TORONTO – Re:Sound Music Licensing has asked the Copyright Board of Canada to extend the term of several of its current tariffs, which in turn could bump up costs at Canada’s radio broadcasters.
The not-for-profit music licensing company said Monday that its proposed tariff rates largely reflect changes sought in prior filings, update the rates assigned to various music users, and reflect “the most up-to-date understanding of the fair value of music”. The proposed renewals include Tariff 1A (Commercial Radio), Tariff 1C (CBC Radio), Tariff 2 (Pay Audio), Tariff 3 (Background Music), and Tariff 4 (Satellite Radio), and the organization has also applied for a renewal of Tariff 7 (Motion Picture Theatres).
Re:Sound’s tariff filings also propose various amendments that it says would make the collection of existing tariffs more efficient and fair such as standardized and consistent music use reporting for broadcasters, and provisions to encourage accurate and timely music use reporting.
"Music has a clear and significant value – for instance, over 80% of commercial radio airtime is spent playing music," said president Ian MacKay, in a statement. "We need to ensure tariff rates reflect the economic significance of music and that Canada leads the way in valuing music and compensating creators."
