SOCAN Interim CEO Jennifer Brown met with Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault via teleconference today to provide data and raise concerns on behalf of our more than 160,000 members.
“It was a pleasure to speak with Minister Guilbeault about the issues that SOCAN and our members are facing,” said Brown. “As a defender and protector of Canadian rights, SOCAN has enjoyed a successful relationship with the Canadian government, and we will continue to share information to help advance the best outcomes for Canadian culture and artists – and our members.”
Brown explained her new role, and provided an overview of SOCAN for Minister Guilbeault. She thanked him for the government’s confirmation, in April, that royalty payments won’t prevent music creators and publishers from qualifying for benefits under the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
Minister Guilbeault and Brown also discussed our members’ declines in revenue from concerts and traditional media in the face of the self-isolation required under the COVID-19 pandemic. She explained that while digital revenues have increased, it’s not enough to replace or significantly offset those declines, and that SOCAN has been working with industry associations to find solutions.
Also at the meeting were SOCAN’s Chief Visual Arts & Quebec Affairs officer Geneviève Côté, and SOCAN’s Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel Andrea Kokonis.
SOCAN thanks Minister Guilbeault for taking the time to meet with SOCAN, and for listening to what we have to say.