Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 160, Number 26: SUPPLEMENT
COPYRIGHT BOARD
Summary
The Copyright Board published a tariff for SOCAN that sets how much online music-video services would owe for using songs in music videos for the years 2014–2018. Platforms would pay either 2.99% of gross revenue or 0.07¢ per stream (whichever is higher), and must deliver detailed monthly reports and pay any owed amounts by September 25, 2026 (with interest for earlier years).
What it does
It specifies a royalty formula and reporting rules for online services that offer music videos. Services that need a SOCAN licence must report detailed metadata and play counts each month, keep records for six years, allow audits, and pay royalties quarterly. For past years (2014–2018) the tariff says amounts owing must be reported and paid by September 25, 2026 with interest applied.
Who it affects
Online music-video services that predominantly stream music videos (including cloud-based services); their Canadian distributors. It also affects songwriters, composers and music publishers represented by SOCAN, and potentially subscribers or advertisers if services pass on costs. Excluded are audio-only services, mostly user-generated-content services, gambling/game sites, and the CBC.
Why it matters
If you run or use an online music-video platform, this could mean retroactive fees and new reporting work for services that used copyrighted songs in videos between 2014 and 2018. Rights-holders may receive payments for that period. Services may change their business, pricing, or catalog choices to manage the added costs and paperwork.
Key dates
- Published
- June 27, 2026
- Comment deadline
- Unclear
- Effective date
- Applies to communications from 2014-01-01 through 2018-12-31; amounts and reports for that period are due by 2026-09-25
Source: Canada Gazette