News and Updates
Canadian musicians, please take the time to fill out
this survey.
June 11, 2020
Music Canada has partnered with Abacus Data to get artists'
perspectives on returning to work during the COVID-19 recovery
phase. We believe that it is important for governments and the
industry as a whole to understand how you feel about returning to
venues and festivals while COVID-19 remains a health concern.
Data from this study will be added to consumer data
that Music Canada is gathering to give all decision makers a
complete picture of the recovery phase.
Music Canada has partnered with Abacus Data to get artists'
perspectives on returning to work during the COVID-19 recovery
phase. We believe that it is important for governments and the
industry as a whole to understand how you feel about returning to
venues and festivals while COVID-19 remains a health concern.
Data from this study will be added to consumer data that Music
Canada is gathering to give all decision makers a complete picture
of the recovery phase.
Music Canada & Abacus
Data - Return to Work Survey
English | Français
June 1, 2020
On Tuesday, June 2nd, CONNECT Music Licensing will join our
industry colleagues in recognizing "Blackout Tuesday."
In solidarity with the Black community, we will use this day for
contemplation, reflection, and opportunities for social activism.
We agree that more needs to be done to address racial inequality
both in the justice system and day-to-day life.
#TheShowMustBePaused
Music Canada COVID-19
Resource Page For Artists and Members of the Music
Industry
April 8, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has created an
unprecedented impact on the music community. As a passionate
advocate for music and those who create it, Music Canada has been
in contact with all levels of government regarding the impact of
COVID-19 on the music community and created a resource page to
support artists and other industry members in obtaining credible
information about government programs and other music-specific
resources.The resource page will be updated regularly as more
information and support programs become available. Click here to access the page.
Canada's Music Incubator (CMI)
opens online registration for 2020 Artist Entrepreneur and Artist
Manager programs in Toronto
November 13, 2019
CMI has opened 2020 online registration for their core
professional development programs: Artist Entrepreneur (Mar &
Aug) and Artist Manager (Oct) in Toronto. Both programs help
emerging artists and artist managers across all genres build their
businesses and careers through customized mentorship and
professional development.
Artists and managers work hands-on with CMI and their expert
network of trusted music industry professionals to develop their
business, craft and confidence in the areas of revenue development,
marketing, branding, social media, publicity, streaming, radio
promotion, copyright, royalty collection, touring, funding, team
building, contracts, and more. Artists will also experience a
series of customized creative workshops, including live and studio
performance, vocals and songwriting collaborations.
Ongoing access to CMI mentors and industry resources for artists
and managers is included, at no additional cost.
Space for both sessions is limited. Apply online
today!
Artist Entrepreneur - March 10 to May 1 & August 4 to
September 25, 2020 - Tues to Fri - 10am-4pm
Artist Manager - October 6 to November 27, 2020 - Tues to Fri -
10am-4pm
For more information on CMI and our programs visit: http://canadasmusicincubator.com
Or contact [email protected]
"What stuck out to me about Artist Entrepreneur," says
award-winning artist, IsKwé, "wasn't just the learning experience,
but the relationships that were built-both with the team at CMI and
within the broader music industry. Everyone was really
invested in helping the artists build their business, and that's
not always easy to find in this industry!"
Scottie Irving, Ottawa-based artist manager reflects, "When I
started managing artists, I had nothing but hopes, hunches, and
assumptions. Artist Manager helped me organize the chaos by giving
me access to priceless knowledge, proven expertise and informed
advice. It saved me from having to learn countless things the hard
way."
"Success is defined by the artist or manager," says Vel Omazic,
CMI's executive director, "we exist as an organization to help
them, regardless of genre or style, to bring focus to their goals
and to provide them with the tools, processes and support needed,
on an ongoing basis, to fill the gaps in their business and
creative development."
CONNECT Music Licensing welcomes
Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage's 'Shifting Paradigms'
report
CONNECT Music Licensing is pleased to see the
Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has recognized the need to
address the growing Value Gap in Canada's cultural industries in
its
Shifting Paradigms report.
On behalf of CONNECT's more than 2,700 rights holders of sound
recordings in Canada, Catherine Jones, Executive Director of
CONNECT testified before the Committee and the company is happy to
see its recommendations for review of the Canadian
Copyright Act reflected in the
Committee's report.
