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Music Canada welcomes Farah Mohamed to its Board of Directors

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Music Canada is proud to announce that Farah Mohamed has been elected an independent Director to the organization’s Board, effective immediately. Mohamed, who also serves as the Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, Policy & Public Affairs of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, brings a wealth of experience and insight to our organization. 

A social profit entrepreneur, Farah has worked tirelessly to engage the private sector, and government leaders, in a way that makes economic sense, to better address some of the most pressing issues facing our generation. 

In her prior role as the CEO of the Malala Fund, Farah advocated for resources and policy changes needed to give all girls a secondary education, investing in developing country educators and activists, and amplifying the voices of girls fighting for change. The fund invests in the future of girls and women with more than $8.6 million towards girls’ education programmes.

And as the founder of G(irls)20, Farah structured the globally active social enterprise in a manner similar to the G20, putting girls and women at the very heart of the organization and its advocacy.  G(irls)20 cultivates a new generation of female leaders through education, entrepreneurship and global experiences. It and its young female delegates provide advice to G20 Leaders on how to increase female labour force participation and how to economically engage girls and women to reach growth targets and through a new program, Canadian girls are trained, mentored, matched and place on a not for profit board.

As well, Farah was recruited by Canadian businesswoman and former MP Belinda Stronach to establish The Belinda Stronach Foundation (TBSF). Under Farah’s leadership, TBSF created and launched the Foundation’s flagship programs, including One Laptop Per Child for Aboriginal youth. She also oversaw the Foundation’s work in Liberia and a $1M humanitarian relief effort in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

Of Indian heritage, Farah was born and raised in Uganda before her family was uprooted and sought refuge in Canada. Her upbringing instilled her with a strong work ethic and keen sense of curiosity, which eventually culminated in her working in politics. For 10 years, Farah worked closely with some of Canada’s most senior politicians including Paddy Torsney and Anne McLellan. Post politics, Farah served as Vice President, Public Affairs and Community Engagement for VON Canada where she was successful in building government and private sector partnerships.

“Music Canada has an important role to play in representing an industry that plays a part in most, if not all, Canadian’s lives. As an independent Director to Music Canada’s Board, I look forward to supporting their mandate as an agent of change and a thought leader within the music community. I’m excited to to be able to work to engage all players across the music industry, from the private sector to government leaders, so that artists from coast to coast to coast and the industry is strong and vibrant for decades to come.” said Farah Mohamed.

“With today’s election of Farah Mohamed, the Music Canada Board gains incredible expertise in strategic partnerships, global to local government relations, and devising and executing innovative approaches to problem solving,” says Graham Henderson, President & CEO of Music Canada. “Farah’s election, together with last April’s election of independent Board Chair Jennifer Sloan, brings new insights and acumen to Music Canada’s Board – further elevating our organization.”

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Gil Moore presented with Music Canada’s Artist Advocate Award

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Music Canada is honoured to present Gil Moore, founding member of the multi-Platinum-certified band Triumph, and owner of the renowned Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, Ontario, as the recipient of the 2019 Artist Advocate Award. The award recognizes musicians and songwriters for their outstanding advocacy efforts to improve the livelihoods of music creators. The Mississauga-based musician has been active in the Canadian music industry for more than 40 years, with advocacy being a consistent theme throughout his career. 

Moore has long been a champion for policies to help support music creators and to improve the music ecosystem. He was an active voice for copyright reform as a board member of Balanced Copyright for Canada, a coalition of content creators, artists, and rights holders, and people who work in the creative industries, which advocated for copyright legislation that effectively protects artists and creators, later passed within the Copyright Modernization Act. 

Moore shared his passion for creators’ rights with his students at Metalworks Institute, and has invited Music Canada in to present town hall sessions on topics such as the Copyright Board. He also opened the warehouse of Metalworks Production Group for tours, allowing Music Canada to showcase the skilled workers and economic impact of the live music sector to policymakers in advocating for the Ontario Music Fund. 

