SOCAN members! Monitor your royalties better

Story by Howard Druckman | Monday July 30th, 2018

Attention SOCAN members! By introducing new features to its high-quality, flexible analytics tool, Royalty Guru, SOCAN has made it even faster and easier for you to assess and monitor your royalties. Designed specifically for songwriters, composers and music publishers, Royalty Guru’s analytics capabilities allow you to visualize your data in a variety of easy-to-use ways, to help you manage your business and career in music.

And now SOCAN has made it even easier to navigate, with a single sign-on, to which you can conveniently link from your SOCAN member account. We’ve also ensured that you’ll experience even faster load times. And we’ve provided some new forecasting tools that allow you to look at historical performance data, identify trends, and – using that intelligence – provide a general idea of future performance. No forecasting tool is perfect, of course, but we’re always working to create and improve tools to help you do business better.

SOCAN was the first major performing rights organization in North America to offer such a royalty-analysis business intelligence tool to you, our members. SOCAN’s exclusive Royalty Guru services enable you to better understand the trends in royalties earned when your music is played live, on radio, on television and streamed online. The tool simplifies complicated royalty analysis, doing in seconds what otherwise would take hours, days or even weeks to determine, using complicated spreadsheets.

Royalty Guru is available free to SOCAN members, and we’ll continue to maintain, develop, and enhance it going forward, with our members’ needs in mind.

SOCAN and SODRAC integrate music rights management in Canada

Story by SOCAN | Tuesday July 31st, 2018

Both organizations announced today that SOCAN’s acquisition of SODRAC has closed, enabling SOCAN to offer an integrated approach to the management of both performing rights and reproduction rights of songwriters, composers and music publishers.

The combination of SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors & Music Publishers of Canada) and SODRAC (the Society for Reproduction Rights of Authors, Composers & Publishers in Canada) is a historic moment for music rights in Canada, and broadens the choices available, notably for music publishers and self-published writers, for the licensing of the reproduction right.

For the first time in Canada, a single organization – SOCAN – will be able to license, track and distribute all royalties for both music performing rights and mechanical rights.

A transition period will result in the full integration of the organizations. Efficiencies in overhead expenses and operations will be sought and ultimately passed along for the benefit of members.

“SOCAN is thrilled to complete a made-in-Canada solution for music rights-holders in this country and worldwide,” said SOCAN CEO Eric Baptiste. “This transaction fits perfectly with SOCAN’s goal of leading the global transformation of music rights, and SOCAN’s past and ongoing commitment to create alliances within the Canadian music ecosystem. With the full integration of SODRAC’s assets and expansion into mechanical rights, the combination of public performance and reproduction rights increases efficiencies, leverages licensing relationships, and reduces operating costs, resulting in even more music royalties going to those who have earned them.”

“The integration of SODRAC into SOCAN is the result of many years of discussions and negotiations,” said Lise Aubut, Chair of SODRAC’s Board of Directors and co-founder of SODRAC in 1985. “Today, this concentration of energy and resources has become essential in a context where markets are globalized, copyright media is de-materialized, and the financial means necessary to defend rights in a digital world are prodigious. Music is borderless, and tracking musical works requires cutting-edge technology that provides services to a large number of music rights-holders and users.”

The integration of the management of public performance rights and reproduction rights will have many advantages, including:

  • One-stop musical works registrations.
  • More timely and accurate distributions and reduced operating costs for all rights-holder members.
  • Unified licensing for businesses using music.
  • An à la carte representation of reproduction rights for all.
  • Increased efficiencies through leveraged licensing relationships.

SODRAC’s expertise in the visual arts and crafts sector, which involves more than 40,000 creators and rights-holders, will continue within SOCAN.

The SOCAN and SODRAC teams are hard at work to bring the companies together harmoniously. SODRAC’s management team and employees will become employees of SOCAN. SODRAC’s current General Manager Alain Lauzon will continue his work as a special consultant to SOCAN’s CEO.

With SOCAN’s innovations and acquisitions, including SODRAC, no music rights organization in the world has such a comprehensive ability to monitor, collect, and distribute royalties for music rights-holders. SOCAN is proud to offer an expanded suite of services to digital service providers, music creators and music publishers, benefiting its members, and positioning the company as the world leader in the digital music age.

SOCAN continues to power many facets of the Canadian music industry, looking for opportunities to lead the global transformation of music rights, providing leading-edge services to music rights holders. In 2016, the organization launched its Royalty Guru service and API portal, acquired Seattle-based MediaNet and New York-based music technology company Audiam.

For more information, see the FAQ.

Photo by Brad Ardley. Adam Fujiki (centre), with/avec SOCAN's Aidan D’Aoust (left/gauche) and/et Melissa Cameron-Passley (right/droite)/de la SOCAN.

SOCAN presents two No. 1 Song Awards to Universal Music Publishing Canada

Story by Howard Druckman | Wednesday July 25th, 2018

SOCAN presented two No. 1 Song Awards to Universal Music Publishing Canada at the SOCAN Toronto offices, on July 12, 2018 for publishing a pair of chart-topping hits by Shawn Mendes.

SOCAN A&R Representatives Aidan D’Aoust and Melissa Cameron-Passley presented Universal’s Adam Fujiki with awards for publishing Mendes’ “Mercy,” which topped the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 on Nov. 28, 2016, and “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back,” which peaked on the same chart on Aug. 26, 2017, as well as the Nielsen BDS Hot AC Chart on July 31, 2017.

“Mercy” was co-written by SOCAN member Mendes, and Teddy Geiger, Ilsey Juber, and Danny Parker (all BMI), while “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back” was co-written by Mendes with SOCAN member Geoffrey Warburton, Geiger, and Scott Friedman (BMI). Both songs are co-published by Universal Music Publishing Canada and Sony/ATV Music Publishing Canada.

SOCAN congratulates Adam Fujiki and Universal Music Publishing Canada on these great successes!