When Does a Music Publication Need a New ISMN?

A new ISMN is needed for

• Revised editions
• A previously unnumbered facsimile reprint
• New format or binding
• A new publisher
• A new title
• Changed contents
• When the literary text of a musical work has been essentially changed
• When the translation of the literary text has been added, altered or removed even though the musical contents or the original text remain unchanged

No new ISMN is needed for

• The correction of misprints
• A new printer
• Changes in price
• Reprints and reissues of musical publications in which the contents, format and bindings have not been changed
• 'On demand' copies supplied of original works. These do not need a new ISMN even though the printing year is changed to a new reproduction date.

In a publication consisting of scores and parts for instruments, the score, each set of parts for the instruments and each individual part that are available separately must be assigned its own individual ISMN.

The score is given the ISMN of the whole set when the work is available only as an item in a set, not as an individual sales item. The score should be given an individual ISMN when it is available both as a set and separately.

An individual ISMN must be assigned to each separately printed part which is available as a separate item. For parts which are only available in sets, the same rule applies as for scores.

An ISMN must be assigned to the whole set of volumes of a multi-volume publication as well as to each individual volume in the set.