“I’m very proud to receive this award today,” says Gil Moore. “But awards are not the reason I became an artist advocate – I am an advocate for music because I have seen firsthand how it can change lives. I’ve seen that in my own career as a performer, I’ve seen it with fans who are so passionate about the artists they love, and I’ve seen it with our students at Metalworks, who get into this business and invest in their careers because they love music and they are driven to succeed in this industry. I’ve also seen the way that music can empower a community, create jobs, and drive economic growth – and that is worth advocating for. Thank you to Graham and Music Canada for this recognition, and your continued efforts to grow the music sector.” 

Moore has also been active in advocacy as the Vice President of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Music & the Arts (CAAMA). He served previously as an Executive Board member of the Toronto Musician’s Association and also as a Vice President of The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). 

Gil was an inaugural inductee of the Mississauga Music Walk of Fame for his personal involvement in and contributions to the community. Over the past few years, along with the other members of Triumph, Gil has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Mississauga’s Legend’s Row, the Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame and the City of Mississauga named a street in the band’s honour, Triumph Lane. His passion for Metalworks and the music industry is boundless; he devotes much of his time to researching trends in music education and technology.

“Gil Moore has put Mississauga’s music scene on the map. We are eternally grateful for his efforts and pride he has brought to our City,” said Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “Gil consistently champions the power of music for job creation and growth, and as a member of our Economic Development Advisory Board, he has been instrumental in the creation of the first full-time music industry position at City Hall focused on music sector development. He possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of local music history, which he urges us all to recognize, preserve and celebrate. Because of his passion for music education and the founding of Metalworks Institute, Mississauga produces some of the world’s top musicians, sound technicians, and event experts. We are proud and lucky to have Gil in Mississauga.”

The award was presented today at Music Canada’s 2019 Symposium, taking place at the Great Hall in Toronto. Moore becomes the third recipient of the Artist Advocate Award; previous recipients include Loreena McKennitt and Miranda Mulholland. 

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Mind the (Value) Gap – Miranda Mulholland and Music Canada’s Graham Henderson appear on the Musonomics podcast

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On the latest episode of the popular podcast Musonomics, Music Canada President and CEO Graham Henderson, along with Miranda Mulholland, artist, label owner, festival founder and Chair of Music Canada’s Advisory Council, spoke with host Larry Miller about some of the major issues affecting the music industry today.

Musonomics is a twice-monthly podcast about the business of the music and culture industries. Hosted by Larry Miller and produced with support from the NYU Steinhardt Music Business Program, the program uses data, music and interviews with newsmakers and analysts to provide insight into what’s happening now — and what’s coming next in the world of music and beyond. 

In the podcast, Miller explores data contained in IFPI’s recent ‘Music Listening 2019’ report, which provides a comprehensive overview of music consumption trends from around the world. As Miller notes, global music listening continues to rise, with respondents reporting their listening habits being up to 18 hours per week. Engagement with audio streaming services also remains strong, with 64% of all respondents using a streaming service in the past month. 

Troublingly, the report also highlights the growing scale of listening via user-upload services – the greatest contributor to the Value Gap. Indeed, 77% of respondents reported using YouTube for music listening in the last music; globally, on-demand consumption via video streaming totalled 47%, dwarfing paid and ad-supported audio streaming services. The episode, entitled Mind the (Value) Gap, explores this very issue – a phenomenon that IFPI has called the biggest threat to the future sustainability of the music industry. 

During the episode, Henderson touches on the origin of the issue, describing the Value Gap as the result of a failure of legislation to keep pace with the changes in technology. The impact of this phenomenon has created a widening gulf between the growing revenues that platforms and user-upload services like YouTube gain from the existence of music on their services, and the value returned to the artists and labels who created and developed this creative content.