In her testimony, Jones recommended removing the
$1.25 million Radio Royalty Exemption, amending the definition of
"sound recording" in the Copyright
Act and creating a Private Copying Fund to ensure
CONNECT members are fairly compensated for commercial reproductions
of their recordings.
"On behalf of CONNECT's members, I thank the
Heritage Committee for its thoughtful consideration and concrete
recommendations to help close the Value Gap in Canada," says Jones.
"The Canadian music industry was united in calling for the removal
of the Radio Royalty Exemption and amending the definition of
'sound recording' in the Act.
I'm happy to see that the Committee recognized the importance of
these actions, and I urge the Government of Canada to make these
recommendations into law."
CONNECT Music Licensing looks forward to
continuing to work with the government to implement the
recommendations contained in Shifting
Paradigms.
Coalition of Canadian music organizations sign
Canadian Creative Industries Code of Conduct, announce training
& education resources will be available through Unison
Benevolent Fund
We're proud to join our allies in the music community in signing
the Canadian Creative Industries Code of Conduct. On Saturday,
March 16 at the Allies in Action event hosted by CARAS, it
was announced that 42 music community groups had signed on to the
Code, acknowledging their responsibility to build safe, respectful
workplaces, and committing to improving and implementing policies
to keep the music community safe.
It was also announced that Unison Benevolent Fund has committed
to hosting education and training resources on its website at no
cost. The resources are intended to enable community members to
identify, confront and prevent harassment, bullying and violence in
any workplace.
Music community groups who have not yet signed the Code are
encouraged to join.
More information and instructions to sign on can be found
here.
Important Member Notice: Repertoire Submission Deadlines
for Public Performance Royalties
This message is to inform members of CONNECT Music Licensing
that Re:Sound has published a distribution schedule that includes
very important deadlines determining whether your recordings can
receive public performance royalties for particular tariff
years.
If you do not register your repertoire by the submission
deadlines listed below, that repertoire will not be eligible to
receive royalties for the corresponding "Royalty Years."
Please note that the next upcoming repertoire submission
deadline is September 1, 2019. If you hold the rights to sound
recordings and do not register them before this date, those
recordings will not be eligible to receive royalties for the
royalty years 1998-2008. To check the repertoire you currently have
registered with CONNECT and/or add new repertoire, log in to your
CONNECT web
portal account and navigate to the "Repertoire" tab along the
top menu.
It is also important to note that beyond registration,
additional factors will determine whether a recording is eligible
to receive royalties including airplay received and criteria set out in the
Canadian Copyright Act.
Below is the repertoire submission schedule for makers as it
appears on Re:Sound's
website.
|
Royalty Years
|
Repertoire Submission Deadline
|
|
1998-2008
|
September 1, 2019
|
|
2009-2016
|
September 1, 2020
|
|
2017
|
September 1, 2021
|
|
2018
|
September 1, 2022
|
|
2019
|
September 1, 2023
|
|
2020 and future years
|
September 1 of 4th year following year for which distribution is
being made
|
If you have any questions about repertoire submission deadlines,
how to check your CONNECT repertoire, or how to register new
repertoire, please contact [email protected]
We're making things simpler for our Members
June 27, 2018
At CONNECT, we're always working to make licensing and royalties
simpler for our Members. Last spring, we completed a data
efficiency project with our partners at Re:Sound that resulted in a
28% decrease in administration costs, making $1.2 million in
additional royalties available for CONNECT members.
Now, to make things even easier, we're encouraging our members
to assign their Remunerative Rights
(which include both your Neighbouring Rights and Private Copying
royalties) directly to Re:Sound to further simplify data processing
and speed up payments. Please check your email for
instructions on how to complete the process or email us at [email protected]
New Web Portal for CONNECT Music Licensing
September 2017
We are excited to announce the new CONNECT Music Licensing Web
Portal for members and licensees. As part of our ongoing joint
effort to enhance royalty distributions, the CONNECT Web Portal
will now be administered by Re:Sound.
Since 2016, CONNECT and Re:Sound have been working together to
streamline data flow and distribution processes to maximize revenue
streams to CONNECT members. In 2016, Re:Sound assumed back-office
operations for CONNECT, which has reduced administrative fees to
CONNECT's members by one-third and expedited distribution of
royalties to members.
