Non-Commercial Radio Reproduction Tariff 2020–2023

Summary#

The Canada Gazette published the CMRRA/SOCAN – Non-Commercial Radio Reproduction Tariff (2020-2023) on June 28, 2025. It sets how much non-commercial AM and FM radio stations must pay CMRRA and SOCAN to reproduce musical works for over‑the‑air broadcasts and certain internet uses for the years 2020–2023, and explains reporting and audit rules.

What it does#

• Sets annual royalty rates for over‑the‑air reproduction tied to a station’s gross operating costs. Rates differ for stations licensed as French‑language versus other stations and are split between CMRRA and SOCAN by cost bracket:
  • First $625,000 of costs: rates of 0.1472% (CMRRA) and 0.0128% (SOCAN) for non‑French stations; 0.0368% (CMRRA) and 0.1232% (SOCAN) for French‑language stations.
  • Next $625,000 of costs: rates of 0.2852% (CMRRA) and 0.0248% (SOCAN) for non‑French; 0.0713% (CMRRA) and 0.2387% (SOCAN) for French‑language.
  • Remainder of costs: rates of 0.4232% (CMRRA) and 0.0368% (SOCAN) for non‑French; 0.1058% (CMRRA) and 0.3542% (SOCAN) for French‑language.
• Sets a flat annual fee for internet transmission uses (webcasts, downloads, on‑demand streams): $96 to CMRRA and $4 to SOCAN per station.
• Requires payments to be made by January 31 following the year the royalties cover.
• Requires stations to provide financial statements or cost reports with payments, and to keep records:
  • Short logs for broadcasts (CRTC logs) and detailed metadata for transmitted files (titles, authors/composers, performers, ISRC, ISWC, UPC, GRid, running time, etc.) when requested.
  • Records for logs must be kept for one month after the relevant period; financial records for six years.
• Allows CMRRA and SOCAN to request logs or file details once a year (for up to 12 days) with 30 days’ notice, and to audit records on reasonable notice.
• Protects submitted information as confidential, but allows sharing between CMRRA, SOCAN, the Copyright Board, claimants, or when required by law.
• Includes a transitional rule: amounts for 2020–2023 must be paid no later than September 29, 2025, and increased by interest using specified factors for each year (examples: 2020: 1.1399, 2021: 1.1349, 2022: 1.1098, 2023: 1.0593).

Who's affected#

• Primarily community, campus, and other non‑profit AM and FM radio stations licensed by the CRTC as non‑commercial (the tariff excludes CBC radio).
• Stations licensed as French‑language stations are subject to different rate splits.
• CMRRA and SOCAN (the collective societies) are the recipients of the royalties and the parties that will request reports and perform audits.
• Internet‑only stations are not clearly covered; the tariff defines “non‑commercial radio station” as a licensed AM or FM station, so the source suggests it applies mainly to licensed broadcasters.

Why it matters#

• Budget impact: small non‑commercial stations will have to pay royalties calculated on their gross operating costs. That can be a meaningful new or retroactive cost for community broadcasters.
• Administrative work: stations must keep specific records and may need to provide detailed metadata about tracks and shows if asked. That increases reporting work and possible need for database or logging systems.
• Cash‑flow/timing: the transitional payment deadline of September 29, 2025 covers four years (2020–2023) and includes interest, which could be a sudden expense for stations that did not budget for these past years.
• Audits and confidentiality: stations should expect potential audits but can also expect their submitted data to be treated as confidential, with some limited exceptions.