Henderson also outlines how outdated exemptions such as broad safe-harbour laws have prevented copyright creators and owners from being able to ensure that their work is not being commercialized without their consent by digital and online services. Indeed, as Mulholland vividly describes during the episode, no group has been as adversely affected by the Value Gap as artists.

Mulholland goes on to speak about the realities of working as an artist working within a framework where it is almost impossible to obtain fair remuneration for the monetization of one’s work on online platforms such as YouTube. She outlines how exemptions within Canadian copyright legislation has created this system: where musicians are effectively subsidizing technology companies, while – at the same time – receiving royalty payouts that are too meagre to subsist on alone.

To hear the rest of this fascinating discussion, you can find the episode on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, and other major podcasting services. 

Larry Miller will also be delivering a keynote address at Music Canada’s 2019 Symposium, taking place on Wednesday October 23rd. In his address, Miller will share insights from his 2019 report, Same Heart. New Beat. How Record Labels Amplify Talent in the Modern Music Marketplace, which examines the partnerships between record companies and artists. In particular, it outlines the evolution of label efforts to discover and market musical artists; how marketing plans differ and enhance opportunities for artists in a streaming world; the increasing role of data in label strategies; approaches undertaken by labels to build artist branding, and more. Miller will also reconnect with Mulholland and Henderson in a fireside chat following his keynote. 

 

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IFPI releases ‘Music Listening 2019’ report, providing a comprehensive look at rising music engagement in Canada and around the globe

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Today, IFPI, the organization representing recorded music worldwide, released Music Listening 2019, a comprehensive overview of music consumption trends from around the world. The report examines the ways in which music consumers aged 16 – 64 engage with recorded music across 21 countries. 

The report illustrates the growth of music listening around the world. Globally, music listening is up, with respondents typically spending 18 hours per week listening to music, up from 17.8 hours in 2018. This equates to approximately 2.6 hours per day, the equivalent of listening to 52 three-minute songs per day. 

Source: IFPI Music Listening 2019

This global surge in music listening is driven by fans’ love of music – more than 54% of respondents say they “love” or are “fanatical” about music. Canadians are among the world leaders in terms of passion for music – 59% of Canadians say they are music lovers or music fanatics, which is above the global average and the fourth-highest in the world. 

“This year’s report tells an exciting story of how fans are increasingly engaging with music,” said Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI. “At a time when multiple forms of media vie for fans’ attention, they are not only choosing to spend more of their time listening to – and engaging with – music but they are doing so in increasingly diverse ways.” 

The report presents a profile of music lovers, who listen to more music per week, and to listen on a greater variety of services and platforms. 

Consumers’ embrace of music streaming services is growing across all demographics, with the highest rate of growth for the use of streaming services coming from the 35 – 64 age group. 54% of that demographic reported using a music streaming service in the past month, an increase of 8% from 2018. 

Overall, 89% of respondents listen to music using an on-demand streaming service. The biggest reasons consumers enjoy these services include access to large catalogues of music, and the convenience of listening. 

Source: IFPI Music Listening 2019

The report also shows that copyright infringement remains a threat to the music ecosystem. 27% of respondents used copyright infringement as a way to listen to or obtain music in the past month. The most prevalent form of music piracy is illegal stream ripping services, which were used to access music by 23% of respondents. 

“The report also highlights that the availability of music through unlicensed methods, or copyright infringement, remains a real threat to the music ecosystem,” continued Moore. “Practices such as stream ripping are still prevalent and return nothing to those who create and invest in music. We continue to coordinate world-wide action to address this.”

Source: Closing the Value Gap: How to Fix Safe Harbours and Save the Creative Middle Class, Music Canada, 2019

The report also illustrates the scale of music listening via video services. Globally, 47% of on-demand streaming consumption is via video streaming, ahead of paid audio streaming (37%) and free audio streaming (15%). 77% of respondents said they used YouTube for music in the past month. 