The new portal will further reduce spending on systems and IT by
consolidating operations for both organizations into a single
portal. In this first stage, CONNECT members will be able to:
- Update address details
- Download distribution statements
- View repertoire on file
- Submit new repertoire on a title-by-title basis or by using the
Repertoire Submission Form
- Make claims on any unclaimed titles that have had
broadcast/licensee use and may belong to you
CONNECT licensees will be able to:
- Update profile and contact details
- Search the CONNECT database and make new clearance
requests
- Upload a file of clearance requests
- View and export a report of clearance request history
Our aim in this project continues to be providing improved
service to CONNECT's members, including more information and more
online functionality. Improved data quality leads to additional
money being available to all rights holders, and we look forward to
continuing to work with members on this.
Stage two of the portal, expected to launch later in 2017, will
allow members to view and resolve titles in conflict.
About CONNECT Music Licensing:
CONNECT Music
Licensing administers licences in Canada for the reproduction
of sound recordings, and the reproduction and broadcast of music
videos, on behalf of the copyright owners. CONNECT's members, which
include all of the major record labels, many independent labels,
and thousands of independent artists and producers, own or control
the copyright in the vast majority of all the sound recordings and
music videos produced or distributed in Canada. CONNECT Music
Licensing represents its members at Re:Sound for the communication,
public performance and private copying of their eligible sound
recordings.
About Re:Sound:
Re:Sound is the Canadian not-for-profit music licensing company
dedicated to obtaining fair compensation for artists and record
companies for their public performance rights. On behalf of its
members, representing thousands of artists and record companies,
Re:Sound licenses recorded music for public performance, broadcast
and new media and distributes royalties to rights holders through
its member organisations, directly, and through its bilateral
agreements with international collective societies.
Re:Sound is also a member of the Canadian Private Copying
Collective (CPCC), created to receive private copying levies from
the manufacturers and importers of blank audio recording media.
Canadian music rights holders gain enhanced royalty
distributions through efficiencies and data
improvements
July 8, 2016
Canadian music labels (businesses that range in size from major
labels to artist-owned imprints) this week began receiving an
additional $2 million in accelerated and additional royalty
distributions through an efficiency and data improvement project by
CONNECT Music Licensing and Re:Sound Music Licensing, while other
rights holders in Canada will enjoy benefits from a spin-off
effect.
"In an environment of reduced sales of music and scrutiny of
every single penny of potential earnings, we are thrilled that this
project has increased the royalties for our rights holders by
millions of dollars," says Graham Henderson, President of CONNECT
Music Licensing. "We strive for efficiency, transparency and
innovation, and together with our partner, Re:Sound, are proudly
leading efforts to increase the efficiency of collective licensing
in Canada and put more money directly in the pockets of rights
holders."
The improved efficiencies reflect a 28% decrease in
administration costs, or $1.2 million annually, which will be paid
out in additional royalties to the 2,700 members of CONNECT.
This is the result of a June 16, 2016, announcement that rights holders
represented by CONNECT would start receiving their neighbouring
rights and private copying royalties directly from Re:Sound, the
not-for-profit organisation mandated under the Copyright Act to
collect these royalty streams. The move also accelerates
royalty distributions.
In addition, a significant investment in new technology by
CONNECT, significant improvements to data streams from CONNECT's
member labels, and work by CONNECT and Re:Sound to exhaustively
analyze and synchronize each organization's data in order to create
a single repertoire database, have resulted in added royalties for
CONNECT members as well as other rights holders in Canada.
Specifically, these measures have freed up an additional $1 million
in royalties for labels. CONNECT's members have already begun
to see the benefits in royalty payments issued this week. As
a spin-off benefit, another $1 million in royalties are available
for distribution to performers signed up through Re:Sound's member
organisations ACTRA, MROC and ARTISTI. These gains extend to rights
holders in every province.
"The increased royalties are particularly notable as they result
from our drive to improve royalty collection in line with
international best practices, as opposed to adding revenues from a
new music service or higher tariff award from the Copyright Board,"
Henderson remarks. "Organizations like CONNECT and Re:Sound exist
only to serve rights holders, and today we have delivered on that
promise."
