Guides

Music publishing in Canada

How music publishing actually works in Canada: who claims which rights, what the national copyright system does, and what it takes for a publisher to set up and collect.

Who claims which rights

Performance: SOCAN. Mechanicals: CMRRA. Sync: direct.

Copyright registration in Canada

Copyright is automatic under Berne; voluntary registration with CIPO buys a certificate that serves as prima facie evidence and supports statutory damages (up to C$20,000 per work).

Setting up to claim publishing rights

SOCAN and CMRRA both accept foreign publishers directly, and US publishers often cover Canada through the same MusicMark CWR delivery that serves ASCAP/BMI. No Canadian entity required; sub-publishing is common mainly for active local promotion rather than necessity.

The societies

SOCAN · CMRRA — each linked page covers the society’s history and how registrations reach it.

Rules, fees, and society requirements change, and none of this is legal advice — confirm current requirements with the society or local counsel before committing. Registrations bound for Canada can be checked free on the validator · more: setting up country by country · which societies accept CWR.

Two free checks for your CWR file. Is the file correct? Every record, share and control total against the spec, each problem on its exact line. Do its writers match their registrations? Every writer cross-checked against public registration data, including works registered under another spelling or IPI. Nothing stored: check a file at cwrcheck.com.