MROC National Announcement

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The Canadian Council of Music Industry Associations (CCMIA) and Musicians’ Rights Organization Canada (MROC) are proud to announce the formation of a strategic partnership.

MROC is a Canadian federally incorporated not-for-profit collective society whose objectives include the collection and distribution of performer remuneration collected by Re:Sound (a music licensing company) formerly known as the Neighbouring Rights Collective of Canada.

This function was previously carried out by Musicians’ Neighbouring Rights Royalties, an adjunct to the Canadian Office of the American Federation of Musicians.  The AFM recently assigned that function to MROC, which was formed to be a stand-alone copyright collective. This is an important stride for Canadian musicians who now have working for them an independent organization governed exclusively by Canadian musician performers. 

In fact, MROC’s current directors include several musicians who were behind the establishment of neighbouring rights under the Copyright Act in 1997. 

Before then, unlike music composers and their publishers, performers were not entitled to be paid when there was airplay in Canada and elsewhere of the recordings on which they had played. 

MROC’s sole function is to collect and distribute to musicians the performer’s share of neighbouring rights royalties stipulated under various tariffs approved by the Copyright Board of Canada. 

“Who better to govern and manage the complexities of these newly established performer entitlements than the very music industry professionals (musicians) who helped fight for and promote the inclusion of neighbouring rights under the Copyright Act, throughout the early development of the concept and beyond” stated Len Lytwyn, MROC’s Executive Director. 

The CCMIA represents ten provincial, territorial or regional music industry associations. Their broad reach across the country will ensure that Canada’s musicians/performers are informed and educated about the benefits of signing with MROC. 

“The importance of the formation of MROC cannot be understated,” said President of the CCMIA John-Paul Ellson. “In this modern era of the music industry, the more than 8000 individual members of the CCMIA must find new and expanded revenue streams. The creation of MROC now puts the control of musician/performers’ neighbouring rights royalties in the hands of those performers. The CCMIA will bring the word about MROC to its memberships and communities directly. If you are a musician/performer in Canada you need to enrol with MROC.”

Click here to download the one sheet.

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