Q: How do I qualify for SOCAN membership if I am a music creator?
A: You must establish that you meet one of the following three criteria:

• you have created musical works that have been published by a music publisher;
• you have created musical works that have been recorded by a record company; or
• you have created musical works that have been or will be performed in a public forum subject to licensing by SOCAN.

Q: What does a music publisher do?
A: The music publisher is the business partner in a musical composition. A good music publisher has the knowledge and contacts to promote a composition. Typically a publisher enters into a songwriter/publisher agreement with the songwriter, whereby the songwriter assigns ownership and control of the copyright-protected musical works to the publisher in exchange for a percentage of the income derived from the exploitation of the musical works. A reputable publisher never charges a fee for his/her service.

Q: Should I start my own publishing company?
A: Unless you have specific reasons for doing so and have the knowledge, skills and contacts to be a successful publisher, there may be no need. SOCAN does not require that you be established as a publisher in order for you to collect all the royalties payable on a musical work you created. If no publisher is involved on a musical work, we pay 100 per cent of the royalties to the writer(s). If the work is published, this total is divided between the writer(s) and the publisher(s).

Q: How do I qualify for publisher membership?
A: A music publisher must first establish that they have been assigned

• five or more copyright-protected musical works written or co-written by a SOCAN member or by a Canadian; or
• one or more musical work(s) featured on a commercial recording.

Q: How do I join SOCAN?
A: Visit our Become a member page to confirm that you qualify, and to apply for membership.

Q: Is membership permanent?
A: Your membership will be renewed every two years automatically, unless you notify us in accordance with your agreement in writing that you wish to terminate your SOCAN membership.

Q: Do I have to join other organizations to be paid for performances outside Canada?
A: No. SOCAN has reciprocal agreements with performing rights organizations (PROs) around the world. These PROs send royalties earned to SOCAN, so that we can pass them on to our members.