The private copying levy is an important source of income for Canada's songwriters, recording artists, music publishers and record companies. And this income is in jeopardy.

The Copyright Act is out of date. Last revised in 1997, it specifies that the private copying levy,  which provides compensation to rights holders when Canadians make copies of their music for personal use, only applies to blank audio recording media, like CD-Rs.

It's 2012 ... who uses CD-Rs to copy music anymore? MP3 players like the iPod have become the new standard for copying music. It is imperative that the Copyright Act be updated to reflect the reality of private copying in the digital age. Otherwise, the funds distributed annually to music rights holders through the private copying levy will quickly disappear.

In an effort to bring the Act up to date, in June 2010 the Government of Canada, proposed Bill C-32, the Copyright Modernization Act. Unfortunately, rather than modernizing the private copying regime, the Bill did not include the much needed extension of the levy to MP3 players. In fact, the format shifting provisions proposed in Bill C-32 would have allowed individuals to copy music onto devices without providing compensation to creators.  Bill C-32 died when the 40th Parliament was dissolved.  It is expected that a new copyright bill will be introduced when parliament resumes in the fall.

The CPCC continues to advocate on your behalf.  In August 2011, the CPCC began its outreach to newly elected MPs.  The purpose of this initiative is to provide them with background information regarding the private copying levy and to stress that action is required now - the annual amount available for distribution to rights holders has dropped from $27.6 million in 2008 to an estimated $8.8 million this year (2011) – a 68% reduction.

Continue to be an active voice.  Your Member of Parliament needs to hear from you that an amendment to the existing Copyright Act is needed to ensure that you continue to receive compensation when private copies are made of your music.

Use this site to tell them why the private copying levy is important to your career and Canada’s cultural mosaic.  If you haven’t already, visit the TAKE ACTION page and send a letter to your MP. Create a video or post a testimonial about the private copying levy and what it means to your career. In order to be effective, the message must come from music rights holders.  Help and Save the Levy.