Q: How do I get paid for airplay of my recorded performances?
A: If you would like MROC to collect royalties on your behalf, you must assign your rights to MROC. Once you sign up and provide us with a detailed list of all the publicly released recordings on which you performed we will first determine whether each recording is an “eligible recording”. If it qualifies as an “eligible recording” then, whether it has had airplay. If the recording is eligible and has had airplay since 1998, the performers on it should be entitled to payment.

Q: How do I know if I know if i have played on an “eligible” sound recording?
A: The performer’s performance right is dependent on the eligibility of the sound recording. If a sound recording is eligible, then so are the performers on it, regardless of their nationality or country of residence. Essentially, a sound recording is eligible if it was made just about anywhere but the United States.

Q: Do I need to register with MROC if I am a member of SOCAN?
A: Yes! MROC pays you for your performances only in your role as a musician. SOCAN pays the songwriters and music publishers for the performance of a song. There are two different copyrights – If you are the songwriter as well as the performer, you are entitled to royalties from both SOCAN and MROC. In fact, if you are already receiving SOCAN royalties for your songs, there is a good chance that you could be receiving neighbouring rights royalties as well. Please see our resources section for links to SOCAN and other relevant organizations.

Q: If I play more than one instrument on a recording am I entitled to extra royalties.
A: NO! Royalties are divided among the individual performers regardless of the number of instruments each one plays.

Q: If I am a non-featured (background) performer on a recording, am I still entitled to extra royalties?
A. Yes! Under our current distribution rules, background musicians and vocalists share 20% of the total royalties allocated to the recording. The remaining 80% goes to the “featured” performers/artists.

Q: What about royalties from private copying?
A. Under Canada’s Copyright Act, it is legal for individuals to copy recorded music for their own personal use. To make up for a portion of the lost sales due to this private copying, money is collected from the manufacturers and importers of blank recordable audio media and paid to the Private Copying Collective of Canada (CPCC), where it is divided among the collectives representing those groups. When MROC receives its share for the performers it represents, we distribute it among our assigned performers.

Q: What are neighbouring rights?

A: Neighbouring rights refer to the bundle of rights that attach to sound recordings and performers’ performances, which are not traditional “works” recognized under the world’s copyright legislation. Until 1997, royalties were not payable to record companies or performers when their records were played on air or in public places. Now they are.

Q: What can I expect to receive per play?

A. There are many variables involved in the calculation of the royalties, so the rate is not something that we can specify here or does it stay the same from pay period to pay period. If you are familiar with SOCAN’s distribution system, you will recognize that this quite standard for performing rights payments.

Q: What is the pay period?
A: Unlike SOCAN, MROC distributes royalties as and when we receive them. Because the sources include private copying, a number of performing rights tariffs and foreign societies, payments are at irregular times throughout the year.

Q: How is payment delivered?
A. Currently payments are made by cheques only. We anticipate being able to offer direct deposit in the future.

Q: What is Re-Sound?
A: Re-Sound (formerly NRCC- Neighbouring Rights Collective of Canada) is a non-profit umbrella collective created in 1997 to license music users and to collect fees from them for neighbouring rights uses. The royalties it collects are divided among the five sub-collectives of which MROC is one. Additional information about Re-Sound can be found on their website: www.resound.ca

Q: Can an individual join Re-Sound?
A: Technically, yes. However, performers have, to date, generally joined one of the performer collectives.

Q: How does Re-Sound collect revenues?
A: Re-Sound issues licenses to commercial broadcasters, CBC radio, pay audio, satellite radio and commercial establishments for their broadcast, radio-communication and public performance of sound recordings. The licensees pay Re-Sound pursuant to tariffs approved by the Copyright Board.

Re-Sound is also a member of the Canadian Private Copying Collective which also issues licenses pursuant to Copyright Board – approved tariffs. Re-Sound collects its share of the royalties and forwards them on to the sub-collectives for distribution.

Q: What is the Rome Convention?
A: The Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonographs and Broadcasting Organizations is an international treaty under which member countries agree to reciprocal treatment of rights holders in other member countries. As a signatory to the Rome Convention, Canada pays foreign performers whose sound recordings are broadcast or performed in Canada, and our sister organizations in Rome Convention countries pay Canadian performers whose sound recordings are broadcast or performed in their country. Many countries have signed the Rome Convention, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Australia and Japan, but notably not the United States.

Q: What makes a performer eligible for Private Copying royalties?
A: If you were a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada when you played on a recording made in Canada, you are eligible to receive remuneration from the private copying levy. The royalty is calculated based on a blend of record sales and airplay.

Q: Does MROC charge a fee for its services?
A: There is no charge to assign your rights to MROC or to register your performances on sound recordings. However MROC does take an administration fee of 15% to cover operating costs.

Q: I have signed with MROC. What do I do now?
A: Register your repertoire and keep it current. Whenever you play on a new recording, file an online repertoire registration form.

If you need help filling it out, call MROC at: (office) 416-510-0279 or toll free at: 1- 855-510-0279. Email us at www.musiciansrights.ca.

Other than that, record more music!