Identifier Lab
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Learning note · music data
A title is human-readable. An identifier helps machines distinguish the object.
Identifier Lab turns the distinction between a musical work and a particular sound recording into a short game. It is deliberately simpler than an industry metadata system, but the conceptual boundary is real.
IFPI describes ISRC as an identifier for sound recordings and music video recordings, not compositions, products, or performers. CISAC's identifier system includes ISWC for musical works. That is why one familiar song can involve a work identifier and multiple recording identifiers when different recordings exist.
Identifiers are not a substitute for credits, rights metadata, release information, or legal ownership records. For the complete source-backed explanation, read ISRC vs ISWC: the identity map behind a song and The Music Metadata Map.