Whoever said the Canadian music business is dead…is dead wrong

to what many people may believe, the Canadian music industry isn’t dead, it’s thriving (at least overseas), according to figures from the Society of Composers and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN).

Those numbers show that in 2014, Canadian Artists made a $55 million off of international airplay royalties. Approximately $18.5 million of those earnings come courtesy of our neighbours to the south, with France finishing in a distant second, providing our homegrown talent with $6.7 million last year. That $6.7 million is thanks in large part to the province of Quebec, with 25-year-old Beatrice Martin, otherwise known by her moniker Couer de pirate (Pirate’s Heart), Lisa Leblanc, Pierre Lapointe and Robert Charlebois leading the way.

As far as English-language music is concerned, the usual suspects lead the charge in taking their classic tunes all the way to the bank including: Bryan Adams, Leonard Cohen, Rush, Sarah McLachlan and Nickleback. Acts from the current generation making a big impact on Canada’s music cash flow statement include 20-somethings Drake and Justin Bieber.

SOCAN’s statistics definitely indicate that the names of Canadian artists are becoming music to the ears of Brazilians, to the tune of a notable 36 per cent increase in airplay royalties collected. At the same time, our friends to the very, very south over in Australia are currently providing an annual growth rate of eight per cent in royalty revenues.

 The reason for all of the money pouring in isn’t just the major label acts that continue to fill the airwaves around the globe, but also the number of up-and-coming SOCAN members that are lending their creative talents to the world. Just in the last 10 years alone, that number has doubled.

SOCAN’s Vice President of International Relations Catherine Saxberg has been a big reason for the increased revenues, according to music industry journal FYIMusicNews. Saxberg developed an international strategy for better royalty collection practices and helped push the number of music rights organizations that have deals in place with SOCAN over 100.

“As the success of Canada’s music creators on the world stage continues to grow, we will continue to foster international collective management relationships that benefit our members, the music industry, and the Canadian economy overall.”

– Catherine Saxberg