DDEX, the international standards-setting organization dedicated to improving the exchange of data and information across the music industry, has announced it has signed a liaison agreement with the ISNI (International Standard Name Identifier) International Agency (ISNI-IA) in acknowledgment of their shared interests in identifiers and music industry workflows. After signing the agreement, ISNI-IA’s Executive Director, Tim Devenport, and the British Library’s Head of Metadata, Adele Pease both spoke at DDEX’s 38th Plenary in November of 2021 providing an update about ISNI’s Music Sector Consultation Group, as well as ways in which ISNIs are currently in use across the world.

“We’re excited to be partnering with an organization that is as passionate about standards and identifiers as us,” said Mark Isherwood, DDEX Secretariat. “They received a warm welcome and great interest at our most recent Plenary and look forward to what we can accomplish together.”

“DDEX members are steadily incorporating the use of ISNIs in their supply chains and many are already members of the ISNI Music Sector Consultation Group which provides direction and guidance, and thus drives our progress in the music sector.”

– Tim Devenport, ISNI

“Partnering with DDEX was an essential part of ISNI’s goals,” said Tim Devenport at ISNI. “DDEX members are steadily incorporating the use of ISNIs in their supply chains and many are already members of the ISNI Music Sector Consultation Group which provides direction and guidance, and thus drives our progress in the music sector. We look forward to continuing to work with DDEX’s members on the continued development of our respective standards.”

ISNI is the ISO-certified, global standard number for identifying the millions of contributors to creative works and those active in their distribution, including researchers, inventors, writers, artists, visual creators, performers, producers, publishers, aggregators, and more. As ISO 27729, it is part of a family of international standard identifiers that includes identifiers of works, recordings, products, and rights holders in all repertoires, e.g. DOI, ISAN, ISBN, ISRC, ISSN, and ISWC.

The ISNI Music Sector Consultation Group is comprised of representatives belonging to or feeding into the music industry including music producers, record labels, distributors, streaming platforms, and more. For more information on how to join an ISNI Consultation Group, email info@isni.org. For information about joining the ISNI International Agency to become an ISNI Member or Registration Agency, please visit ISNI’s dedicated webpage: Joining ISNI.