This trend is concerning, as user-upload services like YouTube pay significantly lower royalty rates compared with other music streaming services.  This has a significant impact on artists’ and other rights holders’ incomes: plays on Spotify or Apple Music put dramatically more money in their pockets than the same number of plays on YouTube. The average annual revenue to rights holders per user is estimated by IFPI at under US$1 on YouTube, while on Spotify the comparative figure is US$20. 

Source: Closing the Value Gap: How to Fix Safe Harbours and Save the Creative Middle Class, Music Canada, 2019

The biggest cause of this discrepancy in royalty rates are provisions in Canada’s Copyright Act known as “safe harbours” that ad-supported user-upload services like YouTube claim as shelter from liability of responsibility for illegal activity. As examined in our recent report, Closing the Value Gap: How to Fix Safe Harbours and Save the Creative Middle Class, the prevalence of services such as YouTube depresses not only consumer demand for paid subscription services (that better compensate artists and other rights holders by orders of magnitude) but also royalties paid by those services. These effects are the result of substitution possibilities, such as when a service like YouTube, which profits enormously through the subsidy enabled by overly broad safe harbours, provides a free alternative to paid services.

This is why Music Canada supports the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage’s ground-breaking Shifting Paradigms report, which recommends to the government a series of actions that would help artists and the creative industries. The report tackles numerous weaknesses in Canada’s Copyright Act, identifying elements which have failed to keep pace with technology and the digital marketplace for music. Among its key recommendations which will bolster a functioning marketplace for creative works, the report recommends addressing Canada’s broad safe harbour laws, eliminating or narrowing exemptions from the Act that prevent creators from being fairly compensated, combating modern forms of piracy (like stream ripping) and strengthening the enforcement of Canada’s copyright laws.

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Haviah Mighty wins 2019 Polaris Music Prize

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Community Development Program participants applaud her performance and album

On September 16, Haviah Mighty won the 2019 Polaris Music Prize for her album, 13th Floor. The Prize recognizes the best Canadian album of the year based on artistic merit without regard to genre, sales history or label affiliation, as determined by the Polaris Grand Jury. 

“For me the 13th Floor is something that we remove from our reality because it is something that we don’t understand and therefore we dismiss it,” said Mighty in a Polaris release. “This is very parallel to so many of the experiences that I speak on, on this album. I’m in a room with so many different people from so many different walks of life who have acknowledged that this is something they feel is important. These people don’t necessarily share the narratives that I do or the walks of life that I have, and yet, here we are, finally on what I believe is the 13th Floor. This is the moment of resurgence where the dismissal that has existed is now being removed, and the discussion is being had. I’m so grateful that the people around me push me to be brave enough to speak my truth and to have it be acknowledged in this way.”

The Prize was awarded at the Polaris Prize Gala, held at the historic Carlu in Toronto, which featured performances by nine of the 10 Polaris Short List nominees. The Gala featured performances by Marie Davidson, Elisapie, FET.NAT, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Les Louanges, Haviah Mighty, PUP, Shad and Snotty Nose Rez Kids. Short-lister Jessie Reyez was also in attendance. 

Among the audience attendees were 40 engaged music creators, entrepreneurs and change makers, who took part in the Polaris Community Development Program (CDP), presented by Music Canada. Launched in 2018, the program partners with Canadian not-for-profit music organizations each year to improve equity and representation in the Canadian music industry to support and develop the music community. 

Participating organizations in the 2019 Community Development Program included: 

POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE GALA 2019
Carlu, Toronto. September 16, 2019
Photo by Dustin Rabin

  • Honey Jam
  • The Indigenous Music Alliance
  • The Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance
  • Lula World
  • Manifesto
  • Native Women in the Arts
  • The Remix Project
  • SoundCheck Youth
  • U for Change
  • Urban Arts

Two of the participating organizations had alumni represented on the Polaris Prize Short List.

