Good news, according to Artisti president Marie Denise Pelletier

At a press conference held at 1 p.m. today, Artisti and the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS) signed an agreement under which the MELS will provide financial compensation to performers represented by Artisti for reproductions of their performances embodied in sound recordings made for educational or extracurricular purposes in a private or public preschool, elementary school or high school.

The agreement will cover the last six months of the 2012–2013 school year, as well as the full 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 school years, and will generate a total of $602,700 in royalties for these artists. Several performers were in attendance for the signing of the agreement.

Artisti president Marie Denise Pelletier said she was thrilled with the agreement, which “recognizes the role of the performer in the creative process. Since 1997, the Copyright Act has recognized the reproduction rights of performers, as it previously had for authors and composers. Many Artisti members have entrusted us with the management of these rights for certain reproductions of their performances, including those made in schools funded by the MELS. But authors and sound recording makers were already receiving compensation for these reproductions, whereas performers were not,” she explained. “This agreement rectifies the situation.”

A similar agreement had already been reached by the MELS, SODRAC¹ and SOPROQ² for the reproduction of musical works and sound recordings embodying such works, although no such agreement had been signed with Artisti, which approached the MELS to assert its members’ rights.

Raymond Legault, the president of the Union des artistes (UDA) and vice-president of Artisti, stated: “At a time when creators in every field have been hit with all sorts of bad news, including the plethora of exceptions introduced in the wake of Copyright Actreform by the federal government, the MELS is sending a strong message of support to performers who participate in sound recordings. At long last, the value of the performer’s contribution is being acknowledged.”

About Artisti

Artisti is a collective society established in 1997 by the Union des artistes following changes made in the Copyright Act. Its mission is to protect, promote and preserve performers’ rights under that law. With 2,800 members, Artisti has distributed nearly $18 million in royalties since its creation.

1. SODRAC: Society for Reproduction Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers in Canada
2. SOPROQ: Quebec Collective Society for the Rights of Makers of Sound and Video Recordings

For more information:
Annie Morin, Director, Artisti
514-288-7150, ext. 1227