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Montréal – SOCAN and M for Montréal have partnered to achieve a first for Québec: all 24 live music venues participating in this year’s music festival are Licensed To Play with SOCAN.
After confirming that all venues are legally licensed with SOCAN to use live music, M for Montréal was presented with a special Licensed To Play designation, a version of the sticker that nearly 30,000 SOCAN-licensed businesses across Canada proudly display to show their support for fair licensing of music created by songwriters and composers.
“I’m extremely proud of our Licensed To Play designation, and I hope that all music-using businesses and music festivals follow our lead,” said Sébastien Nasra, founder and executive producer of M for Montréal. “The music industry is facing another technology challenge, adapting to new financial models of compensation for rights holders in the music ecosystem. It’s important that we lead by example and encourage live music venues and promoters to do what’s right and legal by adhering to music licensing laws and regulations that apply to their business – so that songwriters, composers and music publishers can be fairly compensated for what they’ve earned.”
The 11th annual M for Montréal festival will showcase 100 musical acts at 24 venues across the city, Nov. 16-19, 2016. Hundreds of key music industry representatives from at least 15 countries will attend over the four days.
“M for Montréal is making a bold statement that it stands behind music rights and the need for songwriters, composers and music publishers to be compensated fairly,” said SOCAN CEO Eric Baptiste. “As the first Québec-based festival to be fully Licensed To Play, this is a milestone for the region’s music community, our members and the more than 25,000 licensed businesses across the province.”
While organizations that use music are expected to comply with the law, monitoring all businesses is impossible. Canadian businesses must keep their music licences current. Licences are the main source of revenues for songwriters, composers and music publishers through royalties that nurture the creative spring that feeds the Canadian music ecosystem.
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.
ABOUT M POUR MONTRÉAL
Founded in 2006 by Sébastien Nasra (Avalanche Productions) in consultation with renowned British promoter Martin Elbourne (Glastonbury Festival, The Great Escape and co-founder, with Peter Gabriel, of the WOMAD Festival), M pour Montréal is much more than an annual event. “M” is a non-profit organization dedicated to a bold mission: to showcase new artists and catapult them to the international marketplace. For the past decade, M pour Montréal has established itself both as a core event in the cultural life of Montréal and on the international circuit of New Music festivals. M is now an essential catalyst for the Québec music industry for both emerging local artists as well as those developing their careers beyond the province. M has become one of the most important springboards for exporting Canadian artists on the global stage. For more information, visit mpourmontreal.com
Media contacts:
SOCAN: Eric Parazelli, parazellie@socan.ca, (514) 844-8377, ext. 4934
M pour Montréal : Amélie Boudreau, Avalanche Productions, amelie@avalancheprod.com (514) 925-0050, ext. 227