Jessie Reyez joined The Remix Project program in 2014, and was a graduate of Round 11.0 of the program. 

“I always feel honoured every time I talk about the Remix Project because it’s done so much for me,” said Reyez in 2018, shortly after being nominated for four JUNO Awards. “The program and that formula works — if you go in there and you do what you’re supposed to do and you don’t waste the opportunity.”

Haviah Mighty participated in the Honey Jam showcase in 2011, 2012, and 2015. 

“For those who think they can wing a performance, I learned from Elaine that there is so much more that goes into being a strong performer,” said Mighty in a recent Toronto Star article. “(Professional musicians) understand exactly what they want to look like onstage. Nothing is a whim. My live performance is what garnered the interest of my team, my booking agent, my management.”

Prior to the Gala, participants took part in a brief information session, creating an opportunity for participants to connect with Music Canada and Polaris staff, media, and other community members in a welcoming environment. 

A selection of social media reaction from participants is included below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2jl0h4heYC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2he9vNnG0h/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2hTo1HHxZ2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

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Music Canada welcomes Erica Meekes as Director of PR and Events

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New appointment positions Music Canada to amplify its groundbreaking music sector research and advocacy among media, industry stakeholders, and other key audiences domestically and internationally

Toronto, September 16, 2019: Music Canada, who represents the world’s leading music companies, is pleased to welcome Erica Meekes as Director, Public Relations and Events. 

Music Canada’s members – Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada, and Warner Music Canada – are at the heart of Canada’s music scene, combining creativity, entrepreneurship and cutting edge digital innovation to support Canadian artists and bring great music to fans across the country and the world. Music Canada helps our members to create conditions for a strong and dynamic music economy in Canada. Collaborating with Canadian artists and our allies across the music industry, we advocate on their behalf with policy makers and elected officials at all levels of government; offering positive, innovative and achievable solutions grounded in our research.

“Music Canada consistently raises the bar with our robust policy solutions backed by world-class research,” said Graham Henderson, President & CEO of Music Canada. “With her extensive experience in public relations and event management, Erica will amplify our advocacy both here and around the world.” 

In this newly created role, Meekes will report to Patrick Rogers, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, and will work in collaboration with Quentin Burgess, Director of Communications, who will continue his strong work in the development of communications strategies and research. 

“I am excited to join the skilled and passionate team at Music Canada and to bring our message to key audiences,” says Erica Meekes. “Music Canada’s members are driven by a passion for music and their dedication to the artists who create it. I look forward to using my passion for storytelling to share Music Canada’s research and advocacy initiatives in ways that resonate with fans, industry stakeholders, and policymakers.” 

 

For more information:
Quentin Burgess, Music Canada
qburgess@musiccanada.com
+1 (647) 981-8410

 

About Music Canada
Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that represents the major record companies in Canada: Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., Universal Music Canada Inc., and Warner Music Canada Co. Music Canada also works with some of the leading independent record labels and distributors, recording studios, live music venues, concert promoters, managers and artists in the promotion and development of the music cluster.

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Polaris Music Prize and Music Canada announce the return of the Polaris Community Development Program

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September 10, 2019, Toronto: Polaris Music Prize and Music Canada have announced the return of the Polaris Community Development Program. Launched in 2018, the program partners with Canadian not-for-profit music organizations each year to support and develop the music community by eliminating barriers to access for engaged music creators, entrepreneurs and change makers.

The 2019 participants are made up of not-for-profit organizations that help improve equity and representation within the music community through their programming. 

Each participating organization will receive tickets to the Polaris Music Prize Gala to distribute to individuals who directly impact or participate in the organization’s music programming, courtesy of Music Canada. The program also includes opportunities for participants to take a behind-the-scenes look at the Gala production and connect with Polaris staff, media, and other community members pre-event. 

