When adding your release to our system for distribution, you’ll be asked to enter the C Year and P Year. But what do these mean?
C Year
This is the copyright year for the whole single / EP / album – as a package. So it includes the copyright year for the artwork, metadata, and track-listing.
So the C Year should be the year that this specific version of your single / EP / album was first released. If for example you released an EP or Album in 2020, and it had 4 tracks on it, and you’re releasing it again in 2024 and adding 1 new track, or you’re simply changing the artwork or changing the track order around, then the C year should be 2024, not 2020.
Your C year should be the same year as your release date, or if you’re re-releasing an old product, it should be the same as your original release date. To supply an original release date, toggle the switch beside the question “Has this release been made available before?” and enter the original release date in the box which appears.
P Year
This is the copyright year for the sound recordings (it’s P for Phonograph, not P for Publishing), and it should either be the year that your tracks were recorded, or the year they were first released.
It’s worth noting that whilst most DSPs will use the C year, some DSPs will use the P year to display releases chronologically, so if your P year is in the past, the release may not always display as a new release.