Canadian music rights organization SOCAN has posted record royalty revenue of $587.1 million for 2025, a 5% increase over the previous year, with $511.9 million distributed directly to songwriters, composers and music publishers across Canada and around the world.
The numbers reflect real momentum. Digital revenue sources totalled $232.8 million, an 11.5% year-over-year jump. General licensing and concerts climbed 16.1%. International revenue reached $141.7 million, confirming that Canadian music continues to travel well beyond its borders.
But SOCAN isn’t letting strong financials obscure a harder truth. CEO Jennifer Brown has been direct about the gap between organizational revenue growth and the daily economic reality facing working songwriters and composers. “There is an urgent need for modern protections rooted in consent, credit and compensation,” Brown said, “to provide songwriters and composers with a reliable foundation from which to support their families and continue making music.”
AI is now central to that fight. SOCAN’s national advocacy campaign generated 8,700 letters to the federal government, pushing back against any policy that would allow unlicensed use of music to train AI systems. The campaign reached the Prime Minister’s Office directly, with Brown and CISAC president Björn Ulvaeus (of ABBA) meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney to make the case for protecting human creativity.
A 2025 SOCAN–Pollara survey found that 81% of Canadians believe supporting local music creators is essential to Canadian culture. That’s not a niche concern. SOCAN’s full 2025 Annual Report is available now, with the organization’s AGM scheduled for April 29, 2026, in Calgary.