“Through our partnership with Music Canada, the Community Development Program helps ensure that the community organizations that help develop artists can attend the Gala, and build further connections within the industry,” says Steve Jordan, Founder and Executive Director of the Polaris Music Prize. “Several Polaris nominated artists have taken part in these organizations, so making sure they are represented at the Gala is important to us.”

“Music Canada is proud to support the Polaris Community Development Program, which helps build connections between artist entrepreneurs and other change makers in the creative sphere,” says Sarah Hashem, Music Canada’s Vice President, Strategic Initiatives. “Inviting community not-for-profit organizations to attend and meet industry peers in a welcoming environment is part of our commitment to improving equitable practices within the music sector.”

Participating organizations in the 2019 Community Development Program include: 

  • Honey Jam
  • The Indigenous Music Alliance
  • The Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance
  • Lula World
  • Manifesto
  • Native Women in the Arts
  • The Remix Project
  • SoundCheck Youth
  • U for Change
  • Urban Arts

The 2019 Polaris Music Prize Gala takes place on Monday, September 16th at The Carlu in Toronto. Canadian non-profits interested in participating in the 2020 Community Development Program are encouraged to contact Claire Dagenais at claire.dagenais@polarismusicprize.ca.

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For more information:

Quentin Burgess, Music Canada
qburgess@musiccanada.com
+1 (647) 981-8410

 

 

About Polaris Music Prize
Polaris Music Prize Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that annually honours and rewards artists who produce Canadian music albums of distinction. A select panel of music critics then judge and award the Prize without regard to musical genre or commercial popularity. For more on the Polaris Music Prize, please visit www.polarismusicprize.ca.

 

About Music Canada
Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that represents the major record companies in Canada: Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada and Warner Music Canada. Music Canada also works with some of the leading independent record labels and distributors, recording studios, live music venues, concert promoters, managers and artists in the promotion and development of the music cluster. For more on Music Canada, please visit www.musiccanada.com.

 

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Le Prix de musique Polaris et Music Canada annoncent le retour du Programme de développement de la communauté

10 septembre 2019, Toronto : Le Prix de musique Polaris et Music Canada annoncent le retour du Programme de développement de la communauté Polaris. Lancé en 2018, ce programme s’associe chaque année avec des organismes musicaux canadiens sans but lucratif pour appuyer et favoriser le développement de la communauté musicale en éliminant les obstacles auxquels font face les créateurs de musique engagés, les entrepreneurs et les artisans du changement.

Les participants de 2019 sont tous des organismes sans but lucratif qui contribuent à l’amélioration de l’équité et de la représentation au sein de la communauté musicale par le biais de la programmation.

Chaque organisation participante recevra des billets offerts par Music Canada pour le Gala du Prix de musique Polaris qu’elle distribuera à des personnes qui ont un impact direct ou participent activement à la programmation musicale de leur organisation. Le programme comporte également la possibilité, pour les participants, de découvrir les coulisses de la production du Gala et de rencontrer le personnel du Prix de musique Polaris ainsi que des représentants des médias et d’autres membres de la communauté avant l’événement.

« Grâce à notre partenariat avec Music Canada, le Programme de développement de la communauté aide à faire en sorte que les organisations communautaires qui participent au développement d’artistes puissent assister au Gala et établir de nouveaux liens à l’intérieur de l’industrie », souligne Steve Jordan, fondateur et directeur exécutif du Prix de musique Polaris. « Plusieurs finalistes du Prix Polaris ont participé aux travaux de ces organisations, donc il est important pour nous de nous assurer qu’ils soient représentés au Gala. »

« Music Canada est fière d’appuyer le Programme de développement de la communauté Polaris, qui aide à établir des liens entre les artistes-entrepreneurs et d’autres artisans du changement dans la sphère créative », ajoute Sarah Hashem, vice-présidente, initiatives stratégiques, à Music Canada. « Le fait d’inviter les organisations sans but lucratif de la communauté à assister au Gala et à rencontrer leurs pairs de l’industrie dans un environnement accueillant s’inscrit dans notre engagement envers l’amélioration des pratiques équitables au sein du secteur de la musique. » 

