What is a P-line (℗) and C-line (©)?
The P-line (℗, for “phonogram”) is the line in a release’s metadata that names the year of first release and the owner of the sound recording; the C-line (©, “copyright”) names the year and owner of the rights to the composition and artwork. Both are required metadata for every release — they appear in the stores and document who owns what.
What does the P-line mean in music?
Put simply, the P-line answers “whose recording is this?” and the C-line answers “whose work and artwork is this?”. Both use the same format — year plus owner, e.g. “℗ 2026 Your Artist Name”. If you are an independent artist who paid for the recording yourself, the P-line usually carries your artist name or your own label name.
How to fill in P-line and C-line correctly
Format: year + rights holder, e.g. “℗ 2026 Your Artist Name” and “© 2026 Your Artist Name”. As an independent artist without a label, you are the owner — your artist or legal name is enough. In collaborations, the P-line names whoever financed or holds the recording; the C-line can differ (e.g. when the artwork is by someone else). The year is the first-release year of the respective recording.
Why these fields are more than formality
Stores display P-/C-lines publicly, licensing requests (say, for a sync license) orient themselves by them, and in rights disputes they are the first indication. Wrong entries — like a label name with no actual agreement behind it — get flagged in DSP checks and can delay releases. The OGRECORDS™ release wizard pre-fills both lines sensibly; you can override them any time.
Frequently asked questions
What do I put in the P-line as an independent artist?
Year of first release plus your artist or legal name, e.g. “℗ 2026 EYLA”. A label name only belongs there if that rights holder actually exists.
Do P-line and C-line have to be identical?
No — they refer to different rights (recording vs. composition/artwork) and can name different owners or years. For self-releases they are often the same, though.
Get your next release right.
The release wizard handles ISRCs, UPCs, credits and metadata for you — delivered to Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok and every other store.