Administration of your rights
In Canada, the Copyright Act grants to the maker of a sound recording or a music video, the sole right to do the following in relation to the sound recording or music video: to publish it, to reproduce it or to rent it out. These rights may be subsequently transferred to the benefit of the person who becomes the owner of the master recording.
Your rights
The copyright owner of a published sound recording cannot authorize or prohibit its public performance or communication to the public. In return, he is entitled to be paid an “equitable remuneration” for this performance or communication to the public.
Similarly, he cannot prohibit its reproduction for private use and, in return, is entitled to receive remuneration for those copies made of sound recordings. For other types of reproduction, the copyright owner has the right to authorize or prohibit them.
Term
The copyright in a sound recording subsists until the end of 50 years after the end of the calendar year in which the first fixation occurs. However, if it is published before the copyright expires, the copyright continues until the end of 70 years after the end of the calendar year in which the first publication occurs and the end of 100 years after the end of the calendar year of its first fixation.
Since its creation in 1991, Soproq has paid over 125 000 000$ in royalties to its members.
Distribution of royalties by type of rights | 2015-2020
83%
Equitable remuneration
13%
Reproduction
3%
Private copying
1%
Music video
By becoming a Soproq member, you will be able to receive royalties under the following rights:
Equitable remuneration
The right to equitable remuneration (RE) provides a remuneration for the public performance or communication to the public by telecommunication of sound recordings. As such, when your sound recordings are broadcast on the radio, as background music in establishments, during events, etc. royalties are payable by the services that use them.
Private copying
The right from the private copying (CP) regime provides a remuneration, in particular to makers, for the reproduction of sound recordings for private use on blank audio recording media (CD-R, CD-RW, CD-R audio and CD-RW audio).
Reproduction and music video
The reproduction (Repro) right allows royalties to be received when Soproq authorizes music services (background music suppliers, radio broadcasters, webcasters, pay audio services, etc.) to reproduce for broadcast purposes the sound recordings or music videos (VD) in its repertoire.