Les organisations qui participeront au Programme de développement de la communauté 2019 sont notamment :

  • Honey Jam
  • The Indigenous Music Alliance
  • The Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance
  • Lula World
  • Manifesto
  • Native Women in the Arts
  • The Remix Project
  • SoundCheck Youth
  • U for Change
  • Urban Arts

 

Le Gala du Prix de musique Polaris se déroulera le lundi 16 septembre 2019 au Carlu, à Toronto. Les organisations canadiennes sans but lucratif intéressées à participer au Programme de développement de la communauté 2020 sont invitées à communiquer avec Claire Dagenais au claire.dagenais@polarismusicprize.ca.

– 30 –

Pour de plus amples renseignements :

Quentin Burgess, Music Canada
qburgess@musiccanada.com
+1 (647) 981-8410

 

Au sujet du Prix de musique Polaris
Le Prix de musique Polaris est une organisation à but non lucratif qui honore et récompense annuellement les artistes ayant créé des albums de musique canadiens de renom. Un groupe sélectionné de critiques musicaux jugent et décernent le Prix sans considération pour le genre musical ou la popularité commerciale. Pour plus d’information sur le Prix de Musique Polaris, veuillez vous rendre sur www.prixdemusiquepolaris.ca.

Au sujet de Music Canada

Music Canada est une organisation sans but lucratif qui représente les grandes maisons de disques au Canada : Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada et Warner Music Canada. Music Canada collabore également à la promotion et au développement de la musique canadienne indépendante en collaboration avec certains des principaux acteurs de l’industrie de la musique au Canada : étiquettes, distributeurs, studios d’enregistrement, lieux de spectacles, promoteurs de concerts, gérants et artistes. Pour plus d’information sur Music Canada, veuillez vous rendre sur www.musiccanada.com.

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Music Canada calls on Government of Canada to Fix Safe Harbours to Close the Value Gap and Save the Creative Middle Class

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June 26, 2019, Toronto: In a new report, Music Canada is calling for the Government of Canada to rebalance the music marketplace and restore fairness to the creators of music. The report, titled Closing the Value Gap: How to Fix Safe Harbours and Save the Creative Middle Class, was released by Music Canada President and CEO Graham Henderson today at a sold-out address before the Economic Club of Canada. 

The report builds on Music Canada’s previous findings from the 2017 report, The Value Gap: Its Origins, Impacts and a Made-in-Canada Approach, which first identified the existence of a gap in value of creative content and the revenues returned to the artists who create it. A broken copyright framework, ill-adapted to the challenges of the digital age, is now generally recognized as the cause of the Value Gap.

“The origins of the Value Gap can be found more than 20 years ago. It was the dawning of the digital marketplace, and countries around the world struggled to reinterpret copyright laws that were designed for an analog age,” says Graham Henderson, President and CEO of Music Canada. “They wanted to protect creators, but they also wanted to give a boost to young technological start-ups. Inevitably, perhaps understandably, mistakes were made.”

New economic evidence confirms that the Value Gap in Canada continues to grow, with staggering figures that show the discrepancy between what artists make and what they create:

  •     $19.3 billion: the cumulative Canadian recorded music industry Value Gap over 20 years since 1997.
  •     $1.6 billion: the music industry Value Gap in Canada in 2017 alone.
  •     $82 million: the average annual increase in the music industry Value Gap in Canada between 1997 and 2017.

Supported by the data and the experiences of hardships that musicians currently face, Music Canada joins Parliament’s Heritage Committee in proposing solutions to improve Canada’s copyright framework to better ensure that creators are paid when their work is commercialized by others. From clarifying safe harbours, to addressing the responsibilities of user-upload services, to eliminating the commercial radio royalty exemption and clarifying the definition of “sound recordings”, to creating a temporary fund for private copying, these recommendations would ensure fair compensation for artists and reduce the Value Gap.

