4. The UPC/ISRC Relationship: The Technical Manipulation

The technical manipulation lies in the relationship between UPCs (Universal Product Codes, for the release) and ISRCs (International Standard Recording Codes, for the individual track).

<ul> <li><strong>Each Release Gets a New UPC:</strong> Every time you "re-release" a collection of tracks, even if it includes previously released songs, your distributor assigns a new UPC to that specific *release*.</li> <li><strong>Individual Tracks Keep Their ISRCs:</strong> The individual ISRCs of "Track A," "Track B," etc., remain the same throughout the process.</li> </ul> This means that when you listen to "Track A" within the "2-track EP" (Release 2), those streams and saves are credited to "Track A"'s ISRC and *also* contribute to the Popularity Score of the "2-track EP" (Release 2's UPC). The momentum accumulates.