[Opinion] Quebec artists are entitled to their fair share

SOCAN and the inequity towards Quebec creators

We recently learned that an application for authorization of a class action would be brought against the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), the only public performance rights collective for music that collects royalties from radio stations in Canada to authorize the broadcasting of songs.

SOCAN’s mission is to distribute the monies it collects equitably among authors, composers and their publishers across Canada. However, it is clear that Quebec was under-represented for several years in SOCAN’s distribution methods.

This class action therefore aims to obtain financial compensation estimated at approximately $2 million, to compensate for the losses suffered by Quebec music creators and publishers.

This is a shortfall of 45% of the royalties that SOCAN should have paid for musical works broadcast on radio in Quebec between 2019 and 2020. In 2021, SOCAN, recognizing the inequity of its calculation methods, corrected the situation of the under‐representation of Quebec. Despite everything, it refuses to financially compensate creators and publishers in Quebec for the years prior to 2021.

We are part of these creators. We are these lovers and lovers of all music. We are these veterans of the song or these proud representatives of the next generation. We are the architects of this musical effervescence that can be heard on the airwaves of Quebec radios.

Our culture can only survive if all creators receive, without compromise, from their management company all the royalties that are rightfully theirs.

This is why we are asking SOCAN to act fairly and compensate Quebec creators and publishers so that they get their fair share for the years 2019 and 2020.

* The author co-signs this letter with Corneille, Cœur de Pirate, Elisapie, Louise Forestier, Klô Pelgag, Ariane Moffatt, Marie Denise Pelletier, Marjo, Richard Séguin, Florent Vollant, Gilles Vigneault and Vincent Vallières.

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