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The Music-Revenue Ecosystem: Meet the Players

Revenue, Royalties & Rights Basics

Deals & Contracts

Career Management

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

From the Trenches (Videos)

Resources

Legal & Financial Resources

Annotated Sample Contracts

SCGC Sample Production Contracts/Composer Agreements and Deal Memos (To access annotated versions, download the folder and open the “Reference Files Annotated” subfolder)
Sample Synchronization Agreement
CLC Sample Commission Contract

Affordable Legal Services

British Columbia
Artists’ Legal Outreach (Pacific Legal Education and Outreach Society)

Manitoba
L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic

Nova Scotia
Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia

Ontario
Artists’ Legal Advice Services (University of Toronto)
Artists’ Legal Services Ottawa (Ottawa only)

Quebec
SPACQ Legal Services (free legal advice on contracts for members)

For up-to-date information on free and affordable legal services in regions across Canada, visit the website of the National Network of Legal Clinics for the Arts.

Guidance on Fees & Rates

SCGC Composer Rates Survey Initiative
SPACQ Collective Agreements and Fee Lists
CLC Commissioning Rates

Funding Bodies & Industry Programs

Canada Council for the Arts
SOCAN Foundation
TD Incubator for Creative Entrepreneurship
Emerging Composers’ Mentorship Program
Screen Music Laboratory for Emerging Composers
Equity X Production Mentorship Program
Slaight Music Residency (Canadian Film Centre)
Women in the Studio National Accelerator (Music Publishers Canada)
Government of Canada’s Better Business Finder (database of federal and provincial support programs for entrepreneurs)
Canada Music Fund
Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR)
Musicaction

Visit the website of the music-industry association in your province or territory for details on the funding they offer to creators, as well as the main awards and grants offered by others in their province or territory (including government arts boards/councils and large private foundations).

Government Bodies, Legislation & Resources

Copyright Board of Canada
Canadian Intellectual Property Office
Canada Media Fund (CMF)
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
Copyright Act
Status of the Artist Act (federal)
Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11)
CRTC Canadian-content (“CanCon”) and French-language requirements
Information on GST/HST registration
Information on Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL)

International Bodies & Agreements

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
US Copyright Office
International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC)
EU Copyright Directive
Music Creators North America (MCNA)

The Value Gap: Information & Opinions

Digital Disruption: Modernizing the Income of Canadian Music Creators (Nordicity, prepared for the SCGC, S.A.C., and SPACQ)
“Music Creators Fight for Middle-Class Livelihoods” (Toronto Star)
Rebalancing the Song Economy (MIDiA Research and Björn Ulvaeus)
Music Streaming and Its Impact on Composers & Songwriters (European Composer & Songwriter Alliance)
Study on the Artists in the Digital Music Marketplace: Economic and Legal Considerations (WIPO)
Shifting Paradigms (House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage)
Canada’s Communications Future: Time to Act (Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel)

Buyouts: Information & Opinions

Defining, Understanding and Evaluating the Concept of “Buyouts” in the Transfer and Licensing of Copyrighted Musical Works (MCNA)
Your Music, Your Future International (CISAC)
Composers Against Buyouts (The Ivors Academy)
Works Made for Hire (US Copyright Office factsheet)
“New Buyout Clauses Raise Concerns for Music Creators” (The Society of Composers & Lyricists)
“TV and Film Composers Say Netflix, Other Streaming Services Insist on Buying Out Their Music Rights” (Hollywood Reporter)
“Discovery Buyouts: Music Industry Defends Composers’ Rights” (PRS for Music)
Royalties vs. Buyouts (video by União Brasileira de Compositores featuring members of CISAC; Your Music, Your Future; and other music creator advocacy organizations)

Videos & Infographics

The Role of a Music Publisher (video by Music Publishers Canada)
What Is a Copyright? (video by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada)
Canadian Audio-Visual Digital Royalties Explained (video by SOCAN)
Collective Management Organizations in Canada: Music Royalties Explained (infographic by CONNECT Music Licensing)

Other Resources

Grand Rights—Composing for Dance, Theatre, and Music Theatre (Canadian League of Composers)
Audiovisual Cue Sheet (SOCAN template, instructions, and FAQs)
Credits Due (focused on standardizing metadata for sound recordings)
“The Mechanics of Music Distribution” (Soundcharts Blog)
Words and Music (SOCAN blog)

Please note that the focus of this resource is on writers rather than performers. If you’re looking for career information specific to Canadian music performers, please visit the following sites:

Canadian Federation of Musicians (CFM)
La Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec (GMMQ)
Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS)
L’Association québécoise de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo (ADISQ)
Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA)
Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance (IPAA)
ADVANCE Music Canada (Canada’s Black music business collective)
L’Alliance nationale de l’industrie musicale (ANIM)
The Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR)
Musicaction
Canada’s Music Incubator (CMI)
Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA)
Canadian Actors’ Equity Association
l’Union des artistes (UDA)
Provincial and Territorial Industry Associations (Music Publishers Canada website)

Site Map

Trade Associations for Music Creators

Other Canadian Music Industry Associations & Organizations

Canadian Collective Societies for Music Creators & Performers

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advocacy Organizations

Anti-harassment, Bullying & Discrimination Resources

Mental Health & Relief Services for Music Industry Professionals