With headquarters in the heart of Toronto, Canada, the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency is a dynamic music licensing agency representing copyright owners.
Our clients are music publishers and self-published songwriters who own the rights to the vast majority of songs recorded, sold, streamed and broadcast in Canada. Our team works diligently on behalf of our clients to negotiate licensing agreements, collect royalties from our licensees (Apple, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, radio stations, major and independent record labels, and others) and to distribute those royalties.
Established in 1975 and having contributed to many transformative moments in the music landscape since then, CMRRA is the market leaders in Canada for physical and digital mechanical licensing. We’ve recently launched new international partnerships to collect digital mechanical royalties from the US and from numerous territories outside of North America too.
Our core mandate is ensuring that our clients get paid efficiently and on time for the use of their music. We play a pivotal role in the music ecosystem, which requires us to be constantly evolving, staying focused on both current and emerging business models using recorded music, and treating our clients and their songs as our top priority.
CMRRA is committed to fostering an environment where our employees, clients, and partners feel valued and supported. As leaders in the music industry, we recognize that building a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization is vital. Every day we aspire to do better than the day before because we wholeheartedly believe that there is strength in diversity and that we are stronger together.
Legacy
Cyril Devereux was CMRRA’s first General Manager and Treasurer and a stalwart friend to Canada’s songwriter and music publisher community. Trained as an accountant, Cyril came to Canada after the Second World War at the request of the Dreyfus brothers to take over Chappell Music’s Canadian operation. Born in India, and raised in England, Cyril went on to establish a family with his wife, Bobby.
Over the years, Cyril succeeded in delivering solid results for CMRRA’s clients. His hallmark was his wisdom, insight and the warmth of his personality. He was a gentleman, a friend, a teacher and a class act in every way. This was a man who left everyone who came into contact with him with the feeling that they’d been treated with respect and care.
Cyril retired from CMRRA in July 2001 at the age of 90. Soon after, CMRRA instituted the Cyril Devereux Award which is granted annually to the CMRRA employee who best exemplifies the commitment to client service, courtesy, professionalism and team spirit that Cyril exemplified.
Cyril Devereux Award recipients:
2023: Lydia Couture-Comtois
2022: Matthew Goldman
2021: Thao Nghiem
2020: Kristen Hunkin
2019 : Mae Tsai
2018: Whitney Pineault
2017: Nigel Barylewicz
2016: Tonya Small
2015: Steve Quinney
2014: Kase de Jonge
2013: Kevin Cahill
2012: Pamela Nichol
2011: Jennifer Bird
2010: Karola Kinkel
2009: Christine Megit
2008: Holly Akimow
2007: Scott Read
2006: Florence Paterakis
2005: Richard Van Geilswyk
2004: Sandy Melo
2003: Joy Galiatsos
2002: Michael Mackie
2001: Caroline Arnett
