About PROs:
Live musical performances are legally required to pay a percentage of proceeds to Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) who collect and distribute royalties on behalf of intellectual property holders (Songwriters, Authors, Composers and Publishers) of registered works.
PROs collect these royalties and distribute them to their members based on the determined usage of their copyrighted works.
Good news! Side Door collects remittances automatically from public ticketed shows that are booked through Side Door.
The toggle in your show builder ‘This show includes live music’ must be on. Side
Door submits these license fees to SOCAN to ensure that creators receive fair compensation for usage of their works. Royalties are then distributed by SOCAN directly to their members and forwarded to foreign PRO’s for distribution under their reciprocal agreements.
These reciprocal agreements exist between PROs internationally. For example, if a SOCAN member’s registered work is performed in the U.S., the member will receive the compensation they’re entitled to via the agreements in place.
For Side Door Hosts/Spaces:
Any public physical space or business, such as a coffee shop or performance hall, where music is publicly performed (either by live performance or even a playlist through speakers), is legally required to have a license with the PRO in the country where the space is located. With the shows you book through Side Door, we will ensure that the licensing requirements are covered on your behalf.
As a host of live art and music, there may come a time when your local PRO will reach out tovyou and ask you to obtain a license. Luckily, for the shows you book through Side Door, we cover all license fees on behalf of ALL hosts for any show as stated in all settlement sheets.
For any show done *outside of Side Door* hosts are still responsible to acquire and pay for a license to ensure music royalties are paid to copyright holders.
With that, Side Door events should be omitted from your PRO reporting as we will submit these events on your behalf.
If you’d like to learn more about this, we encourage you to research locally relevant rules and regulations. You can find out what your local PRO is HERE.
For Artists:
Artists who are members of a PRO should submit their set lists to their member organization in a timely manner after the show. If the artist is performing original material, they will earn their rightful compensation in due course via their PRO. This is a huge benefit to using Side Door to book and ticket shows, since our team takes care of the remittance on your behalf so Artists get paid out after submitting setlists to the PRO.
*PLEASE NOTE: Side Door holds an active license with SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) only. If you are a host outside of Canada, we recommend securing a license for your space with your country’s Performance Rights Organization.