International
Standard
Music
Number

The International Standard Music Number (ISMN)

is a unique number for the identification of all notated music publications from all over the world, whether available for sale, hire or gratis — whether a part, a score, or an element in a multi-media kit in print or digital.

What is it?

Who needs it?

How to get?

International
Standard
Music
Number

The International Standard Music Number (ISMN)

is a unique number for the identification of all notated music publications from all over the world, whether available for sale, hire or gratis — whether a part, a score, or an element in a multi-media kit in print or digital.

What is it?

Who needs it?

How to get?

What is an ISMN?

The ISMN is designed to rationalize the processing and handling of notated music and the respective bibliographical data for publishing houses, the music trade, libraries and all related users.

ISO Standard 10957 gives the basic rules of the ISMN system. The thirteen-digit number allows a billion items each to carry a different number.

  • The ISMN consists of 13 digits starting with 979-0
  • followed by 8 digits containing the publisher and the item elements and
  • ending with a check digit.
  • The resulting 13-digit number is technically a GTIN-13 identifier and can be encoded in an EAN-13 barcode.

More about ISMN ranges

Note regarding the old ISMN coding before 2008…

Before January 1, 2008 the ISMN consisted of four elements comprising ten digits,

for example, M-2306-7118-7:

  • M the prefix M which distinguished the ISMN from other standard numbers
  • 2306 a publisher ID which identifies a certain music publisher
  • 7118 an item ID which identifies a certain item of notated music
  • 7 a check digit which validates the number mathematically

The old ten-digit as well as the new thirteen-digit ISMN can be converted into a bookland code and printed with a scanner raster:

Example of a barcode with 13-digit ISMN:

Example of an old barcode with 10-digit ISMN

The ISMN is designed to rationalize the processing and handling of notated music and the respective bibliographical data for publishing houses, the music trade, libraries and all related users.

ISO Standard 10957 gives the basic rules of the ISMN system. The thirteen-digit number allows a billion items each to carry a different number.

  • The ISMN consists of 13 digits starting with 979-0
  • followed by 8 digits containing the publisher and the item elements and
  • ending with a check digit.
  • The resulting 13-digit number is technically a GTIN-13 identifier and can be encoded in an EAN-13 barcode.

More about ISMN ranges

Note regarding the old ISMN coding before 2008…

Before January 1, 2008 the ISMN consisted of four elements comprising ten digits,

for example, M-2306-7118-7:

  • M the prefix M which distinguished the ISMN from other standard numbers
  • 2306 a publisher ID which identifies a certain music publisher
  • 7118 an item ID which identifies a certain item of notated music
  • 7 a check digit which validates the number mathematically

The old ten-digit as well as the new thirteen-digit ISMN can be converted into a bookland code and printed with a scanner raster:

Example of a barcode with 13-digit ISMN:

Example of an old barcode with 10-digit ISMN

Who Needs an ISMN?

Everyone who comes in contact with notated music publications needs an ISMN.

Its usefulness is recognized internationally by

music publishers,

music traders,

libraries,

composers,

rights organizations &

musicians.

The International Standard Music Number is an efficient tool wherever notated music publications are produced, disseminated, sold and lent.

Therefore, music publishers, music traders and librarians profit most from the rationalization effects of the introduction of the ISMN in the respective field.

The ISMN has been proved to be effective as a unique identifier in the following areas:

PublisherTradeLibraries
Production✓
Stock control✓✓
Accounting✓✓✓
Ordering✓✓✓
Billing✓✓✓
Handling, returns✓
Music in Print directory✓✓✓
Online ordering✓✓✓
Information retrieval✓✓✓
Electronic point-of sale systems✓
Downloading of catalogue✓
Circulation and interlending✓
National bibliographies✓

How to get ISMN?

If you wish to obtain an ISMN publisher ID, you should contact your country’s or region’s national ISMN agency.

The local ISMN representative will give you further information on the procedure of the ISMN assignment. This may differ from country to country, as do regulations concerning fees and charges.

The number of digits which your ISMN publisher ID will include should reflect the size of your company, i.e. smaller publishing houses should receive a long publisher ID (for example, seven digits allowing only ten publications to be numbered), larger publishing houses will receive a short publisher ID (for example, four digits allowing 10,000 publications to be numbered).

Author publishers are also entitled to an ISMN.

Presently, about 60 countries or regions are official ISMN members. The contact addresses of all national agencies are listed here.