Canadian Musician November / December 2019

Re:Sound’s International Revenue Is Up While Private Copying Revenues Plummet Re:Sound, the performing rights organization for Canadian labels and perform- ing musicians, has released its 2018 annual report, which details its financial performance for the previous year. It indicates Re:Sound collected $50.6 million last year, which is down slightly from $53.4 million in 2017. The organization did see a big boost in international collections, but domestic collections remained flat and the overall decrease is the result of a big drop in revenues from the Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC). Re:Sound received a 39 per cent boost in international collections over 2017 for a new high of $9,622,273. As well, the PRO’s distributions to right- sholders in 2018 totaled $47.2 million, which is Re:Sound’s largest-ever distri- bution. As well, the organization says its costs declined approximately four per cent in 2018. But while international collections increased substantially, domestic income from neighbouring rights remained flat, being $38.4 million in 2018 compared to $38.58 million in 2017. One area of significant declines was private copying revenues from the CPCC, which dropped from $7.5 million in 2017 to just $900,000 in 2018. The CPCC collects tariffs on the sale of blank recording media, such as blank CDs and cassettes, which have become much less popular in the streaming era. In other Re:Sound news, Ian MacKay, its president since 2009, will be leaving the organization at the end of the year. For more information, go to 2018.resound.ca/en/financials. In October 2019, more than 200 musicians and industry professionals in Quebec signed an open letter addressed to the province’s government demanding that it act to improve the compensa- tion rightsholders receive from streaming services. The group behind the letter is the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expression, which wants cultural protections, such as Canadian content regulations, that have tradi- tionally been applied to broadcasters to also be applied in some form to on- line entertainment services operating in Canada, such as Spotify and Netflix. “It is estimated that one million online listening sessions generate about $5,000, a paltry sum already, but one that must still be shared by authors, composers, performers, and music professionals,” the letter states, adding that the legislative framework has not kept up with the arrival of dominant, non-Canadian streaming services. “While these companies have become ma- jor players in our industry, they continue to prosper without having to worry about our laws – and this goes far beyond tax unfairness.” Among the signatories are artists Pierre Lapointe, Ariane Moffatt, and LOUD, along with industry leaders from SOCAN, AFM/CFM, CIMA, and the Songwriters Association of Canada. To read the letter, go to www.cdec-cdce.org/en. 12 CANADIAN MUSICIAN Music Canada & Major Labels Announce MusiCounts Scholarship in Honour of Deane Cameron Music Canada, in partnership with the major labels it represents – Universal, Sony, and Warner – is launching a new MusiCounts scholarship in honour of Canadian music industry icon Deane Cameron, who passed away in May of this year at the age of 65. The scholarship is intended for young Indige- nous professionals who are completing post-second- ary studies in the areas of music performance, music business, or music pro- duction, and who plan to enter the workforce within the next 12 months. It will DEANE CAMERON give them the connec- tions, skills, and resources needed to jump-start their career in music. Three Indigenous youth will receive a MusiCounts Scholarship in 2020 thanks to a $15,000 pledge. MusiCounts is working with Indspire to identify Indigenous Canadian youth who will benefit most from the program. For full details on MusiCounts’ Scholarship programs, go to www.musicounts.ca/programs-overview/ scholarships/. PHOTO: JAG Hundreds of Quebec Musicians & Industry Pros Demand Government Action Against Streaming Services CHANGES

Canadian Musician November / December 2019 | Page 12