Good afternoon, Chair and members of the standing committee.
My name is Patti-Anne Tarlton. I thank you for the opportunity to join you here and, importantly, for inviting a dialogue with the live music industry.
I'm honoured to represent this diverse and vibrant industry, one that I have participated in nationally throughout my career. I was born in Montreal and grew up in Vancouver, and I have lived, worked and toured from coast to coast. I've experienced the risks and rewards of concert production. I've witnessed at first hand the investment in infrastructure as a catalyst to new economic and cultural growth in my years with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. I now oversee Canada for Ticketmaster, servicing attractions large and small across the country.
I appreciate the committee taking the time as part of the Copyright Act review to hear from such a wide variety of stakeholders, including the live event industry. The common focus across the live event industry and that of writing, publishing and recording is on the health and success of the creators and performers themselves.
Today, more music is consumed than at any time in our history; however, the remuneration for this content has not kept pace with the technology changes or with the way fans consume music, nor with the record levels of consumption.
The reality for Canadian music creators is that there remain provisions in Canadian law that limit artists from receiving fair market value for their work. In fact, research by Music Canada, the voice of Canada's recorded music industry, has demonstrated the existence of a significant disparity between the value of the creative content enjoyed by consumers and the revenue that is returned to the people and the businesses that create it. As a result, the creative middle class is being threatened, and with it numerous jobs. As well, the creative fabric that binds us together is also at risk.
We know that Parliament's mandate is to review the Copyright Act every five years. In industry, we must also evolve. Music discovery, engagement at live events and shared stories reliving experiences are all in the palm of people's hands today. At Ticketmaster, we are investing millions annually in product development to keep pace with the speed of change, technological advances and the expectations of fans and attractions alike. In an environment where fans want tickets always available despite the variances of supply and demand, our goal is to make the link between fans and the performers they love as frictionless as possible and to get tickets into the hands of true fans.
Similarly, with the unprecedented speed of change in the methods of distribution of music, government's strategy and policies with regard to the live music sector need to be current with our 21st century reality. Music Canada's document “The Next Big Bang” very successfully outlines how the music world of today in this country has changed immensely. The way government views, engages and supports our industry needs to keep pace, and it's committee engagement such as this that is heading in the absolute right direction.
Recommendations large and small in policy modifications should all be centred around breaking down those roadblocks impacting the growth and success of the music creators themselves and the connection with the fans who enjoy their content across Canada. With a guiding principle of making Canada an easier place to play music live, the goal is to consistently make Canada friendlier for musicians, fans and business alike.
Musicians rely on live events more than ever before. The live industry is well positioned to help there, and a number of associations, including Music Canada Live, have collaborated and will continue to collaborate with government and the diverse cultural landscape, all with a common goal of advocating for the creators themselves.
As it relates to the government's review of artist remuneration, and beyond the performance guarantees that are paid at live performances, the compensation mechanism for music creators and songwriters for a copyright-protected live performance or a musical work is through royalties collected by SOCAN. As industry, we continue to iterate with SOCAN on the use of technology to streamline the collection and redistribution process and to benefit the creators, as well as the simple exception mechanics for the rights owners when they're performing their own musical work.
In addition to the collaborative efforts under way and the live performance rights, there are a couple of fairly straightforward steps articulated by Music Canada that this committee could recommend in the modernization of the Canadian Copyright Act and that would benefit creators almost immediately.
The first is the elimination of the radio royalty exemption for commercial radio stations on their first $1.25 million of advertising revenue. No other country has a similar subsidy today. The elimination of the commercial radio subsidy could amount to some $8 million of collected revenues across the industry for the creators themselves.
The second is an amendment to the definition of “sound recording” in the Copyright Act. The current definition of “sound recording” in the Copyright Act excludes performers from receiving royalties for the use of their work in television and film soundtracks. Again, the amendment would financially support creators quite directly.
Third, amend the term of the copyright for musical works. Under the Copyright Act, protection for musical works subsists for the duration of the author's life plus a further period of 50 years. By contrast, the majority of Canada's largest trading partners recognize longer copyright terms for musical works, and the general standard of life of an author plus 70 years has emerged. This will ensure that music creators continue to receive fair compensation.
Thank you again for your time today. Success will be enhanced with the collaboration of all levels of government, and you have the industry leaders willing to be a partner in this journey. I applaud all members of Parliament for commissioning a review of the Copyright Act with an eye to benefiting creators. It is a pleasure to add additional perspectives, with a particular focus on Canada's live event industry today.
Thank you again. I look forward to the questions you may have.