Technical Standards
As part RIAA’s mission, we support the music industry in its efforts to standardize methods for the production, recording, and transmission of music. Industry and technical standards help build consumer confidence and reduce costs for all participants in the music distribution chain. Read more about our efforts to develop standards for data publishing and exchange, recording technology, and music data security.
Technical Standards
RIAA participates in technical standards work where creating a voluntary specification increases consumer confidence and reduces costs for its members. Some technical standards which RIAA has created or worked on include:
- The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC)
- ISRC, the International Standard Recording Code, is the internationally recognized identification tool for sound and music video recordings. An ISRC uniquely and permanently identifies the recording to which it is assigned – regardless of the format on which it is used and independent of any changes in ownership. ISRCs are increasingly being used by digital service providers and collective management organizations as a tool to manage digital repertoire and track commerce. Please apply for your ISRC prefix code through the US ISRC Agency website.
- Global Release Identifier (GRid)
- GRid is used to identify a release of music over electronic networks. Here a “release” means recordings and other media that are grouped together for commerce. For more information, visit the GRid International Agency.
- Digital Data Exchange
- DDEX specifies electronic messages relating to trade in music. These report, for instance, the sales of particular tracks in a period. For more information, visit the Digital Data Exchange.
- Watermark Payload Specification
- RIAA has prepared a specification detailing a standard payload format for data included in a watermark added to music tracks. This is intended to increase interoperability between different watermarking technologies. Payloads that conform to the specification do not include any information about consumers or allow consumers to be directly identified. Copies of the watermark payload specification are available to potential implementers by sending your email address for delivery of the watermark payload specification, together with your name and affiliation to specifications@riaa.com.