What does ‘C/O’ mean in BMI’s Songview repertoire?

I’m using Songview to find more information about work publishers, and using BMI’s repertoire, sometimes there’ll be a line underneath a label saying ‘C/O [other publisher]’ (such as ‘C/O WC MUSIC CORP’ for ‘BUT FATHER I JUST WANT TO SING MUSIC’):

(source)

What does this mean and is it relevant to MusicBrainz?


Also, sometimes there’ll be a label indented underneath another label:

From the BMI Songview User Guide:

Works with Foreign Publishers

Where available, Songview reconciled works include both U.S. and non-U.S. publisher names for the publisher interests controlled by Songview participating societies. When both U.S. and non-U.S. publishers are listed on a reconciled work, it indicates that the work contains one or more foreign original publishers with a relationship to a U.S. sub-publisher.

The relationship between a foreign original publisher and a U.S. sub-publisher is indicated as follows:

  • The U.S. Sub-Publisher is indented below the Foreign Original Publisher name. Both Foreign and U.S. Sub-Publisher Names and IP Name Numbers are visible.
  • If the associated sub-publisher interest on the work is controlled by BMI, the publisher name appears in pink and is clickable. Clicking the name displays the sub-publisher’s contact information, when available and a link to view the catalog. The View Catalog button opens the BMI sub-publisher’s catalog.
  • If the associated sub-publisher interest on the work is controlled by another Songview participating society, the publisher name appears in white and is not clickable.

Again, is this relevant for MusicBrainz? Does this indicate a subsidiary relationship? I don’t know much about how labels and how they work.

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C/O means “Care Of”. That means “Mewithoutyou Music” is having their post handled by people at Terrorbird Tracks. It may just be that they don’t have their own offices. Or it could be they are using them at some level of management.

It does not imply ownership. This example “may” be a publishing deal, but you’d need to get that verified as I don’t see anything in the above that says that can be implied here.

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