Steven Ambers Joins SOCAN

Toronto — SOCAN has again strengthened its international team with the appointment of Steven Ambers as Director, International Business Development & Compliance.

Reporting to Chief Operating Officer Jeff King, Ambers will work from SOCAN’s Los Angeles premises and will conduct royalty reviews of international music rights organizations; foster US publisher and key influencer relations; and support strategic investment opportunities, including mergers and acquisitions.

Catharine Saxberg, Vice-President, International Relations will work in tandem with Steven Ambers in the ongoing execution of SOCAN’s strategic objectives internationally, an area of SOCAN under Saxberg’s guidance over the last three years that has grown substantially. In 2016, royalties identified, collected and distributed from non-Canadian sources exceeded $67-million, a 30 per cent increase since 2013.

“I was drawn to work with SOCAN largely because of the organization’s progressive thinking and rapidly growing international leadership,” Ambers said. “Unlike other North American performing rights organizations, SOCAN is able to expand into other areas, unencumbered by US consent decrees and other roadblocks to success.”

“Steven Ambers on the SOCAN team positions us to take even more large steps ahead,” said SOCAN CEO Eric Baptiste. “The high regard that he carries in the United States and internationally is due to his truly spectacular career working for the rights of intellectual property holders, including some of the greatest artists in the world. I am certain that he will make a major positive difference to SOCAN as we work to lead the global transformation of music rights.”

Ambers’ career in music licensing and royalty compliance services spans more than 20 years, working worldwide for licensors of intellectual property, films, franchises and music recordings. Most recently he was Managing Director, Royalties at GSO Business Management, and before that owner of the Royalty Review Council, which he co-founded. Ambers also was with the accounting firms Moss Adams and the PWC- owned Gelfand, Rennert and Feldman. He holds a BSc from the University of Southern California and became a CPA in 1996.

Steven Ambers joins SOCAN officially on June 1, 2017.

About SOCAN
SOCAN connects more than four-million music creators worldwide and more than a quarter-million businesses and individuals in Canada. Nearly 150,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers are its direct members, and more than 130,000 organizations are Licensed To Play music across Canada. With a concerted use of progressive technology and a commitment to lead the global transformation of music rights, with wholly-owned companies Audiam and MediaNet, SOCAN is dedicated to upholding the fundamental truths that music has value and music creators and publishers deserve fair compensation for their work.

Media contacts:
SOCAN: Andrew Berthoff, (416) 442-3836, Andrew.Berthoff@socan.com