The improved metadata and transparency at the heart of these
measures will provide ongoing benefits to all record labels and
performers, and will help to bring Canada into line with industry
best practices.
About CONNECT Music Licensing:
CONNECT Music Licensing
administers licences in Canada for the reproduction of sound
recordings, and the reproduction and broadcast of music videos on
behalf of the copyright owners (usually the record company). Its
members, which consist of all the major record companies, many
independent labels, as well as artists and producers, own or
control the vast majority of the copyright of all the sound
recordings and music videos produced and/or distributed in Canada.
CONNECT Music Licensing represents its members at Re:Sound for the
communication, public performance and private copying of their
eligible sound recordings.
About Re:Sound:
Re:Sound (formerly known as the Neighbouring Rights Collective
of Canada) is the Canadian not-for-profit music licensing company
dedicated to obtaining fair compensation for artists and record
companies for their public performance rights. On behalf of its
members, representing thousands of artists and record companies,
Re:Sound licenses recorded music for public performance, broadcast
and new media and distributes royalties to rights holders through
its member organisations, directly, and through its bilateral
agreements with international collective societies..
Re:Sound is also a member of the Canadian Private Copying
Collective (CPCC), created to receive private copying levies from
the manufacturers and importers of blank audio recording media.
CONNECT Music Licensing achieves new level of efficiency
in royalty distribution
June 16, 2016
A new level of efficiency in royalty distribution, in keeping
with international standards, is announced today with CONNECT Music
Licensing's decision to have their nearly 2,700 members receive
their public performance and private copying royalties directly
from Re:Sound.
Re:Sound has been collecting and administering public
performance and private copying royalties for musicians and record
labels since 1997, when Canada implemented the right for musicians
and record labels to be compensated when their sound recordings
were broadcast to, or played in, public.
Previously, these royalties were distributed to CONNECT Music
Licensing's nearly 2,700 members by CONNECT after it made royalty
claims to Re:Sound on its members' behalf. In order to ensure
maximum efficiencies, a third party firm with extensive expertise
in this field was retained to conduct an external review of the
royalty distribution process. With today's announcement,
CONNECT's members will receive public performance and private
copying royalties directly from Re:Sound, eliminating duplication
in the royalty distribution process and making it simpler and more
cost effective (cutting overall distribution costs by about
one-third).
"CONNECT continuously strives to work as efficiently as
possible. To this end, we saw a way to save time and money for our
nearly 2,700 rights holders by having Re:Sound, a trusted partner
of CONNECT, pay public performance and private copying royalties
directly to our members. This will allow CONNECT to focus on
reproduction royalties and will mean greater royalty payments to
record labels and artists, faster," said Graham Henderson,
President of CONNECT Music Licensing.
"Knowing that the organizations responsible for administering
our royalties are doing their absolute best to ensure that we're
paid every dollar of royalties that we're owed, at as low a cost as
possible, as quickly as possible, allows us to focus on what we do
best: helping the artists we work with record and release great
music," said Mathieu Drouin, CONNECT Board Member and President of
Crystal Math Music Group.
"I applaud CONNECT and Re:Sound for working so hard on behalf of
rights holders to find new ways to improve the royalty distribution
system. Their diligence and commitment to this effort has resulted
in a far more efficient process, which means record labels will be
paying less in administrative fees and receive more of their
royalties, faster than ever before," said Stuart Johnston,
President of the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA).
"We count on organizations who administer royalties on our
behalf to do so as inexpensively and quickly as possible. The
additional amount in royalties released through this important
efficiency initiative enhances a crucial revenue source for
labels," said Shauna de Cartier, Six Shooter Records and Chair of
CIMA.
Re:Sound will begin making direct royalty payments to CONNECT
members in July 2016, and looks forward to offering the same
quality of service CONNECT has offered to its members for the last
thirty years.
"At Re:Sound, we are committed to maximizing public performance
royalties for artists and record labels and ensuring that royalties
are distributed as efficiently, and at as low cost, as possible.
CONNECT's move to bring their member labels to Re:Sound directly
means more of every dollar will get into the hands of the labels
themselves," said Ian MacKay, President of Re:Sound.
