What is an ISRC?

An ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is a 12-character code that identifies one specific sound recording — not a song in the abstract, but a particular master of it.

What it identifies

The same composition can exist as many recordings: the studio version, a remaster, a live take, an acoustic re-record. Each distinct recording gets its own ISRC. Two services carrying the identical master should report the same ISRC for it.

Why it matters for matching

Matching songs by title and artist alone is unreliable — names collide, spellings differ, and remasters share a title. An ISRC is a much stronger signal: when two services agree on the ISRC, they're almost certainly pointing at the same recording.

How PlayVia uses it

PlayVia treats identifiers like the ISRC as evidence, alongside other metadata, when it resolves a link. It's one reason PlayVia can open the right recording rather than a lookalike — and why it holds back when the evidence is weak.