TORONTO, September 30, 2013 – Caroline Rioux has been appointed President of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. (CMRRA), effective October 1, 2013. The announcement was made by CMRRA Chairman Gary Furniss.
“In recent years, Caroline has been instrumental to the leadership and operation of CMRRA,” said Mr. Furniss. “Her expertise and many years with the organization make her the ideal candidate to lead CMRRA through these challenging times. Her understanding of the organization’s business and operational strategies and her proven ability to lead significant organizational changes are vital to ensuring the continued confidence of CMRRA’s clients.”
Ms. Rioux joined CMRRA in 1991 and most recently served as the organization’s Executive Vice-President. In this capacity, she was responsible for CMRRA’s membership services, works registrations, licensing and royalty distribution activities as well as its information technology business strategy. Ms. Rioux also serves as a Director of CMRRA/SODRAC Inc. (CSI). She has been a key contributor in the negotiations of CMRRA’s Mechanical Licensing Agreement and in the certification of CSI’s Online Music Services Tariff, which establish the royalty rates for the reproduction of musical works on CDs and for Internet downloading and streaming of music in Canada.
Ms. Rioux earned an M.B.A. from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and is a graduate of the Trebas Institue of Recording Arts.
She is a strong advocate for fair royalty rates, robust administrative provisions, responsive client service and transparency in collective management.
Ms. Rioux succeeds David Basskin, who announced his retirement from CMRRA last week. In her new role, Ms. Rioux will also represent CMRRA on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC).
Founded in 1975, CMRRA is Canada’s largest music licensing agency. On behalf of the majority of music publishers and copyright owners doing business in Canada, CMRRA licenses the reproduction of songs in their repertoires on CD and via Internet distribution.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, please contact CMRRA.
