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SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada/Société canadienne des auteurs, compositeurs et éditors de musique). Organization established in 1990 as a not-for-profit corporation based on an agreement dated 10 Oct 1989, which set out the terms and conditions for a merger of the operations of CAPAC and PRO Canada. SOCAN is a collective, administering performing rights according to the distinctive treatment accorded to it in the Canadian Copyright Act. Its policies and activities are controlled by a board of directors elected biannually by the society's members.
SOCAN had about 47,600 members in 1991, comprising 39,800 writers (songwriters, composers, lyricists) and 7,800 music publishers, who assign the performing rights in their copyright works to SOCAN to enable the society to collect and distribute royalties on their behalf. Fees are collected from those who make public use of music in Canada (radio and TV broadcasters, concert halls, clubs, theatres, cinemas, etc.) and SOCAN distributes the net royalty income, after deducting operating expenses, to those whose music is played. Through reciprocal agreements with 36 other societies representing more than 100 countries, the repertoire that SOCAN administers in Canada includes virtually the entire world's copyright music, except large stage works that are covered by 'grand rights' that have to be negotiated with the publisher or other copyright holder. Thus, through their SOCAN licences, music users acquire access to that repertoire and an easy way to clear and pay for the use of that music in public. The amounts of fees collected by SOCAN from its more than 20,000 licensees are set by a government-appointed Copyright Board, authorized by legislation that forms part of the Canadian Copyright Act. By international treaties (the Berne Convention and Universal Copyright Convention), to which Canada is a signator, SOCAN treats the foreign repertoire assigned to it in exactly the same way it applies its rules to the Canadian repertoire. Similarly, foreign societies collect royalties within their countries for the use of Canadian repertoire and forward the earnings to SOCAN for distribution to SOCAN members. The board of directors comprises composers and songwriters. Directors not only hire the senior executives, set policies, and establish distribution rules, they also inform the general membership about developments in copyright law and practices, SOCAN's activities and programs, and other developments of interest. The principal vehicle is the quarterly newsletter Words and Music/ Paroles et Musique (discontinued periodicals include Probe/Le Milieu and the quarterly magazine Canadian Composer/Le Compositeur canadien). In pursuit of its mandate to preserve, protect, and promote the rights of its members, the SOCAN Foundation was formed in 1992. The foundation is an independent organization guided by its own board of directors comprised of composers, songwriters, and music publishers. The board initiates programs to encourage more frequent performances of Canadian works both in Canada and abroad. It offers grant support for publications, educational initiatives, composer residencies, international showcasing, music industry associations, CD promotion, music concert series, and folk and jazz festivals. The foundation conducts workshops and seminars, presents plaques to honour members during the annual SOCAN awards, runs various competitions, publishes informational brochures and pamphlets, and develops other such projects. One of the signators to the original merger agreement was the Music Promotion Foundation, which held the PRO Canada shares and title to the land on which that organization's building stood. Through the sale of this land to SOCAN, an endowment was created that expends its earnings on the promotion of the interests of Canadian music creators through educational and other programs intended to make the general public more aware of Canadian creators and their rightful place in our society. These projects complement SOCAN's own direct promotional efforts. SOCAN's head office is housed in a new building erected on the site of the old PRO Canada headquarters in Don Mills, Ont. Offices are also maintained in Montreal, Vancouver, Dartmouth, NS, and Edmonton. The senior officers at the time of the founding of SOCAN were Jan V. Matejcek, chief executive officer and former president and general manager of PRO Canada; and Michael R. Rock, chief operating officer and former general manager of CAPAC. Paul Spurgeon acts as in-house legal counsel. In 1990 SOCAN's revenues were placed into five distribution pools: Television, Radio and General, Concert, Cinema, and Foreign Income, the last representing payments from foreign societies that are passed directly to the Canadian members who earned them. Distributions from the other four pools are made to members of both Canadian and foreign societies according to SOCAN rules, based on performance information received and analysed by SOCAN. Mindful of the effective roles played by its predecessors in the shaping of the Copyright Act, the Canadian content rules in broadcasting and other matters of vital concern to the musical well-being of the country, SOCAN continues to play a prominent role in the development of law reform, broadcasting regulations, Canada's international copyright positions, taxes, cultural policies, and all other issues affecting the welfare of its members.
Author
Louis Applebaum, Christopher Moore
Bibliography
Matejcek, J.V. History of BMI Canada Ltd. and PROCAN: Their Role in Canadian Music and in the Formation of SOCAN (1940-1990) (Toronto 1996). Québec (Province). Droit d'auteur et executions publiques d'oeuvres musicales: renouvellement de l'entente financière entre le ministère de l'éducation et la société canadienne des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique (SOCAN) Montreal: Ministère de l'éducation du Québec, 1999.
Links to Other Sites
Billboard
The top music charts from the music industry publication "Billboard." Also, using search terms "Canadian" and your favourite genre or artist, search this site for the latest news about the Canadian music scene.
RPM
With this online collection of digitized charts from RPM, visitors can check out the rankings of their favourite tunes of yesteryear. From Library and Archives Canada.
Furore
“Furore” publishes the works of women composers from all historical periods. Their website features information about sheet music, CDs, books, profiles of women composers, and more.
SOCAN
The website for SOCAN, the Canadian copyright collective that serves composers, authors and publishers. Check out "SOCAN Interactive" for videos and audio clips featuring Canadian performers. Also find news about current programs and events, online articles from "Words & Music" and the "Customer Newsletter," and more.
It Came From Canada
An extensive information source about Canadian music and musicians. Features performer profiles, music clips, podcasts, and more.
Essays by John Beckwith
Two essays about the founding of the SOCAN and the current state of new classical music in Canada. Click on the links for a biography and audio clips of Beckwith’s music. From the website for the Canadian Music Centre.
Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd.
The Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. (CMRRA) is a non-profit music licensing agency, which represents the vast majority of music copyright owners (usually called music publishers) doing business in Canada.
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| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
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| Hamilton, H.C. (Henry Cooke). Composer, writer, organist-choirmaster, b England 24 Jan 1881, d Sudbury, Ont, 23 Mar 1975. Raised in Ireland and in the USA, Hamilton was taken to Mimico (Toronto) as a youth and later studied at ... |
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