!@!Re: [Upd-discuss] a longer term strategy for promoting the public domain?

[David Basskin]

Lars Aronsson wrote:

>Hey David,
>
>  
>
>>Hello, Americans! "We Are The World" is just the name of a song.
>>    
>>
>
>Why don't you tell us what you are doing (be positive) instead of
>telling us what others aren't doing?
>
>Now, this requires me to tell what I am doing. ...
>
 Thanks for your message, and your very interesting description of your 
activities. I won't attempt to comment on your issues directly, since I 
lack the expertise to meaningfully do so.

You've asked what I do, and I'm happy to tell you. I'm the President of 
the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. 
(http://www.cmrra.ca), Canada's largest music licensing agency. On 
behalf of most of the music publishers and copyright owners doing 
business in Canada, we issue licenses authorizing the reproduction of 
our clients' songs in a wide range of uses, including CD's ("mechanical 
licensing"), film and television productions ("synchronization 
licensing"), ring tones, online distribution, and many others. We also 
collect and administer two Copyright Board-approved tariffs for bulk 
copying of our clients' songs. CMRRA is a non-profit organization, owned 
by the Canadian Music Publishers Association.

We take a great deal of care to monitor the PD status of musical works, 
and regularly advise those seeking licenses for a PD work that they 
don't need to do so. Time marches on - the songs of Hank Williams went 
PD in Canada on January 1 of this year, just to name one example.

Our website offers an online "mailbag" at 
http://www.cmrra.ca/mailbag2.nsf/$$Query. We receive plenty of questions 
about music licensing, and we try to answer each one in under 48 hours - 
less than 24 hours is typical. If you have any questions about our 
activities, I invite you to use this service - or just email me directly.

Thanks for your interest in our activities.

David A. Basskin
President
CMRRA Ltd.
Toronto, Canada