UPC lookup
for music releases.

What a UPC is in music

A UPC (Universal Product Code) is the 12-digit barcode that identifies a product. In music, the product is a release: a single, an EP, an album or a deluxe edition. Outside North America the 13-digit EAN is used for the same purpose, and the two are interchangeable in most stores and distributor systems.

Each release gets one UPC, and each recording on it carries its own ISRC. A single with a radio edit and an instrumental therefore has one UPC and two ISRCs.

UPC to ISRC: list a release

Enter a UPC or EAN in the box above. ISRC Finder fetches the release from the Deezer catalog and lists every track with its ISRC, artists, duration and release date. Use the Bulk tab or copy each code to fill in a royalty spreadsheet or a distributor's metadata form.

If nothing comes up, check the digits (UPCs often lose a leading zero in spreadsheets) and try both the 12-digit and the 13-digit form with a leading 0.

ISRC to UPC: find the album barcode

Search a song by title and artist, by streaming link or by ISRC. Each result card shows a UPC/EAN row with the barcode of the release that track appears on in the catalog, with a copy button.

Remember that one recording can be on several releases: the original single, the album, a compilation, a greatest-hits collection. The ISRC stays the same, but each release has its own UPC. The tool shows the release the catalog links the track to, which is usually the main album or single.

When you need a UPC

• ▸Pitching to editorial playlists or radio, where the release is referenced by barcode.
• ▸Setting up pre-saves, smart links and marketing campaigns.
• ▸Filing royalty claims or checking statements that group income by release.
• ▸Moving a catalog between distributors without losing streaming history: keep the same UPCs and ISRCs.

Getting a UPC for your release

Distributors assign a UPC automatically when you upload a release, usually for free. Labels can buy their own barcodes from GS1, the organization that issues UPC/EAN numbers. Never reuse a UPC for a different release, and keep the same UPC when you re-deliver the same release.

How to read a music UPC

A 12-digit UPC-A starts with a company prefix assigned by GS1, followed by an item number chosen by the company and a final check digit calculated from the other eleven. Distributors buy blocks of prefixes, so many independent releases share the distributor's prefix rather than the artist's. A 13-digit EAN works the same way with one extra leading digit.

The check digit means a single typo usually produces an invalid barcode. If a UPC lookup returns nothing, re-read the number from the original source rather than guessing which digit is wrong.

UPC lookup for catalog audits

Labels moving a back catalog, artists reclaiming masters and accountants reconciling statements all need a clean list of releases, barcodes and track codes. Enter each UPC to list its tracks and ISRCs, export the result from the bulk tab, and compare it against your own records. Mismatched titles, missing tracks or duplicated ISRCs are the issues most often found in these audits.

For a release that is still being prepared, run the UPC lookup again after the store delivery date to confirm that every track went live with the codes you assigned.

Limits of public UPC data

This UPC lookup reads the Deezer catalog, which covers most commercial releases worldwide but not every one. Releases that were never delivered to Deezer, region-locked editions, physical-only products and very new uploads may be missing. Barcodes for non-music products (books, groceries, electronics) are out of scope; use a general product barcode database for those.

UPC, ISRC and catalog numbers

Labels often also use an internal catalog number, such as ABC-001, printed on the spine of physical releases. It is useful inside the label but has no global meaning. The UPC is the global release identifier that stores and distributors understand, and the ISRC is the global recording identifier. When you fill in a metadata sheet, keep all three in separate columns and never paste one into the field meant for another.