The Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA) has signed a licensing agreement with YouTube for Canada.
The deal marks the first major agreement for reproduction rights between YouTube and CMRRA in the territory – and comes less than a month after Canadian society SOCAN announced it was moving into mechanical rights with the purchase of Audiam.
CMRRA called the deal “a major step forward for Canada” – and an agreement which “completely changes the landscape for rights administration in this country”.
CMRRA – whose affiliate members include all three major publishers – will license the copies of audiovisual content made by YouTube in the course of delivering that content to users.
This activity is similar to CMRRA’s Broadcast Mechanical licensing: each time audiovisual content is reproduced by YouTube or their users, so too is the music contained in that content.
This type of licensing, said CMRRA, represents “an opportunity for an entirely new revenue stream” for publishers and songwriters.
CMRRA will be collecting royalties on YouTube advertising revenue on their existing platform, as well as on subscription revenues on any subscription services they bring to Canada (including YouTube Red).
The agreement also covers YouTube’s Electronic Sell Through (EST) and Transactional Video-On-Demand (TVOD) services.
CMRRA says the licensing agreement with YouTube is the first major step in its new audiovisual licensing activities, which CMRRA recently launched with a series of new tariff filings.
CMRRA’s new tariffs apply to services that offer streams and downloads of music videos and all other audiovisual content, as well as to traditional broadcasters for audiovisual broadcasting and video-on-demand.
CMRRA will use these tariffs, as well as privately negotiated agreements like this one with YouTube, to license the reproduction of musical works in its repertoire for the Canadian territory.
Last month, SOCAN said its Audiam deal would help “provide a unique global music industry solution with respect to licensing digital services and royalty payment for songwriters, composers and music publishers”.
It also claimed that the acquisition would allow it to offer “a comprehensive database and metadata of all musical works and commercially released digital sound recordings, and the technology and business understanding to match and connect the two, issue licenses and get rights-holders paid all they have fairly earned”.Music Business Worldwide
