SOCAN fees for exhibitions and fairs (2025–2027)

Summary#

The Copyright Board has published SOCAN Tariff 5.A – Exhibitions and Fairs (2025-2027). It sets the fees that exhibitions and fairs must pay to play music in SOCAN’s repertoire during 2025-2027, with small events charged a flat daily fee and larger events charged per person.

What it does#

• Applies to performing works in SOCAN’s repertoire at exhibitions and fairs in the years 2025-2027.
• For events with total attendance (excluding exhibitors and staff) up to 75 000 persons, a flat daily royalty applies:
  • Up to 25 000 persons: $18.01 per day
  • 25 001 to 50 000 persons: $36.22 per day
  • 50 001 to 75 000 persons: $90.36 per day
• For events with attendance above 75 000 persons, a per-person scale applies:
  • First 100 000 persons: 1.51¢ per person
  • Next 100 000 persons: 0.65¢ per person
  • Next 300 000 persons: 0.50¢ per person
  • All additional persons: 0.37¢ per person
• Payment and reporting rules:
  • Yearly events pay based on the previous year’s actual attendance, by January 31 of the covered year.
  • Other events must report attendance and pay within 30 days of closing.
• Other terms:
  • SOCAN may audit attendance records to verify payments.
  • This tariff does not apply to concerts at fairs that charge a separate admission; those use SOCAN Tariff 5.B.
  • All amounts exclude taxes.
  • Late payments incur interest at 1% above the Bank of Canada Rate (calculated daily, not compounded).

Who's affected#

• Organizers and promoters of exhibitions and fairs that play music from SOCAN’s repertoire.
• Small local fairs and trade shows (they will generally pay the flat daily fees).
• Large fairs and exhibitions (they will likely pay under the per-person scale if attendance exceeds 75 000).
• Organizers who run ticketed concerts within fairs — those events use SOCAN Tariff 5.B, not this tariff.
• Anyone responsible for event accounting and reporting at these events, because of the reporting, payment deadlines, and possible audits.

Why it matters#

• It sets the specific fees events must budget for when they play copyrighted music.
• For small events, the fee is a modest daily charge; for very large events, fees add up by the number of attendees and can be more significant.
• The rules create clear deadlines and record-keeping requirements that event organizers must follow to avoid interest charges or audits.