ISMN number

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979-0-1028-8964-1
Generate an ISMN

This generator creates ISMN numbers for printed music: thirteen digits starting with 979-0, split into publisher and item element and ending in a correct check digit. Choose the current form or the old M form used before 2008, press the generate button and copy the result with the copy button. The numbers are test data - they are registered to no publisher.

Your last generated data 1
  • 979-0-1028-8964-1
Bulk ISMN number generator
  • 979-0-1996-7914-9
  • 979-0-878881-67-2
  • 979-0-2757-8006-6
  • 979-0-730558-19-3
  • 979-0-9861667-3-9
  • 979-0-080-71116-3

What is an ISMN?

The International Standard Music Number (ISO 10957) does for notated music what the ISBN does for books. Scores, parts, vocal scores, song books and their digital editions each get one, so that music shops, libraries and distributors can order and catalogue them unambiguously. Recordings do not get an ISMN, and neither do books about music - those get an ISBN.

How an ISMN is built

  • 979 - the GS1 prefix shared with the newer ISBNs.
  • 0 - the digit that marks the number as an ISMN; ISBNs that start with 979 continue with 1 to 9.
  • Publisher element - three to seven digits. Large publishers get a short element and with it room for many titles, small ones a long element and room for few.
  • Item element - the edition, filling the remaining digits.
  • Check digit - the GS1 modulo 10 digit, calculated exactly as for an EAN-13.

The hyphens follow the publisher ranges, which is why the generator places them differently from number to number.

The old M form

Until 2008 an ISMN had ten characters and started with an M: M-2600-0043-8. The M was counted as 3 when calculating the check digit, which gives exactly the same result as the 9-7-9-0 that replaced it. Converting an old ISMN is therefore a prefix swap: M-2600-0043-8 becomes 979-0-2600-0043-8, check digit unchanged.

Getting a real ISMN

ISMNs are issued by the national ISMN agency of the publisher's country, coordinated by the International ISMN Agency. A publisher receives a publisher element and numbers its editions from it; self publishing composers and arrangers can apply too. Conditions and fees differ from country to country.

Every edition gets its own ISMN: the full score and the set of parts of the same work are two editions, and so are a print edition and a PDF edition. The number is printed on the publication, usually as text and as an EAN-13 barcode on the back cover.

What the numbers on this page are for

They are test data: structurally valid and registered to no publisher. Use them to fill a music library catalogue in a test system, to test a shop import or a barcode scanner, or to explain the check digit. Do not print them on a publication - only a number from the ISMN agency identifies your edition.

Frequently asked questions

What is an ISMN?
The International Standard Music Number, ISO 10957, identifies editions of notated music such as scores, parts and song books, the way an ISBN identifies books.
What is the difference between ISMN and ISBN?
An ISMN is for printed or digital sheet music, an ISBN for books, including books about music. Both are thirteen digits starting with 979, but an ISMN always continues with 0.
Why do ISMNs start with 979-0?
Since 2008 the ISMN is an EAN-13 in the 979 range, and the 0 sets it apart from ISBNs. The old ten character form started with an M instead, and both forms share the same check digit.
Is the ISMN printed as a barcode?
Yes, as an EAN-13 barcode of the thirteen digits, usually on the back cover.
Can I print a generated ISMN on my score?
No. ISMNs are issued to publishers by national ISMN agencies, and only such a number identifies your edition in shops and library catalogues. The numbers here are test data.