SOCAN has agreed to acquire the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA) from SoundExchange, aiming to streamline reproduction rights services for music publishers and creators in Canada.
Announced on July 29, 2026, in Toronto and Washington, D.C., the purchase agreement remains subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. Transaction details are confidential.
Rights administration under SOCAN
The proposed acquisition combines SOCAN’s 100 years in performing rights administration and advocacy, plus nearly a decade in reproduction rights, with CMRRA’s more than 50 years of reproduction rights experience.
The companies said the transaction is intended to improve rights administration for songwriters, composers, music publishers, artists and rights owners.
SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown said the acquisition would bring the organizations’ expertise together to improve services for publishers and creators.
“By bringing together CMRRA and SOCAN, we have an opportunity to harness our respective strengths and support long-term growth,” said Brown.
Brown also said SoundExchange had provided continuity for CMRRA during industry changes, with its reproduction rights expertise forming a foundation for more connected rights management in Canada.
SoundExchange’s investment in CMRRA
SoundExchange acquired CMRRA nearly a decade ago and has invested in changes to its operations and services for publishers and songwriters.
“When SoundExchange acquired CMRRA nearly a decade ago, we saw an opportunity to strengthen its foundation, invest in its future, and enhance the services it provides to music publishers and songwriters,” said Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange.
Huppe said SOCAN could build on that work, while SoundExchange would continue focusing on services for artists and rights owners worldwide.
CMRRA President Paul Shaver said SoundExchange’s investment and partnership had supported the agency’s development. He said the proposed move to SOCAN offered opportunities to expand services for publishers and self-published songwriters.
The organizations’ services
SOCAN is Canada’s largest member-owned music rights organization, representing nearly 200,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers and advocating fair compensation for their work.
It collects fees for public performance and reproduction licences, identifies the relevant rights holders and distributes royalties to creators and publishers in Canada and internationally.
SoundExchange is the world’s largest neighboring rights organization. Its royalty administration includes:
- More than $13 billion collected and distributed in digital performance royalties for more than 800,000 music creators.
- Sole designation by the U.S. government to administer the Section 114 sound recording licence.
- Digital performance royalty collection and distribution from platforms including Pandora, SiriusXM, iHeartRadio and thousands of others.
- International royalty collection through a global network of partners.
CMRRA represents the vast majority of music publishers operating in Canada, licensing reproduction rights and administering royalties for musical works.
It licenses dozens of digital services, including every major online music platform operating in Canada, and licenses, collects and distributes royalties for most songs recorded, sold and broadcast in the country.
