ISRC, ICPN, ISNI: External IDs and product codes
CONNECT compiles as many external IDs as we can verify for each entry. Use ID Search to look up entries by any valid ID.
Why do we need these codes?
The CONNECT database relies on certain IDs to accurately tag, sort and group musical entities. But assigning standard identifiers to artists, recordings and products is crucial for several reasons.
Uniqueness
Standard IDs like ISNI and ISRC give each artist and musical work at least one unique, distinct reference. This avoids confusion (such as when two artists have the same name) and promotes accurate attribution throughout the industry.
Content management
There’s a vast ocean of music and music data, with more produced every day. Identifiers make it possible to track, manage, catalog and reference hundreds of millions of creative works.
Rights management
Identifiers play a vital role in managing intellectual property rights. They enable licensing, royalty distribution and copyright enforcement—all of which ensures that creative work is valued properly.
Standardization
Adopting standard identifiers ensures consistency and compatibility on a global scale. It promotes industry-wide collaboration and simplifies processes across platforms and borders.
View Luminate IDs and External IDs on any Dashboard by clicking MORE DETAILS > at the bottom right of the Details pane.
Read on for how to interpret the different ID types used in CONNECT.
Luminate IDs
Every musical entity in CONNECT is assigned a unique Luminate ID.
The Luminate ID is always part of the Dashboard URL. If you’re logged into CONNECT, you can use a Dashboard URL to navigate directly to an entity.
For example, here’s the URL for the Diana Ross Artist Dashboard:
https://app.luminatedata.com/artist/ARC030F099276749CCA2CE41C60EA4F9F2/
Artists, Songs, Recordings, Release Groups, Releases and Products all have different Luminate IDs. If you start on a Release Group Dashboard, then navigate to a specific Release and/or Product, each entity will have its own Luminate ID.
Use Luminate IDs to ID Search, navigate directly to a Dashboard via URL or submit a Help ticket. Luminate IDs are particularly useful when cross-checking entries, submitting data corrections or requesting title merges.
ISRCs, ICPNs and ISNIs
In addition to Luminate IDs, all entities in our database are tagged with one or more external IDs. To see all IDs for an entity, go to the Dashboard, click MORE DETAILS > and select the EXTERNAL IDS tab.
Usually, the first ID listed is an ISRC, ICPN or ISNI. These three ID types are industry-standard codes that identify unique Products, Recordings and Artists.
ISRC: International Standard Recording Code
An ISRC identifies a unique Recording of a Song. Every version of a track (studio recording, live, demo, remixed, remastered) and every way a track is released (on an EP, single, album, soundtrack, Greatest Hits, Now That’s What I Call Music! CD) represents an ISRC.
Song Dashboards list every ISRC attached to a Song. Browse ISRCs from the Recordings pane at the bottom of a Song Dashboard; click any ISRC to visit its Recording Dashboard.
CONNECT tracks music consumption based on activity attached to ISRCs. They’re the building blocks of our database and our equivalent activity calculations. All Recordings must be registered with us via ISRC.
Recording Dashboards include ISRCs at the top right of the Details pane. Click the ISRC to copy it to your clipboard.
ICPN: International Code Product Number
ICPN is an umbrella term for any of the standard barcodes that distinguish entities at the Product level. Every version of a Release—digital or physical—sold separately as a unique Product is identified by ICPN. Release Group and Release Dashboards list every ICPN contained within that entity; Product Dashboards have just one.
Release Groups and Releases appear in CONNECT once component entities have been registered at the Product level; our logic automatically groups Products into those higher-level entities. All Products must be registered with us using an ICPN.
Valid ICPNs include UPC (Universal Product Code, 12 digits), EAN (European Article Number, 13 digits), JAN (Japanese Article Number) and GTIN (Global Trade Item Number).
A Product Dashboard includes the ICPN at the top right of the Details pane. Click the ICPN to copy it to your clipboard.
ISNI: International Standard Name Identifier
An ISNI is a unique identifier attached to a musical artist or musical group. ISNIs help distinguish between artists with the same name and ensure proper attribution for artists’ work.
Solo artists, musical groups and individual members of a group all have unique ISNIs, as in the below examples of BLACKPINK and BLACKPINK member Rosé. (So do Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, Neil Young, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Crazy Horse and every other member of Crazy Horse).
Artist Dashboards include ISNIs at the top right of the Details pane. Click an ISNI to copy it to your clipboard.
Other External IDs
In addition to critical identifiers like ISRCs and ICPNs, we list other useful IDs under the Dashboard External IDs tab. You can search CONNECT using any of the following ID types or use our listed IDs to cross-reference entries in other databases.
Provider IDs
We list available identifiers for songs, artists and albums on streaming platforms, including:
APPLE
SPOTIFY
ANGHAMI (Middle East and North Africa)
MELON (South Korea)
FLO (South Korea)
TMS (South Korea)
Database IDs
We include IDs associated with entries in other music databases:
GRACENOTE
Legacy IDs
Some IDs are associated with entries in our legacy Music Connect database and are still searchable in CONNECT:
MC_RECORDING
MC_RECORDING GROUP
MC_RELEASE
MC_RELEASE_GROUP
MC_SONG
MC_PRODUCT
NIELSEN
We also include a few IDs from other legacy Luminate products and companies:
BDS (Broadcast Data Systems)
SOUNDSCAN
More to know
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