Re:Sound Satellite Radio Tariff 2019–2021

Summary#

This notice publishes Re:Sound Tariff 4 – Satellite Radio Services (2019-2021), the fee and reporting rules that subscription satellite radio services must follow for the years 2019 through 2021. It was published on December 7, 2024 and requires monthly payments, detailed song-level reporting, and record-keeping.

What it does#

• Sets monthly royalty rates for satellite radio services:
  • For January 1, 2019 to April 28, 2020: 3.63% of service revenues, with a minimum of 36¢ per subscriber.
  • For April 29, 2020 to December 31, 2021: 3.71% of service revenues, with a minimum of 37¢ per subscriber.
• Requires payments and basic reports each month (payments due on the first day of each month) based on a “reference month” (the second month before the month being paid).
• Excludes commercial subscriber uses and does not cover sound recordings delivered to end-users over the Internet, cellular or similar networks (including simulcasts). It does cover local relay from a satellite-radio device using built-in Wi‑Fi or Bluetooth.
• Requires monthly, song-level metadata (title, author/composer, performer, time and duration) and, where available, additional identifiers (ISRC, UPC, ISWC, etc.). This must be delivered electronically within 10 business days after the service gets its monthly music report, and in any case no later than 45 days plus 10 business days after month end.
• Requires services to keep:
  • usage records for 6 months after the related month, and
  • financial/summary records for 6 years after the related year.
• Allows Re:Sound to audit records on reasonable notice. If royalties are understated by more than 10%, the service must pay the shortfall and the auditor’s reasonable costs within 30 days.
• Sets interest on late payments at 1% above the Bank Rate (daily, non-compounding).
• Includes confidentiality rules that allow sharing submitted information with SOCAN, the Copyright Board, other collective societies and for distribution of royalties, or if required by law.

Who's affected#

• Multi-channel subscription satellite radio services licensed in Canada (for example, Sirius XM Canada Inc. and its content supplier Sirius XM Radio Inc.) are the primary parties required to pay and report under this tariff.
• Music creators, performers, and record companies represented by Re:Sound and other collecting societies (such as SOCAN) are affected because the tariff governs how they are paid and how data is shared.
• Individual subscribers are indirectly affected: operators may pass costs along through subscription or service changes. The tariff does not apply to most internet or mobile streaming services, so those services generally are not affected.

Why it matters#

• It fixes how much satellite radio operators must pay for music played on their services for the 2019–2021 period. That can affect operator costs and potentially subscription pricing.
• It requires detailed, regular reporting of what tracks are played. That helps rights-holders get paid more accurately but adds administrative work for services.
• It clarifies what kinds of transmissions are covered (satellite reception and local relays from the receiving device) and what are not (Internet/cellular simulcasts to end-users). This matters when services design and deliver their products.