Reproduction rights, also known as mechanical rights, is the right to make of a copy of a song onto a physical medium or a digital file. Anyone who wishes to make a copy of your song (for example, on a record, a digital download, or a stream) is required to obtain a mechanical licence and pay royalties.

In Canada, the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA) works for music publishers and self-published songwriters to:

• Negotiate licence agreements on your behalf for the use of your works whenever your songs are sold, streamed or downloaded in Canada.
• Collect and distribute royalties for the use of your works to ensure that you are fairly compensated.

For over 50 years, CMRRA has specialized in handling reproduction rights supported by robust infrastructure and strong industry relationships that enable us to license, collect, and distribute royalties with precision and efficiency.

We’ve been involved with online and digital licensing since services first launched in Canada (iTunes in 2004, Spotify in 2014, Apple Music in 2015, and Amazon Music in 2017), giving us a wealth of metadata and unmatched expertise in matching songs to royalties. Digital Music Services in Canada report complete usage data to CMRRA. This allows us to identify and collect royalties retroactively back to inception of the services. Today, they include digital sales and streaming platforms from over 18 DSPs like Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Spotify, to name a few.

With the launch of our Unclaimed Works Portal in 2019, we also provide unprecedented access to information for rightsholders, helping ensure that rightsholders get accurately paid for the use of their work. 

When you choose CMRRA, you’re partnering with trusted experts who make sure your rights are protected and your royalties are collected efficiently.

This includes everyone from the biggest global players to independent and self-published songwriters. If you don’t have a relationship with a music publisher and manage this work on your own, we consider you a self-published songwriter and, by default, your own publisher. CMRRA can help you claim and collect the royalties you are owed. Every stream or download generates additional payments, so make sure you’re not leaving money on the table!