(a) GENERAL PROVISIONS.-Whenever a sound recording protected under this title is published in the United States or elsewhere by authority of the copyright owner, a notice of copyright as provided by this section may be placed on publicly distributed phonorecords of the sound recording. (b) FORM OF NOTICE.-If a notice appears on the phonorecords, it shall consist of the following three elements: (1) the symbol (P) (the letter P in a circle); and (2) the year of first publication of the sound recording;