Essay
P Line and C Line in Music, Explained
The P line and C line in music mark two different copyrights: the recording and the song. What each claims, and why neither one gets you paid.
The ℗ line (phonogram) names the owner of the sound recording. The © line names the owner of the underlying composition — or sometimes the packaging. They are easy to conflate and expensive to ignore.
Printing a © line on a sleeve is not the same as registering the work with a PRO or the MLC. Copyright exists at fixation. Collection exists at registration.
Found Royalties administers the composition. Your distributor or label administers the recording. If both lines name you, you still need both jobs done.