YouTube to adopt ISNI standards, which could improve royalties and licensing

YouTube is now a registration agency for the International Standard Name Identifier. This means that the video platform will request a unique identifier for every creator whose work is used on the service. The move is intended to ensure that the correct individuals are attributed to each distribution.

“Many organizations active in the music sector have already shown interest in using ISNI identifiers as part of the infrastructure they need to manage rights and royalties effectively. Working closely with YouTube, ISNI is very pleased to contribute its experience and skill-sets to these critical objectives,” ISNI International Agency Executive Director Tim Devenport said. “We view this as a transformative opportunity to offer the music industry a valuable identifier scheme and in so doing, to deepen ISNI’s knowledge of this domain and improve its technical facilities and approaches.”

ISNI is the global standard number certified by the International Organization for Standardization. YouTube intends to share ISNIs with its partners among labels and publishers to encourage others in the music industry to adopt the practice.

Anna Washenko