Sundeep Chauhan named President of CONNECT Music Licensing
CONNECT Music Licensing and Music Canada launch “Understanding Royalties In the Digital Age” video series, supported by Ontario Creates
CONNECT Music Licensing and Music Canada launch Industry Insider Webinar Series, supported by Ontario Creates
CONNECT Music Licensing launches new website, with streamlined information to support both members and licensees
CONNECT Music Licensing welcomes Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage’s ‘Shifting Paradigms’ report
We’re making things simpler for our Members
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2023
Toronto, ON – Today, the Board of Directors of CONNECT Music Licensing (CONNECT) announced that Sundeep Chauhan has been named President of CONNECT, effective this week. Based in Toronto, Chauhan will serve as the chief advocate for CONNECT’s members and work to maximize revenue generated from royalties and tariffs.
Chauhan joins CONNECT from the Motion Picture Association (MPA), where he worked for 11 years in a variety of senior roles, including his most recent position as Vice-President and Senior Counsel, Global Content Protection. Prior to MPA, Chauhan was external legal counsel to CONNECT and Vice-President and General Counsel for Re:Sound, among other positions.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sundeep to the CONNECT team and are confident he will propel the organization’s collaboration with music makers, users, and industry partners, while growing our member base and ensuring all members have access to the information and resources they need to optimize royalties,” said CONNECT Chair of the Board, Steve Teixeira.
“With his background representing the creative industries and expertise in intellectual property, as CONNECT’s first stand-alone President, Sundeep will be a passionate advocate for the major record companies and independent labels. He will be a tremendous
asset to CONNECT as we continue to grow our membership and build deeper relationships with rights holders,” added CONNECT Board Member, Jake Gold.
Chauhan takes over for Jackie Dean, who served as the organization’s Chief Financial Officer since 2002, and was named President in 2021.
“It’s been my honour to work with the CONNECT team and our partners for more than 20 years. I’m proud of the work we’ve done and the value we’ve created for our members. I would like to thank the CONNECT Board for their support. As I embark on a new journey, I know CONNECT is in good hands with Sundeep and look forward to seeing the organization reach new heights,” said Dean.
“I’d like to thank Jackie for her excellent stewardship of CONNECT, and for her expert guidance as I’ve transitioned into this role,” said Chauhan. “I’m excited to partner with rights holders and industry members in the days ahead and discuss how CONNECT can continue to evolve our partnerships and maximize our value to all stakeholders.”
About CONNECT Music Licensing: CONNECT Music Licensing (CONNECT) represents the major record companies, many independent labels, as well as artists and producers who own or control the copyright in the vast majority of sound recordings and music videos produced and/or distributed in Canada. CONNECT acts as a non-exclusive agent to administer licenses to third parties in Canada for the reproduction of sound recordings, and the reproduction and broadcast of music videos on behalf of its members.
Sundeep Chauhan Photo Credit: Forever Creations
Media Contact: Samantha Pickard
President
Strut Entertainment
samantha@strutentertainment.com
CONNECT Music Licensing and Music Canada have released a new video series, titled Understanding Royalties In the Digital Age, which clearly and succinctly explains key concepts and fundamentals about music royalties in Canada. The series expands on information from CONNECT’s often-cited Music Royalties Explained infographic, and aims to help Canadian artist entrepreneurs collect all the royalties they are entitled to.
Made possible by the support of Ontario Creates, the four part series of short, shareable videos explores the process of licensing, distribution, and generating income from the broadcast and public performance of music. The videos are:
“These videos are designed to provide Canadian artist entrepreneurs with key information about music rights, licensing, and how to collect royalties from the use of their music,” said Catherine Jones, Vice President of CONNECT Music Licensing. “By clearly outlining the royalties that artists are entitled to when their music is used, these videos will help more artists collect revenue and earn a living from their music.”
“All creators should have a working understanding of the royalties they are entitled to when their music is streamed online, played on the radio or broadcast in a restaurant, club, bar, fitness club or live event venue,” said Sarah Hashem, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives at Music Canada. “These videos outline how artist entrepreneurs can register their works with the applicable Canadians rights organizations, so that they can get paid when their music is played.”
“Empowering artists to understand the intricacies of copyright and the mechanics in place for them to be compensated for their work is essential,” said Miranda Mulholland, artist, and Creative Culture Advisor at Music Canada. “Ensuring artists have access to this knowledge makes the entire music ecosystem more robust.”
CONNECT Music Licensing and Music Canada are pleased to announce the Industry Insider Webinar Series, a new, free series that aims to develop artists’ business and entrepreneurship skills with insights from subject-matter experts.
In three webinars, attendees will have the opportunity to engage with experts in real-time while learning about the business of music and developing practical business and entrepreneurial skills. The series will be hosted by Miranda Mulholland, Creative Culture Advisor, Music Canada.
