The Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. (CMRRA) is pleased to announce that it has distributed 2017 satellite radio royalties to its music publisher clients – nine months earlier than ever before. “The old way simply wasn’t ideal,” CMRRA President Caroline Rioux said. “We were bogged down by a cumbersome process that involved acquiring log […]

It’s clear to anyone who knows BMG Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs, Jeff Brabec, that his respect for songwriters is underpinned by a deep appreciation for creative talent. A former artist and songwriter himself, Jeff has been drawn to music ever since he can remember. In high school he played in a rock […]

When Canadian Publishers Committee (CPC) member and Vancouver-based Nettwerk Music Group co-founder Mark Jowett reflects on his journey to music publishing, a single theme emerges: gratitude. Thanks to an incredible business partnership formed in the early 80s with three friends, Jowett finds true joy walking into his office each day to work with some of […]

As Canada’s music industry adapts to the realities of doing business in the digital era, CMRRA has forged ahead by securing some of the strongest rates globally through direct licencing deals with online music services. CMRRA Vice-President of Legal and Business Affairs, Veronica Syrtash, leads the collective’s recently-bolstered Business Affairs team, including its negotiations with […]

CMRRA Web Services Publisher Requirements Workshops Technological evolution is essential to the success of any business. For some industries this simply means ‘out with the old and in with the new’; but in our industry, it means successfully maintaining a delicate balance of the old and the new. Just as music publishers must exploit back […]

In a few weeks, SoundExchange will celebrate the one-year anniversary of its purchase of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. (CMRRA). The acquisition represents a major opportunity for SoundExchange to diversify lines of business and offer services to the music publishing community, in addition to our work collecting and distributing digital sound recording performance […]

Native New Yorker and Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs of Digital at Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Michael Abitbol, has more in common with Canadians than one might think. First, he’s an avid ice hockey fan who has visited many hockey-related destinations in Canada. Second, he’s armed with a track record of fighting for […]

For someone who doesn’t like being in the spotlight, CMRRA Senior Membership Services Administrator Nigel Barylewicz has certainly made his presence felt in other ways this past year at CMRRA. Barylewicz is the 2017 recipient of CMRRA’s Cyril Devereux Award, an annual honour recognizing excellence in client service, work quality, professionalism, enthusiasm, and team spirit. […]

On January 23rd, CMRRA’s parent company, SXWorks, launched a free tool providing access for publishers and songwriters to search the more-than 60 million address unknown Notice of Intention to Use (NOI) fillings made with U.S. Copyright Office. This comprehensive, transparent resource makes it easier to search and find potential uses of musical works and seek […]

CMRRA wishes to congratulale the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) and the Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI) on the significant increase announced in the recent CRB ruling on US mechanical rates for 2018-2022. A great move forward for publishers and songwriters! Read the NMPA Release