Earlier this year, CMRRA-SODRAC Inc. (CSI) launched a new Claims Website for unpaid royalties associated with Post-2012 major label releases. Rightsholders can now make claims on musical works for which royalties have been disbursed into a newly established trust account managed by CSI (“Licensing Trust”) and created pursuant to the 2010 settlement of the Canadian class action lawsuit dealing with unpaid major label mechanical royalties.
You can register now and start submitting claims online through a secure portal as well as track each claim’s status and history.
CSI’s Claims Website contains song and recording details related to unidentified, unlicensed or otherwise unpaid ownership shares for products released in Canada from January 1, 2013 onward by Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada, and Warner Music Canada. The Claims Website is a function of the new licensing system that was established as part of the settlement of the class action pursuant to which the major labels are now required to make regular payments of undistributed royalties to the Licensing Trust.
While reviewing the list, it’s important to remember that musical works are often divided between many ownership shares; and that while royalties for some shares have not yet been paid, royalties for other shares have appropriately been paid to the designated rights holder(s) (songwriter, publisher, sub-publisher, collective, previous administrator, etc.). For this reason, it is important that a thorough verification of your books and records, as well as inquiries with your business associates, be conducted prior to asserting that you have a claim to the unpaid royalties.
The data sets currently accessible via the Claims Website relate to the 1Q2013 through 2Q2015 royalties paid into the Licensing Trust. Further data sets will be added to the site once the associated royalty files have been successfully validated and processed by CSI.