An historic agreement has been reached between Re:Sound Music Licensing Company and SoundExchange to ensure that Canadian rights holders receive royalties from US uses of their work licensed by SoundExchange. The agreement covers all Canadian rights holders signed to AVLA, ACTRA, Artisti, MROC, and SOPROQ.
 
“This agreement unlocks new sources of revenue for AVLA members and is an important step forward in our Canada-US relationship,” says Graham Henderson, President of AVLA.  “Canadian labels and performers will now be able to collect royalties accumulated from the use of their recordings on US satellite radio stations like SIRIUS XM, internet radio stations, streaming services and cable TV music channels south of the border.  Most importantly, they don’t have to join SoundExchange in order to do this, but as a result of the bilateral agreement, can collect their earnings through the organization in Canada to which they already belong.”
 
The first distribution to rights holders will occur in 2013.
 
Bilateral agreements of this kind are an important source of future revenue.  Hopefully, this is the first of many agreements of its kind with countries around the world who are signatories of the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT).