above, we must all strive to support this move in any way we can – it wont happen by itself.

posted by MSB Mastering
Not too soon. I’ve been wanting this for ages. It would be great if they opened up other fields for CD text things too, rather than consumers relying on CDDB and other hit or miss databases for metadata.