Canadian Music Week First Major Music Festival LICENSED TO PLAY with SOCAN

SOCAN

TORONTO, April 21, 2015 /CNW/ - With festival season fast approaching, Canadian Music Week (CMW) and SOCAN have partnered to achieve a first for Canada by awarding the major music conference and festival with a special LICENSED TO PLAY designation.

After confirming that more than 60 CMW music venues are licensed with SOCAN, CMW was presented with a special LICENSED TO PLAY designation from SOCAN – a version of the emblem that nearly 30,000 SOCAN-licensed businesses have so far received to show their support through fair licensing of music created by Canada's songwriters and composers.

"Partnering with our friends at CMW was something that made perfect sense to us, and it's our way of continuing to do what is right for music creators and their publishers," said CEO Eric Baptiste. "CMW being the first festival to be LICENSED TO PLAY is a great accomplishment for Canadian music culture, our members, and the more than 125,000 licensed businesses that are part of music industry ecosystem in Canada."

Now in its 33rd year, Canadian Music Week is one of the premier entertainment events in North America focusing on the business of music. From May 1st to 10th, Toronto will be buzzing with international and local music-makers and industry representatives from around the world.

"CMW believes in and upholds the rights of music creators to be compensated fairly for their work, so we enthusiastically got together with SOCAN on this industry first," said CMW President Neill Dixon. "CMW is a significant platform for Canada's musicians to gain exposure, and we are helping their careers by encouraging our showcase venues to play their part. We encourage other festivals and conferences to follow our lead. It's the right thing to do for Canada's music ecosystem."

This year CMW is showcasing nearly 1,000 acts at more than 60 live venues across Toronto. Ninety-two percent of the Canadian acts performing at this year's CMW include a SOCAN member.

While organizations that use music as part of their business are expected to abide by the law, constantly monitoring every one of Canada's music-using businesses is not feasible. SOCAN works with businesses and their trade associations to encourage them to stay up-to-date with their music licenses that collectively are a major part of a songwriter, composer and music publisher's livelihood through royalties, and a vital aspect of Canada's music ecosystem.

About SOCAN
SOCAN is a member-based and governed organization that represents the Canadian performing rights of more than three-million Canadian and international music creators and publishers. SOCAN is proud to play a leading role in supporting the long-term success of its more than 125,000 Canadian members, and the Canadian music industry overall. SOCAN licenses more than 125,000 businesses in Canada, and distributes royalties to its members and music rights organizations around the world. SOCAN also distributes royalties to its members for the use of their music internationally in collaboration with its peer societies. www.socan.ca

About Canadian Music Week
Canadian Music Week is Canada's leading annual entertainment event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country's music, media and entertainment industries. Combining three information-intensive conferences; a trade exposition; a film festival; a comedy festival; four awards shows and the nation's largest new music festival, CMW spans a ten-day period from May 1 to May 10, 2015, at the Sheraton Centre Hotel and over 60 downtown Toronto venues, attracting participants from across the globe. For more information, visit www.cmw.net

SOURCE SOCAN

Image with caption: "SOCAN has designated Canadian Music Week as the first major music festival to be LICENSED TO PLAY, in support of legal and ethical music rights. (CNW Group/SOCAN)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150421_C8759_PHOTO_EN_14547.jpg

Media Contacts: SOCAN: Amal Yassir, 416-442-3838 ext. 3747, [email protected]; Environics Communications (for SOCAN): Lorna Freeman, 416-969-2711, [email protected]; CMW: Juliette Jagger, 905-858-4747, [email protected]