Montréal’s Collège André-Grasset has become the first post-secondary educational institution to formally work with SOCAN to offer an enhanced copyright policy to its community. This inspiring agreement, which took effect Monday, Aug. 19, 2019, an example to follow in order to support creators, and contribute to the survival of art.

Thanks to this partnership, developed in the form of an innovation fund, the college, as well as the Institut Grasset, will from now on benefit from an execution right that encompasses 100% of the world’s catalogue, used during their academic and extracurricular activities and events.

Moreover, a reproduction right licence will allow the college to enrich their in-house audio and video productions. Staff and students alike will benefit from access to SOCAN’s reproduction rights music catalogue, which now also includes that of SODRAC, in the wake of SOCAN’s recent acquisition of the organization. This reproduction repertoire includes about 85% of Québec’s music, as well as a considerable number of international and Canadian musical works.

Geneviève Courcy, who teaches filmmaking and kickstarted this initiative, is convinced that this policy, doubled with an application guide, will facilitate the students’ task when they start looking for music to use in their film productions. Apart from educating people about the idea of intellectual property, this partnership will help them discover Québec artists, the teacher proudly believes. “It is our way of showing solidarity and encouraging our students to buy our local cultural products,” she says. “The music industry is suffering at a faster and faster pace.”

“Collège André-Grasset is leading the way, and sending a very strong signal, by standing up for music rights. They’re making it clear that we must fairly compensate songwriters, composers, and music publishers for their work. This kind of partnership is cause for applause, and will educate the new generation about the richness of SOCAN repertoire, and the importance of copyright and reproduction right,” said SOCAN Chief of Québec Affairs and Visual Arts, Geneviève Côté.

Grasset calls on all of Québec’s Cégeps and Universities to join them in this essential initiative defending the legal, fair, and ethical use of music. “The need for education is increasing,” said Emmanuelle Dupal, who’s in charge of the copyright at the college. “But that doesn’t mean we get a free pass to deny the work of artists, and turn a blind eye.”

SOCAN salutes the initiative of Collège André-Grasset, and is thrilled by this partnership, that will, hopefully, inspire other educational institutions to follow suit towards greater respect for the copyrights of music creators and publishers.