Canadian songwriters made on average $67 in royalties from digital platforms in 2021

The body representing Canada’s songwriters and composers has revealed that on average musicians writing their own material earned only $67 last year in royalties from domestic streaming services.

SOCAN, which collects the royalties of musicians including Drake, Joni Mitchell and Down with Webster, said that overall Canadians gained record royalties from streaming platforms last year.

The not-for-profit body collects payments from radio stations, TV stations and digital platforms including Spotify, YouTube and streaming services. It said in a new financial report that for the first time in its history, collections for licensed music are expected to exceed $416 million a year. Those figures will be confirmed in an annual report in June.

Despite a boost from the pandemic that led more people to stream music at home rather than going out, Canadian songwriters represented by SOCAN earned an average of just $67.14 in royalties from Canadian digital streaming services in 2021.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, CEO Jennifer Brown said while successful artists such as Drake and The Weeknd are played regularly, Canadian musicians who are not as well known can struggle to get promoted in Canada.

She said a law before Parliament that would oblige streaming platforms to add more Canadian music to playlists in Canada would give musicians a career boost and support to get started.

Bill C-11, which is now being debated, would make digital platforms including Spotify and YouTube promote Canadian music in the same way as traditional radio stations, which have to give Canadian music allotted airtime.

But because digital platforms and radio work differently — with platforms allowing people to select what they listen to and when — the bill is likely to give flexibility about how to promote Canadians’ work.

Brown said it is important for emerging songwriting talent as well as listeners that platforms “showcase Canadians” to help them get discovered, and to reach wider audiences.

She predicted that songwriters’ earnings from digital platforms will soon overtake royalties from more traditional sources, such as airtime on radio stations.