In the May 15, 2021 distribution of royalties, singer-songwriter Ted Evans (who performs as Shook Planet) earned a whopping $10,000 for the first quarter of 2021, via SOCAN’s Encore program for live-streaming.
The resourceful musician challenged himself to play one live-streamed performance on Facebook Live, every single day from Jan. 1, 2021, to March 7, 2021 (when the program rules changed), and to draw 1,000 viewers for each one.
“Would SOCAN really pay me $10,000 for playing music at home in my basement in front of a computer screen? Was it going to be a waste of time and make me look dumb? Or would this actually pay off?” said Evans. “So of course I decided to take the risk and push myself each and every day to play 66 days in a row, all the while submitting each set to SOCAN, with screenshots to prove view counts.
“Each video surpassed 1,000 views and SOCAN kept updating the status of my submissions to complete. It started to really feel like something special about 20 days in. It felt like it might actually work. There were definitely moments of doubt, but I really started to just appreciate how many new fans and people I was connecting with every day. There was a returning crowd every day, with new people joining all the time. It felt almost like a tour. Shows every night, and mainly just meeting new people every time. Except I hadn’t even left my house.
“On May 15th, I got an e-mail saying my SOCAN statement was ready. Not expecting this money to come in until much later, I almost didn’t even look, but when I did, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I received $10,000 for playing music at home during this pandemic. I’m still a bit in shock. I’ve shared the news with family and friends, and posted a quick thank you to all those who tuned in to my live-streams.
“I want to let others know it’s worth it to try things you’re not even sure you can do. Even if you think it could never be done, try it.”
Since March 7, 2021, each qualifying free concert will receive $75 total in performing right royalties. It’s applied to all set lists provided, and to a maximum of 30 concerts per quarter. The $75 is divided among all rightsholders of all songs performed at the event. And SOCAN has expanded the eligible concerts, from those streamed on Facebook Live and Instagram Live, to also include those on Twitch and YouTube. For more information, click here.