their sound recordings are used in TV or film.
This exemption applies only to performers
and makers and does not exist in many other
countries. CM: What are some of the key issues or
trends currently facing your members or
the Canadian music industry as a whole
that you’ll be focusing on throughout 2019?
CM: What are your ideal outcomes for some
of these initiatives, and how do you plan to
work towards them? ZC: First, copyright protection. S.A.C. advo-
cates for copyright reform and has taken
every step to assist the government with its
consultation and review of the Copyright Act.
Next is fair compensation. We conducted
research and presented “The Study Concern-
ing Fair Compensation for Music Creators in
the Digital Age” to top-level decision makers
and created Fair Trade Music to certify
transparency and fair remuneration along
the music value chain. We’re also focused on
ending harassment, and joined the Canadian
music community to support the Canadian
Creative Industries Code of Conduct to en-
sure a healthy culture with zero tolerance for
all forms of harassment. Finally, we’re cele-
brating diversity as the voice of creators that
unites the music community. We produce an
annual Black History Month series and live
broadcast performances for International
Women’s Day and PRIDE Week. S.A.C. is also
committed to pursuing gender parity on our
board of directors.
AA: Our goal is to ensure artists and record
labels are fairly compensated for their work.
These two issues impact rights holders
financially. Over the 20 years that the $1.25
million commercial radio exemption has
been in effect, it has cost a struggling music
industry and, specifically, performers and
makers a whopping $122 million in lost reve-
nue, while providing an unwarranted subsidy
to large and highly profitable commercial
radio corporations. The exclusion of record-
ed music used in TV and film in the definition
of a “sound recording” in the Copyright Act
costs performers and makers of sound re-
cordings approximately $45 million a year in
lost royalties in a time when the music in-
dustry is adjusting to new methods of music
consumption and declining sales of physical
records and downloads in favour of music
streaming. Re:Sound, supported by numer-
ous other organizations representing music
creators (including CFM, ACTRA, Artisti,
Music Canada, CIMA, and SOCAN) hopes to
see these two unfair exemptions removed as
a result of the current five-year review of the
Copyright Act.
Songwriters
Association
of Canada
Zoë
Cunningham
Executive
Director
The S.A.C. ex-
ists to nurture,
develop, and
protect the cre-
ative, business, and legal interests of music
creators in Canada and around the world.
www.songwriters.ca.
56 CANADIAN MUSICIAN
CM: What are your ideal outcomes for some
of these initiatives, and how do you plan to
work towards them?
ZC: The government should do what they
need to update, improve, enforce, and up-
hold copyright protection for creators, even
when under considerable pressure by tech
giants to reduce creator rights and in the
face of the review of the Copyright Act and
the Broadcast and Telecommunications
acts. We want Fair Trade Music to become
an international standard by collaborating
with all stakeholders to put enforceable
policies in place even for small non-profits,
small businesses, and individual performers --
policies that are understood as the standard
operations in all of the work spaces and re-
lationships that are really unique to creators.
Finally, the diversity celebrated in the music
community will be reflected in S.A.C. gover-
nance and programming.
Women in
Music
Canada
Samantha
Slattery
Chair &
Founder
Women in
Music is a
non-profit
organization
dedicated to
fostering gender equality throughout the
Canadian music industry.
www.womeninmusic.ca.
CM: What are some of the key issues or
trends currently facing your members or
the Canadian music industry as a whole
that you’ll be focusing on throughout 2019?
SS: The main challenges facing women in
the music industry are opportunity – both
professional and creative – compensation,
and inclusion. In the near future, we’ll be
focusing on creating and developing oppor-
tunities, mentorship programs, continual
learning, helping to make connections, and
advocating on various fronts to combat
these challenges.
CM: What are your ideal outcomes for some
of these initiatives, and how do you plan to
work towards them?
SS: Put simply, our goal is increased female
representation through all areas of the in-
dustry, in a fair and equitable way. We have a
number of initiatives currently on the go and
in development to encourage this outcome,
with the launch of our pilot entrepreneur
accelerator this spring at the forefront of our
efforts.
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Canadian
Musician.