SOCAN has announced an agreement with Copyright Visual Arts/Droit d’Auteurs Arts Visuels (COVA-DAAV) that will see the transfer of SOCAN’s visual arts and crafts business to the Ottawa-based company.
The move means that COVA-DAAV will be the only copyright collecting agency in Canada tasked with licensing and distributing copyright royalties to the visual arts and crafts sector.
“After careful analysis, we’ve decided to focus entirely on our core work of managing the performing and reproduction rights of songwriter, composer, and music publisher members and clients,” said SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown. “We’re delighted that visual arts and crafts members will be in great hands with COVA-DAAV, a proven leader and expert in that market, and wish them and their members every success for the future.”
“This new consolidation of services simplifies access to licensing support for visual artists, their estates, and other rightsholders, and we share SOCAN’s vision for the future of licensing and copyright management for our sector,” said Marcia Lea, Executive Director of COVA-DAAV.
Copyright Visual Arts has the full support of CARFAC (Canadian Artists’ Representation/le front des artistes canadiens) and RAAV (Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels), the national associations for visual artists in Canada and Québec, respectively. CARFAC and RAAV have always been confident in the collective’s deep understanding of the visual arts ecosystem, allowing them to negotiate the best terms for their artist-members.
“We’re thrilled with this news, knowing that artists in Québec and Canada will feel welcome and supported, and that COVA-DAAV will continue to provide high quality service to their new artist-members and rightsholders,” said Paddy Lamb, CARFAC’s National President.
Following its acquisition of SODRAC in 2018, SOCAN has managed a visual arts department, representing more than 40,000 creators and rightsholders worldwide. The agreement with COVA-DAAV underscores SOCAN’s heightened commitment to its music creator and publisher members and clients, through the company’s member-centric strategic pillar.
SOCAN plans to conclude its visual arts and crafts business on January 30, 2023, with the recommendation that relevant members join Copyright Visual Arts.
Copyright Visual Arts also responds to a shifting art economy by providing effective digital tools to enable visual artists to achieve sustainable careers. This includes their new Image Bank digital licensing service, and Copyright Visual Arts’ partnership in building Imprimo, a new Blockchain platform, which helps artists organize and present their work, authoritatively track its provenance, make connections within the arts community, and create opportunities for discovery.