Just like barcodes you find on virtually every product you buy these days, a CD barcode does exactly the same job. It identifies a music product (typically an album) with a unique code. If you've ever looked at the back of a music CD then you will have noticed a barcode. But, it isn't just for music on CD. You'll still need one if you intend on selling your musical creations online (as downloads or streaming).
But, not all barcodes are the same.
In North America, the barcode system that you will usually have to use is a 12-digit code called, UPC (Universal Product Code). If you are in Europe then a different barcode system is typically used called, EAN (European Article Number) which is 13 digits long.
Regardless of your location, you'll need a barcode if you want to sell music on physical media, online, or both.
Add barcodes to labels. Click Mailings Insert Barcode Select a Field and a Barcode Type. In the Field list, click the field you want to use to generate the barcode. Word displays the barcode types that you can generate for that data in your list. In the Barcode type list, click the barcode you want, click OK. Click Update Labels.
Do I Need ISRC Codes?
When you purchase a UPC (or EAN) barcode for your music product, ISRC codes are also usually required for every track you intend to sell. The International Standard Recording Codes system is used to identify the individual components that make up your product. So, if your album contains 10 tracks, then you'll need 10 ISRC codes. These codes are used for tracking sales so you can be paid accordingly.
Incidentally, companies like Nielsen SoundScan use UPC and ISRC barcodes to aggregate sales data into meaningful statistics/music charts.
What Are the Best Ways to Get Barcodes in Order to Sell Music Online?
If you are an artist wanting to sell your own music on a digital music service, then there are a number of options at your disposal.
Use a Self-publishing Digital Distributor
These are services that help you to self-publish your music on popular music sites such as the iTunes Store, Amazon MP3, and Google Play Music. If you are an independent artist then this is probably the best route. As well as providing you with the necessary UPC and ISRC codes, they generally take care of the distribution too. Examples of services that you can use are:
When choosing a digital distributor check their pricing structure, what digital stores they distribute to, and the royalty percentage they take.
Buy Your Own UPC / ISRC Codes
If you want to distribute your own music as an independent artist without using a digital distributor then all you'll need to do is use a service that sells UPC and ISRC codes. Here are some well-known ones to use:
If you are a company wanting to generate 1000's of UPC barcodes then the following route would be the best to use:
- Obtain a 'manufacturer number' from the GS1 US (formally the Uniform Code Council).
- Once you have done that, a product number must be assigned to each SKU. One thing to keep in mind is that for each of your products, you will need a unique UPC barcode.
The fee for initially registering with the GS1 US organization can be steep, and there's also an annual fee to consider too. But, you can release multiple products with unique UPC barcodes.
When selling music online remember that you will most likely need an ISRC code for each track as well as a UPC barcode. Companies such as Apple and Amazon require you to have both in order to sell music in their stores.
Keeping track of your products and assets manually is a chore. Why not barcode them? The technology to create them is accessible via the Web and there are tons of free apps for smartphone users that can serve as scanners.
For the business owner who needs to get inventory organized and barcoded, this list of barcode generators is for you. Below are eleven free and low-cost tools to create either barcodes or QR codes.
QR codes are more of a marketing tactic. You have probably seen these codes in direct mail packages, in emails or on storefront windows and doors. A QR code can suffice for certain types of inventory control, but most companies prefer barcodes for inventory management.
All of these barcode generators are free unless otherwise noted. Plus there is a useful book listed at the end of the article.
11 Barcode Generators
One of the easiest online barcode creators that I found. As you can see above, you just select the style you need or want and the software creates it.
OnlineLabels.com
OnlineLabels has both a barcode and a QR code creator. They also have a nifty Nutrition Label creator. I’m thinking of making my own low-fat potato chip label so I won’t feel guilty anymore…
They have a simple online tool, but also sell the fonts in their downloadable software package.
They sell a range of barcoding equipment and label makers, but also offer barcode and QR code generators online.
TEC-IT lets you download its online tool code snippet to place on your own website. They also sell a full barcode software suite for Windows, Mac, and SAP.
Wasp Barcode (above) offers a free online barcode generator, in addition to a full arsenal of barcode technology, to help you create codes. They even email them to you after you fill out the form.
The generator is hosted at SourceForge and is highly rated and only available as downloaded software. No online tool.
Well-rated on CNET as a top download. They have a 15-day free trial, but it is $60 to purchase a one-time license.
Smartphone Ready QR Codes for Marketing
For those who want to create smartphone-ready QR codes for marketing and sales purposes, the three online generators below are solid.
Kaywa is a free online QR code generator. However, they also have a robust paid plan because it has deeper analytics that it can perform.
ZXing Project is one of my favorites because they let you put all sorts of custom data into the QR code.
QR Stuff is a rich site with all sorts of options to make customizing your QR code painless. As you can see above, lots of options.
Bonus: A Book on Barcodes
Matt Kostanecki, marketing guy at inFlow Inventory software, wrote an excellent, detailed book on the topic of barcodes. If you need to create a barcode system, you’ll want to check out this affordable barcode book for small businesses. For Amazon Prime members, it’s currently free on Amazon.
With all of these free and low-cost barcode generators, there is no reason to keep doing it manually. Even if you don’t use them at the point of sale, it will help you during annual and quarterly inventory counts.
If you are considering a barcode solution, are you planning to use a smartphone as the scanner or will you purchase a stand-alone scanner?