CHANGES
( L-R ) SOCAN ’ S STAN MEISSNER , ERIC BAPTISTE & GENEVIÈVE CÔTÉ , SONGWRITER ALEX NEVSKY , PM-DESIGNATE JUSTIN TRUDEAU , SONGWRITER SARAH SLEAN & FORMER LIBERAL HERITAGE CRITIC STÉPHANE DION .
SOCAN & CIMA Optimistic About Liberal Government Promises
The newly-elected majority Liberal government , led by Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau , made some significant promises to the arts and culture communities on the campaign trail . It is with those promises in mind that SOCAN and CIMA have spoken optimistically about working with the new federal government .
The Liberal Party ’ s platform contained a number of new promises relevant to musicians , songwriters , and other artists , including those to :
• invest $ 150 million in new annual funding for CBC / Radio-Canada ;
• double investment in the Canada Council for the Arts to $ 360 million per year ;
• invest nearly $ 6 billion over the next four years and almost $ 20 billion over 10 years in cultural infrastructure ;
• restore the Promart and Trade Routes international cultural promotion programs ;
• extend protection for compositions and songs for composers and songwriters from the life of the composer plus 70 years ( currently 50 years );
• a review of the Copyright Modernization Act with more emphasis on creators ’ views .
“ The Liberals have made a commitment to work with SOCAN and other stakeholders in our industry in an effort to broaden copyright term extension and apply it to authors , songwriters , and publishers in addition to sound recordings or to address the unreasonably long time the Copyright Board needs to make its decisions , especially in relation to digital services ,” says SOCAN CEO Eric Baptiste . “ We ’ re optimistic that these consultations will lead to balanced policies that ensure content creators are fairly compensated for their work , and we ’ ll be working hard to make sure that the new government lives up to these commitments .”
As well , the Canadian Independent Music Association ( CIMA ) released a statement saying it is excited about the Liberal Government ’ s policies that support the music industry ’ s strategic goals of promoting and exporting artists and music domestically and globally , specifically referencing the Promart and Trade Routes international cultural promotion programs in particular . “ This new Liberal government ’ s investment of $ 25 million annually will serve to ‘ reinstate culture as part of our foreign diplomacy ,’ ensuring that Canadian artists can be heard around the globe ,” says CIMA . The association also says that a review of the Copyright Act and Copyright Board are top priorities .
12 • CANADIAN MUSICIAN