“Canadian artists deserve a sustainable and working marketplace for their work,” says artist and record label owner Miranda Mulholland, who also serves as Chair of Music Canada’s Advisory Council. “Artists have been speaking up about the need to close the Value Gap, and our industry speaks in a unified voice on this issue. We need to end broad safe harbours and stop subsidizing billionaires who are commercializing the work of others without fair compensation. This report lays out the steps to fix our broken copyright framework and restore fairness to the creators of music.”

“Closing the Value Gap definitively sets out the economic evidence surrounding the size and growth of the Value Gap and provides clear, achievable recommendations to fix it,” Henderson adds. “The report draws focus to the main cause of the Value Gap in Canada: broad safe harbour laws in the Copyright Act. Two Parliamentary Committees in Canada have recommended reviewing Canada’s safe harbour laws. Now is the time to rebalance the ledger and restore fairness to the marketplace for creators.”

Download Report

Corey Poole, Music Canada
cpoole@musiccanada.com
+1 (647) 808-7359

 

About Music Canada

Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that represents the major record companies in Canada:  Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada and Warner Music Canada. Music Canada also works with some of the leading independent record labels and distributors, recording studios, live music venues, concert promoters, managers and artists in the promotion and development of the music cluster.

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Music Canada’s Graham Henderson to address the Economic Club of Canada on ‘Closing the Value Gap’

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On Wednesday, June 26th, Music Canada President and CEO Graham Henderson will deliver a keynote address at the Economic Club of Canada on Closing the Value Gap: How to Fix Safe Harbours & Save the Creative Middle Class.

Music Canada is also pleased to welcome Julie Dabrusin, Member of Parliament for Toronto-Danforth and Chair of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, for a fireside chat about the action that Music Canada is taking on a variety of fronts including diversity and inclusion.

The event description reads: 

In his return to the Economic Club, Music Canada President and CEO Graham Henderson will be releasing Music Canada’s latest report, Closing the Value Gap: How to Fix Safe Harbours and Save the Creative Middle Class.

This new report follows up on Music Canada’s 2017 groundbreaking report, The Value Gap: Its Origins, Impacts and a Made-in-Canada Approach. Since that report, two Parliamentary Committees have reviewed the Copyright Act, governments around the world are identifying the Value Gap and its risk to creative industries, and creators are speaking up to ensure that they are remunerated fairly when their works are commercialized by others.  

Following a speech unveiling the report, Graham Henderson will also discuss the action Music Canada is taking on a variety of fronts including diversity and inclusion to ensure that Music Canada is a leader and agent of change with respect to business and social issues impacting the music community both domestically and internationally.

The event runs from 11:30am to 1:30pm at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. To purchase tickets, please visit the Economic Club of Canada’s website.

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Music Canada statement on the release of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology Report

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Yesterday, the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology tabled its report, entitled Statutory Review of the Copyright Act, which now concludes the review of the Copyright Act undertaken by that Committee and the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

Yesterday’s report from the Industry Committee includes important recommendations to narrow the radio royalty exemption, review safe harbour provisions, extend the term of copyright for musical works and review the private copying regime.

These recommendations, together with the recommendations made in the report from the Heritage Committee on artist and creative sector remuneration, have set the stage for legislative change which will help restore Canada’s middle class of artists and close the Value Gap for the broader cultural industries.

“It is unfortunate that the Industry Committee chose not to take into account the May 15th report from the Heritage Committee or the testimony from creators that contributed to the Heritage Report,” says Music Canada President and CEO Graham Henderson.“If they had, they would have found the Heritage Committee’s Shifting Paradigms report provides clear answers to their outstanding questions.”

“We look forward to working with the Government to reform the Copyright Act as soon as possible to ensure the framework allows creators to be fairly remunerated for their work when it’s commercialized by others.”

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