Canadian Musician September / October 2019 | Page 10

INDIE
INSIDER
GETTING PERFORMING ARTISTS THEIR MONEY
ACTRA RACS, Artisti & MROC:
Which Is the Right Choice for You?
By Michael Raine
labels, Connect and SOPROQ. On behalf of
its members, Re:Sound files tariffs with the
Copyright Board to establish royalty rates, and
collects the royalties from broadcasters and
public venues.
B
ack in 1997, a significant
change was made to the
Copyright Act of Canada
that altered the equation for
public performance royal-
ties, which are paid when a recorded
song is used on TV, radio, movies, ads,
or in public performances. The change
made the equation more complicated,
but also fairer. It essentially, for the
first time, allowed featured musicians
and vocalists, background and session
musicians/singers, and record labels to
collect a share of performance royalties
from the public use of recorded songs.
Prior to this amendment, only credited
songwriters and publishers earned
performance royalties.
Prior to 1997, SOCAN was already
established to collect and distribute
performance royalties to songwriters,
composers, and publishers. But since
performers and labels were newly-
granted the right to earn performance
royalties, new entities had to be cre-
ated. This resulted in the creation of
the Neighbouring Rights Collective of
Canada (NRCC), which is now called
Re:Sound. In order to collect their
earned performance royalties, musi-
cians must sign up either directly with
Re:Sound, or with one of its three
member organizations. Those orga-
nizations are: the Musicians’ Rights
Organization of Canada (MROC), the
Recording Artists’ Collecting Society
(ACTRA RACS), and Artisti. These orga-
nizations also work with the Canadian
Private Copying Collective (CPCC) to
pay out the money collected from
the levy on blank CDs and cassettes.
This means musicians have a
choice to make about which is the best
fit for them. And so, with that in mind,
we’ve reached out to representatives
from ACTRA RACS, Artisti, and MROC to
find out what differentiates the organi-
zations and help musicians make the
right choice for them.
10 CANADIAN MUSICIAN
CM: For a young performing artist look-
ing to join one of the PROs, what should
they consider in making their decision?
Why may or may not ACTRA RACS be the
best option for them?
(L-R) TOP: KEVIN LYNN, BENJAMIN REINHARTZ, MARIA
PETTLER, CLARE MCCARTHY & BONNIE FEDRAU; BOTTOM:
CHRISTINE ALLENBY, KORTNEE BORDEN, LAURIE MCALLISTER,
ANDREW KARIS & MICHI WADDELL
ACTRA Recording Artists’ Collecting
Society (ACTRA RACS)
Answers provided by Laurie McAllister,
Director of ACTRA RACS
CM: What fee does ACTRA RACS charge
members, and/or what percentage of an
artist’s collected royalties does it keep?
McAllister: There is no fee to register and be
represented by ACTRA RACS; we deduct an
admin fee only when royalty payments are
received and processed. As a not-for-profit,
we operate on a cost-basis, meaning our fee
is structured to cover the costs involved with
collecting and distributing these royalties. As
the rates vary depending on the year or type
(i.e. domestic vs. international), please give us
a call for our current admin fees.
CM: What differentiates ACTRA RACS from
Artisti, MROC, and Re:Sound?
McAllister: The core function of ACTRA RACS,
Artisti, and MROC are similar: collecting and
distributing royalties for performers appearing
on sound recordings in Canada and abroad.
We encourage performers to call us, and talk
to other performers, to determine which orga-
nization will provide the level of service that
meets your needs.
All three performer CMOs work with
Re:Sound, the umbrella music licensing com-
pany in Canada, which was established in
1997 as the NRCC by five members: performer
collectives ACTRA RACS, Artisti, and MROC,
and the associations representing record
McAllister: For any recording artist – young
or old – it is important that you register with
one of the three organizations in Canada that
can represent you as a performer. If not, you
could be missing out on this vital source of
revenue – revenue that could allow you to
spend more time working on your craft.
ACTRA RACS is well-suited to represent record-
ing artists for a variety of reasons:
1. ACTRA RACS collects royalties from over
40 territories around the world. Our
international team continues to enhance
our service to ensure that artists are
covered for the use of their recordings
– everywhere. With more and more
Canadian artists receiving airplay abroad,
it’s becoming more and more critical for
artists to uncover every last international
penny to help sustain their career.
2. The team at ACTRA RACS is passionate
about music. We’re a highly experienced
group who come from varied corners of
the music industry. From ex-touring mu-
sicians, A&R and label reps, to data spe-
cialists and music supervisors, our team
has a wealth of collective knowledge and
experience. Whether it be working to
enhance the efficiency of our data and
matching algorithms, or simply updating
our member’s address, we’re committed
to helping ease the process of collecting
royalties and always strive to bring our
members the best service possible.
3. As a division of ACTRA, we have a long
history of protecting performers. Collec-
tively, ACTRA and ACTRA RACS advocate
on behalf of all performers to protect
and extend their performance rights
and ensure fair payment for the use of