Can ISRC codes be embedded into a music track?
Bandcamp says:
You can list the ISRCs in a special data track on a CD, but you can’t
embed them in audio files.
and
it isn't possible to embed codes directly in files
Whereas PPL says:
Each ISRC is a unique identifier that can be permanently encoded into
a recording or music video.
Is Bandcamp just plain wrong?
If so, should my mastering engineer embed an ISRC code in each of my tracks? If so, how can I verify that this has been done correctly?
It looks like I can obtain ISRC codes from PPL. But I'm also told that e.g. Tunecore can generate them for me. If I use Tunecore for digital distribution, do they do the embedding?
Will conversion to MP3 conserve the code?
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According to Wikipedia, at least two file formats exist that could have ISRCs embedded: MP3 files using IDv3 2.2 tags and broadcast wave files.
While technically what Bandcamp says may be wrong, it looks like there is not one universally accepted tagging technology (APE competes with ID3), tags themselves are optional, and even when an MP3 is tagged, not all of the fields are populated or supported by playback software.
Broadcast wave is not a format that is normally used for music distribution. On top of that, the broadcast wave standard for ISRC is just a specification - there may or may not be any implementation of that spec that is available for actually adding ISRCs to BWFs.
Finally, and most importantly, according to this Apple support thread, any ISRC metadata that is part of a computer file could be changed by anyone with the right editor, which would defeat the purpose of an ISRC. You can't change ISRC data stored in the TOC of a burned or pressed CD or DVD, so it makes sense there.
Even if you were to tag your master files with ISRC information, you would still have to enter it into the submission form(s) for any online music sales or streaming services that require it. They won't pull it from the files you send them.
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