This change comes at a time of increased scrutiny on the
effectiveness and transparency of collective licensing
organizations worldwide. The efforts undertaken by CONNECT, working
with Re:Sound, ensure that Canada is leading best practices in this
area, and the global music community has taken notice.
"Music licensing companies around the world are adopting best
practice strategies to maximize royalty distributions to music
rights holders and ensure they are direct, transparent and as low
cost as possible. CONNECT has shown a very positive willingness to
innovate in this area. Their decision brings Canada into line with
international best practices, and that will mean more of every
royalty dollar will go to rights holders." - Frances Moore, CEO,
the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
(IFPI)
About CONNECT Music Licensing:
CONNECT Music Licensing
administers licences in Canada for the reproduction of sound
recordings, and the reproduction and broadcast of music videos on
behalf of the copyright owners (usually the record company). Its
members, which consist of all the major record companies, many
independent labels, as well as artists and producers, own or
control the vast majority of the copyright of all the sound
recordings and music videos produced and/or distributed in Canada.
CONNECT Music Licensing represents its members at Re:Sound for the
communication, public performance and private copying of their
eligible sound recordings.
About Re:Sound:
Re:Sound (formerly known as
the Neighbouring Rights Collective of Canada) is the Canadian
not-for-profit music licensing company dedicated to obtaining fair
compensation for artists and record companies for their public
performance rights. On behalf of its members, representing
thousands of artists and record companies, Re:Sound licenses
recorded music for public performance, broadcast and new media and
distributes royalties to rights holders through its member
organisations, to individual rights holders directly, and through
its bilateral agreements with international collective
societies.
Re:Sound is also a member of the Canadian Private Copying
Collective (CPCC), created to receive private copying levies from
the manufacturers and importers of blank audio recording media.
Music Has Value
July 2, 2015
Re:Sound has released a new initiative on the value of
music.
It is the first Canadian consumer research on the interaction of
recorded music and customer experience in businesses like
restaurants, nightclubs, hotels and more. Re:Sound is pleased to
announce that the results indicate that Canadians not only enjoy
music, but also believe in its value.
For more information, visit http://www.musichasvalue.ca/
Music Makes Us Feel Powerful
August 11, 2014
A recent study found that certain music can make us feel
powerful, particularly exposure to high-power and heavy-bass
music.
Click here to view the article on the study
The Value of Music in Fitness
July 16, 2014
A recent research study was conducted by PPL UK on the value of
music in the fitness sector.
http://www.ppluk.com/About-Us/News/Press/Original-artist-music-is-key-motivator-for-gym-goers-new-research-reveals/
Artists & Music Companies Support Re:Sound
Application for Judicial Review of Tariff 8 Decision
June 18 2014
The Copyright Board of Canada has recently set one of the worst
royalty rates in the world to music streaming. It's called Tariff
8. And it means that musicians around the world will be paid 90%
less when their music is streamed by Canadian consumers.
On June 16, 2014, a group of more than 70 music organizations
from across the country released a joint statement in support of
Re:Sound's Application for Judicial Review of the Copyright Board's
Tariff 8 decision setting royalty rates for webcasting services in
Canada.
http://musiccanada.com/news/artists-music-companies-support-resound-application-for-judicial-review-of-copyright-board-tariff-8-decision/
The Tariff 8 decision is a serious setback for the music
community in Canada, for artists and the music companies who invest
in their careers. The decision discards years of agreements freely
negotiated between digital music service providers and the music
industry and sets rates for music web streaming services in Canada
that are less than 10% of the rates that the same services pay in
the United States and many other countries.
If you would like to join the conversation, please do so using
the #tariff8 hashtag on Twitter or at I Stand For
Music on Facebook
I Stand For Music is a forum for all of us to
voice our opposition to Tariff 8 webcasting rates and to show our
support for Canada's music community.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Stand-For-Music/649798808431412.
Research Confirms: Music Builds Business
Toronto, May 6, 2014
Can you imagine a pub without music? Or a silent clothing store?
Or a restaurant without musical ambience? Neither can Canadian
businesses that, according to new research conducted by Leger on
behalf of SOCAN - the Society of Composers, Authors and Music
Publishers of Canada - confirms music is increasingly important to
their success.
"Music is essential to many business owners, and using it in the
workplace can create a unique and inviting atmosphere, influence
customer behavior, increase employee morale and, quite simply, make
more money for businesses," said Jennifer Brown, vice president,
Licensing at SOCAN.
