If your question is not answered here then please visit our Pay-As-You-Press page for more information.
► What if I apply for licence, but the song is not represented by CMRRA?
If you have submitted a licence application and royalty payment for a work that CMRRA does not represent, we will issue a refund cheque to you once we have processed your application. Please note that CMRRA will only refund the royalties you have paid, and not the handling fee charged to process your application.
► What is a pressing order? Why is it required?
A pressing order is a document sent by you to the manufacturer that confirms the number of units of your product that will be pressed. CMRRA requires this documentation to ensure you are paying royalties on all copies manufactured. In the alternative, you can also submit your pressing invoice, which would serve the same purpose. Note that we cannot accept a quote in lieu of a pressing order.
If you are manufacturing the product yourself, please submit a signed and dated written statement detailing the number of units manufactured.
► Can the manufacturer start pressing my product as soon as I send my royalty payment to CMRRA?
No. A licence must be issued to you before your product can be manufactured. The fact that you have sent CMRRA a licence application and a royalty payment does not mean that we will be able to issue the licence you need for your project.
► The manufacturer tells me that it cannot press my product until I have my licences, and CMRRA tells me that it cannot issue licences without a pressing order. How does this work?
The pressing order is a document you must submit to the manufacturer to place your order for a certain number of units. The manufacturer can (and should) put your order on hold until such time as your licence has been issued. We require that you submit a copy of this pressing order along with your licence application and royalty payment. Once the licence has been issued, you'll be able to return to the manufacturer and get your order processed.
► How long can the licensing process take?
Where the ownership of the work you have applied for has already been confirmed and registered in our database, you can expect to receive your licences typically within three weeks, although processing times may take as long as six weeks during peak periods. Both spring and the period leading up to Christmas are generally very busy times for us.
If the ownership of the work has not been registered with CMRRA by the copyright owner, it could take many more weeks or months before we are able to issue the licence. While we will endeavour to identify the copyright owner(s) and seek the required copyright registration from him or her, we cannot guarantee that we will receive this documentation in a timely fashion. The licence will be issued as soon as we've received the registration. In the event we find out that the work or copyright owner is ultimately not represented by CMRRA, we will let you know and you will need to obtain your licence directly.
► What are the methods of payment?
Payment can be made to CMRRA by way of:
2) certified cheque
3) money order
4) in-person debit/credit payments available at CMRRA’s office, or
5) non-certified personal cheque (where payment is made by cheque, your licence application will not be processed until your cheque has been cashed – usually one week from receipt).
► What’s your refund policy?
CMRRA’s refund policy will be applied based on the following two criteria:
Where a licence has already been issued:
Once your licence has been issued, CMRRA cannot refund or credit any royalties for the work in question in the event you decide to not use it. It is very important that you are certain of the works you wish to use before the licensing process is completed.
Where a licence has not yet been issued:
If a licence has not been issued, and you have decided to not use the work in question, CMRRA will refund the royalty portion of your payment for this work. Note that the Handling Fee will not be refunded to you.
► I obtained a licence for a previous pressing of my CD. Do I need a licence for subsequent pressings?
Yes. The " Pay-As-You-Press " licence issued to you by CMRRA is limited to the number of units you manufactured and paid for. If you intend to manufacture more than the number of units specified on your licence, you need to obtain a new licence to cover those additional units.
► Can CMRRA send copies of my application/royalty payment/licences to my presser?
No. It is the applicant’s responsibility to retain copies of his or her application forms, royalty payment and licences for this purpose. CMRRA does not forward copies of licences or other documents to anyone but the applicant.
► Has the royalty rate changed since my initial pressing?
The mechanical royalty rate has increased periodically since 1988. Please refer to the table below for information on the applicable royalty rate for a given year.
The values below are stated in cents ($C) as the minimum rate for recordings with a running time of five minutes or less and the added rate per minute or partial minute of running time:
| June 22, 1988 to September 30th 1989 | 5.25/1.25 |
| October 1st 1989 to December 31, 1991 | 5.9/1.18 |
| 1992-93: | 6.25/1.25 |
| 1994-95: | 6.47/1.30 |
| 1996-97: | 6.7/1.34 |
| 1998-99: | 7.1/1.42 |
| 2000-01: | 7.4/1.48 |
| 2002-03: | 7.7/1.54 |
| 2004-05: | 8.5/1.70 |
| 2006-07: | 7.7/1.54 |
| 2008-09: | 8.1/1.62 |
| 2010-to present: | 8.3/1.66 |
Where a “Pay-As-You-Press” license has been earlier issued to you at a lower rate, you will be obliged, as the rates increase from time to time, to pay the new, higher rates should you need to press further copies of your recording.