Made possible by the support of Ontario Creates, the IIWS features three webinars in the month of July 2021. These webinars include:
Data Management for Artist Entrepreneurs Date: Wed. July 14, 2021 Guests:
Nicole Swanson Label & Artist Services Representative, Cadence Music Group
Bram Gonshor Gold/Platinum Program Manager, Music Canada
This webinar will help participants understand the journey of a song through the digital music ecosystem, from the importance of accurate metadata input, to harnessing data from Direct Service Providers (DSPs) to target, strategize, and amplify audience reach. Through the discussion, artists will learn how to optimize their music to reach targets for grant thresholds, build your listener-base, and potentially earn a Gold-certified hit in Canada.
Financial Literacy for Artist Entrepreneurs Date: Wed. July 21, 2021 Guests:
Tracey Jennings
Managing Director, digitaltaxCPA
This webinar will help demystify money management and empower artist entrepreneurs to take control of their finances, with insights on setting up a business, tax exemptions and the top 5 things you need to know.
Contract Literacy for Artist Entrepreneurs Date: Wed. July 28, 2021 Guests:
Darlene Tonelli
Founder / Lawyer, Inter Alia Law
A bad deal serves no one. Attendees of this webinar will learn best practices on contracting, red flag language and how to solve a legal problem before it becomes one.
To register for all or select webinars, visit the link below. The webinars will be hosted on Zoom, with additional streaming options available on Music Canada’s YouTube and Facebook accounts.
CONNECT Music Licensing (CONNECT) has unveiled their new website connectmusic.ca, which includes new features and resources, and is designed to be easier to navigate and provide clear information for members and licensees.
The updated design delineates between music users (those who use music commercially or as part of their business) and music makers (such as rights holders and record labels). Through this design, those looking to license music for their business can easily review their options and find the licence that applies to them. A CONNECT licence is an easy, cost-effective way to permit a business or individual a blanket licence to make copies of sound recordings or music videos for commercial use.
The new website updates the CONNECT Member Portal with a streamlined layout that makes it easier for members and licensees to find what they need. The new website also includes resources that are accessible to both members and non-members of CONNECT. The new Artist-Entrepreneur Virtual Resource Centre is a dedicated online hub for artists seeking business related information, featuring business related tools, resources, and original content relevant to Canadian artist-entrepreneurs.
The website also allows artists to apply for an ISRC Code, which is the key to royalty collection for recordings. The ISRC, which stands for “International Standard Recording Code”, is the international identification system for sound recordings and music video recordings. CONNECT assigns a three-character registrant code to the registrant, which allows them to create a unique and permanent identifier for a specific recording – a digital fingerprint for the song and a key way that digital services and retailers track and identify recordings.
For disc jockeys, the new website makes it easy to renew or apply for a CONNECT DJ License for both single events and on an annual basis. As well, DJ licences are now available for full year terms, regardless of date of issue, whereas previously they were only available to issue within the calendar year. DJs can create a public profile and use their profile as proof of their license, replacing the previous physical licenses. It also allows users to find a licensed DJ by viewing the list of current DJs who have licensed directly through CONNECT.
“We are excited to launch the new connectmusic.ca, which outlines our important role in Canada’s music ecosystem and contains new features to connect music users with music makers,” said Catherine Jones, Vice President of CONNECT. “By streamlining the licensing process and clearly outlining how commercial users can license music to add value to their business, the new site will help unlock the value of music in Canada. The updated resources for members is part of our commitment to ensuring that our members are compensated for the commercial use of reproductions of their sound recordings and music videos.”
The updated website is available now at https://connectmusic.ca/. CONNECT members can visit https://connectmusic.ca/login/ to access the CONNECT Member Portal, using the same login credentials as on the previous website.
CONNECT Music Licensing is pleased to see the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has recognized the need to address the growing Value Gap in Canada’s cultural industries in its Shifting Paradigms report. On behalf of CONNECT’s more than 2,700 rights holders of sound recordings in Canada, Catherine Jones, Executive Director of CONNECT testified before the Committee and the company is happy to see its recommendations for review of the Canadian Copyright Act reflected in the Committee’s report.
In her testimony, Jones recommended removing the $1.25 million Radio Royalty Exemption, amending the definition of “sound recording” in the Copyright Act and creating a Private Copying Fund to ensure CONNECT members are fairly compensated for commercial reproductions of their recordings.
“On behalf of CONNECT’s members, I thank the Heritage Committee for its thoughtful consideration and concrete recommendations to help close the Value Gap in Canada,” says Jones. “The Canadian music industry was united in calling for the removal of the Radio Royalty Exemption and amending the definition of ‘sound recording’ in the Act. I’m happy to see that the Committee recognized the importance of these actions, and I urge the Government of Canada to make these recommendations into law.”
CONNECT Music Licensing looks forward to continuing to work with the government to implement the recommendations contained in Shifting Paradigms.
At CONNECT, we’re always working to make licensing and royalties simpler for our Members. Last spring, we completed a data efficiency project with our partners at Re:Sound that resulted in a 28% decrease in administration costs, making $1.2 million in additional royalties available for CONNECT members.
Now, to make things even easier, we’re encouraging our members to assign their Remunerative Rights (which include both your Neighbouring Rights and Private Copying royalties) directly to Re:Sound to further simplify data processing and speed up payments. Please check your email for instructions on how to complete the process or contact us.