The Music In Business study also showed that more than a third
of businesses are putting live music to work to entertain customers
and prompt even better results.
Ian MacKay, President of Re:Sound Music Licensing Company, which
represents artists and record companies for their performing
rights, said, "This research confirms findings from similar
international studies and reinforces the message that SOCAN and
Re:Sound have been advocating for over the last decade and more -
music adds quantifiable value and helps drive business
results."
For a complete summary of the Music In Business research study,
please visit www.socan.ca/files/pdf/Music-in-Business-Study.pdf
We've Changed Our Name
March 3, 2014
We are pleased to announce that AVLA is now Connect Music
Licensing.
Please click here to view the press release
Music in Retail Stores
Please find below a link to an interesting article that confirms
the key role of music in retail stores, for both consumers and
staff.
http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/music-puts-shoppers-in-the-holiday-mood/
The article refers to a study conducted by PPL into the holiday
retail sector, available at:
http://www.musicworksforyou.com/news-and-charts/news/262-new-research-into-the-travel-sector-highlights-the-benefits-of-playing-music-in-businesses
Unison Fund http://unisonfund.ca
The Unison Benevolent Fund is a creation by the
Canadian music community, for the Canadian music community. This
non-profit organization provides counselling, emergency relief, and
benefit programs to those working in the industry who face personal
or professional challenges due to hardship, illness, unemployment
or economic difficulties.
Please visit http://unisonfund.ca for more
information on how you can get involved.
New bilateral agreement between US and Canada opens the
flow of royalties to Canadian labels and performers
September 17, 2012
An historic agreement has been reached between Re:Sound Music
Licensing Company and SoundExchange to ensure that Canadian rights
holders receive royalties from US uses of their work licensed by
SoundExchange. The agreement covers all Canadian rights holders
signed to CONNECT music licensing, ACTRA, Artisti, MROC, and
SOPROQ.
"This agreement unlocks new sources of revenue for CONNECT music
licensing members and is an important step forward in our
Canada-US relationship," says Graham Henderson, President of
CONNECT music licensing. "Canadian labels and performers will
now be able to collect royalties accumulated from the use of their
recordings on US satellite radio stations like SIRIUS XM, internet
radio stations, streaming services and cable TV music channels
south of the border. Most importantly, they don't have to
join SoundExchange in order to do this, but as a result of the
bilateral agreement, can collect their earnings through the
organization in Canada to which they already belong."
The first distribution to rights holders will occur in 2013.
Bilateral agreements of this kind are an important source of
future revenue. Hopefully, this is the first of many
agreements of its kind with countries around the world who are
signatories of the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty
(WPPT).
CBC and CONNECT Music Licensing announce Historic
Music Licensing Deal
January 24, 2012
CBC and CONNECT Music Licensing are pleased to announce that
a groundbreaking music licensing deal has been reached. This
historic deal will allow CBC to offer Canadians more of its radio
programs on-line, on demand, as well as launch a new Canadian
digital music service this winter.
Click
here to see the Press Release
Canada's First Collective Semi Interactive Digital
Licence
August 2011
CONNECT Music Licensing has concluded Canada's first
semi-interactive digital licensing agreement with Stingray Digital
Media on behalf of over 1500 record labels. This truly
historic agreement was concluded in partnership with the major
labels and SOPROQ, and lays the groundwork to bring in more new
services to Canada!
Click here to see the Press Release
Pro-music
Pro-music is a new coalition for people and organisations
working across the music sector to highlight the damage being done
by online music piracy.
Welcome
May 2010
Welcome to CONNECT Music Licensing's new website. We have
introduced new online features to make it easier than ever to take
advantage of the services CONNECT Music Licensing offers. If
you own or control the copyright in sound recordings and/or music
videos, we can collect licence fees for certain uses on your
behalf, and we can pay you neighbouring rights and private copying
revenues for your eligible sound recordings. More Info
If you want to copy sound recordings for entertainment to the
public and want to copy and perform music videos for entertainment
to the public, we offer licences for certain types of use. More Info
Can't find the information you're looking for? Contact CONNECT
Music Licensing and we will provide you with the information
you need.