The licensing and royalties organization revealed its annual financial results, saying it also distributed $511.9 million to Canadian rightsholders last year. Sharing the results, the organization highlights the importance of supporting Canadian creators amidst the rise of generative AI.
SOCAN is reporting another record high for revenue distribution.
In its annual financial report, the Canadian rights organization that collects and distributes publishing royalties for musicians and rights-holders, shares that its collected revenue grew to $587 million last year, with $511.9 million being distributed to writers and publishers — a 5% increase from 2024.
Of the nearly $600 million in revenues, $445.5 million came from music use in Canada. It’s a weighty increase from last year’s numbers, which were approximately $23.9 million lower. This year’s stats are led by digital revenue sources totalling $232.8 million, an 11.5% year-over-year increase.
Meanwhile, general licensing and concerts revenue rose by 16.1%, and revenue from international territories increased by $3.9 million to $141.7 million, reflecting a rise in global demand for Canadian music, up 1.4% from last year.
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While the numbers are high, the organization says its findings come during a fraught time as industry-wide conversations on discoverability, streaming economic challenges and generative AI are inciting mounting pressure on Canadian artists and rights-holders.
Artists like icon Anne Murray and pop singer Alessia Cara have become alleged victims of unlicensed AI works, after songs that eerily resemble their voices have been uploaded to streaming platforms and social media in recent months.
“As AI accelerates change across the creative industries, SOCAN has remained focused on a core principle: human creativity must be protected, respected and fairly compensated,” the report reads.
SOCAN has also become the first performing rights group to join Music Fights Fraud Alliance (MFFA), an organization created to combat the streaming of fraudulent content. In February, the organization launched a national five-week member letter-writing campaign to put a stop to unauthorized AI music. That generated 8,700 letters to the Government of Canada to urge policymakers to reject any permits that allow the unlicensed use of music to train AI systems.
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It was backed by many Canadian artists and labels, including Sarah McLachlan, Mac DeMarco, Leith Ross, BMG Music Publishing and more.
Since then, the issue has reached the federal government. SOCAN’s CEO Jennifer Brown and Björn Ulvaeus (of ABBA), president of international culture organization CISAC, met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss protecting human creativity in the era of AI. Ulvaeus recently spoke virtually at the National Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Culture in Alberta, where he joined 300 creative industry members for policy conversations about AI.
“SOCAN’s financial results show increased revenues but we all need to acknowledge that Canadian songwriters and composers are living a different reality,” says Brown.
“There is an urgent need for modern protections rooted in consent, credit and compensation, to provide songwriters and composers with a reliable foundation from which to support their families and continue making music.”
Last year marked a major year for SOCAN, as it celebrated 100 years. As of 2025, the organization says it supported nearly 200,000 songwriters, composers and music publisher members.
