With the recent controversy over leaked Spotify contracts, we thought it would be a great time to remind our members, and the music industry at large, that you can still sign onto the Fair Digital Deals Declaration – an initiative spearheaded by the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN).
CIMA, as a member of WIN, is a proud supporter of the Fair Digital Deals Declaration, which was originally launched in July 2014. As a refresher, The Fair Digital Deals Declaration is a statement of commitment made by independent record labels to treat their artists fairly in agreements relating to digital exploitation of artists’ work in recorded music agreements with third parties.
There are 5 key points to the declaration as follows:
- We will ensure that artists’ share of download and streaming revenues is clearly explained in recording agreements and royalty statements in reasonable summary form.
- We will account to artists a good-faith pro-rata share of any revenues and other compensation from digital services that stem from the monetization of recordings but are not attributed to specific recordings or performances.
- We will encourage better standards of information from digital services on the usage and monetisation of music.
- We will support artists who choose to oppose, including publicly, unauthorized uses of their music.
- We will support the collective position of the global independent record company sector as outlined in the Global Independent Manifesto.
By signing the Fair Digital Deals Declaration, you’re joining the over 900 signatories from 28 countries. You can view the list of signatories here. This includes 34 Canadian independent labels in total, and 17 of them are CIMA members: Anthem Entertainment, Aporia, Bonsound, Dine Alone Records, Disques Artic, File Under:Music, Justin Time Records, Last Gang Records, Linus Entertainment/True North Records/The Children’s Group/Independent Digital Licensing Agency, Maple Music Recordings, Nettwerk, Outside Music, Paper Bag Records, Productions J, Secret City Records, Six Shooter Records, Stony Plain Records.
To sign onto the Fair Digital Deals Declaration and add your voice to the growing chorus of music companies requesting fair accounting and transparency, please click here.
For more information about the Fair Digital Deals Declaration, please visit: https://cimamusic.ca/win-fair-digital-deals-declaration-700-independent-labels-support-fair-accounting-to-artists/