Frequently asked questions

Entandem is a not-for-profit organization created by RE:SOUND and SOCAN in 2019. Our organization simplifies the licensing process for Canadian businesses that use recorded and/or live music. We deliver greater value to music users by providing a single point of contact for music licenses common to both RE:SOUND and SOCAN.

Entandem administers RE:SOUND and SOCAN tariffs and music licenses. These licenses provide businesses and organizations the legal permission to use copyright-protected music in a public setting. There are two types of music rights administered by Entandem on behalf of RE:SOUND and SOCAN.

SOCAN Performing Rights Music Licenses: These licenses are granted with respect to musical works and the fees compensate composers, authors, songwriters, and publishers for live and recorded public performances of their works.

RE:SOUND Public Performance Music Licenses: These licenses apply to public performances of sound recordings of musical works and the fees compensate performing artists, musicians and record labels that perform on and own those recordings.

Music licensing contributes to the income of songwriters, composers, and music publishers through royalties. This support is crucial for Canada’s music economy and helps foster stronger communities and cities.

When recorded and/or live music is used in any public setting, a music license is required. Whether that’s background music playing or being performed by live performers in a retail space, restaurant or bar, DJs playing in a nightclub, music at a fitness studio, or music at a function, live concert/festival, or at a sports event, a music license is legally required, and we make it simple for you to obtain it.

Entandem administers various RE:SOUND and SOCAN music licenses. The cost of the license is based on how music is used in public settings and approved through the Copyright Board of Canada’s tariff-setting process. (See tariffs approved by the Copyright Board of Canada here: https://cb-cda.gc.ca/en/about-us/mandate-jurisdiction-role.)  Each tariff has clearly defined parameters and criteria to ensure fair and equitable licensing administration and compensation for music creators. Some music licenses are administered annually or quarterly, while others are on a per-event basis.

Please contact us at license@entandemlicensing.com and we’ll set up a head office account to ensure all locations are properly licensed.

The music you want to play is your own choice, but music creators have to be fairly compensated for the public performance of their music, no matter how your business chooses to broadcast its music. When you buy a CD or download music from a legal site, you gain the right to play music in private but not in public. That’s when you have to get your public performance license.  There are different music licenses from background music, live music, and recorded music for dancing since each adds a different value to businesses for entertaining and keeping customers.

Music is like any other service you use for your business, like energy and water. Similarly, suppliers should be fairly compensated for supplying you with the products you need to run your business, music creators should be compensated for their music that your business is using to improve its customer experience. This allows music creators to continue to create the music we love to hear and use in your business to enhance the experience. For a minimal payment your business can legally play music that will benefit your customers, your employees, and your bottom line.  Playing music is a win-win, so why would you want to go without using it?

Not necessarily. The cost to obtain a music license is relatively inexpensive. Fees are calculated based on a variety of factors such as your businesses’ square footage and revenue. It’s surprisingly affordable to use music legally and support Canadian creators while doing so. Just like your business, music creators are working to make a fair living from their talent. If a business is using music, becoming licensed is the ethical, right – and legal – thing to do.

Yes, you need a license because all music is copyrighted, regardless of your relationship with the creator. Other parties may also have rights to royalties from the songs. By obtaining your music license through Entandem, we ensure everyone receives their due royalties.

Simply register with Entandem by creating an account online. Once your account is created, you can indicate how music is used in your business, event, or organization and provide additional necessary information to obtain your music licenses. To get started, click here. You can also connect by calling 1.866.944.6223 or email license@entandemlicensing.com.

Entandem welcomes any information about music usage by a business or organization. Feel free to contact Entandem at info@entandemlicensing.com.

Submitting a complete setlist or program ensures SOCAN can accurately distribute royalties for live performances. Without it, SOCAN cannot allocate royalties to the appropriate creators, leaving some concert acts undistributed.

If a licensing report and program are submitted, and the concert is fully paid by the licensee, SOCAN processes the concert using the songs listed in the program.

Arrangers can claim a share of a work if it is in the public domain. For copyrighted works, they need explicit permission from the copyright owner to create an arrangement and register it as a new version to collect royalties.

Arrangers cannot claim a share unless the work is public domain or they have express permission from the copyright owner of a copyrighted work.

Rightsholders, such as songwriters and publishers, are paid once the concert setlist or program is licensed, processed, and contains identifiable works tied to them.

The duration of each performance is used to calculate royalties for setlists submitted to SOCAN. If no performance duration is provided, the registered duration of the work is used instead.

Unless you are also the organizer/promoter of the event, you are not responsible for acquiring the licenses.

A license from Entandem is still required.  DJs are required to get a license (unrelated to Entandem) from Connect Music Licensing when they make copies of sound recordings onto a recordable digital medium (such as a computer hard drive, USB drive, MP3 player, smartphone, CD-Rs, external hard drive, etc.) for a commercial, non-personal use.  This is often confused with Entandem’s licenses which provide the permissions to perform that music in a public setting.

To apply for a license:

1. Click Get Started on the homepage and select the industry that best represents your organization.
2. Click the link to register and apply—you’ll be taken to the registration form.
3. Complete the form and confirm your account via the email we send.
4. Log in to the Portal. From your dashboard, you can select your music usage(s) and enter the date you began using music.

Once you’ve registered your account on the Portal and selected your music usage(s), follow these steps to submit a report:

1. Log into the Portal and click Submit New from your dashboard.
2. Select your music usage.
3. Fill out the report form with your details. License fees for RE:SOUND and/or SOCAN will be calculated automatically.
4. Accept the license terms to submit. An invoice will be emailed to you within a week.

Reporting Options:

• The Portal supports reports for the current and previous year.
• For earlier periods, visit the Report Forms page to download and submit the appropriate form via email to license@entandemlicensing.com.

We understand that hosting an event in your venue or nightclub may require third-party assistance. In this situation, the necessary licenses from Entandem must be obtained by either the venue or the third-party promoter. You may require additional music licenses for other music uses in your space (e.g., background music, in-house DJ, etc.). It’s recommended that you contact Entandem directly to understand how you can ensure proper music licensing compliance.

Entandem administers licenses for music performed at live concerts, shows, and festivals on behalf of SOCAN. If recorded music is also used as ambiance, in the background or to complement the live show, then a RE:SOUND music license is also required. You can obtain both RE:SOUND and SOCAN music licenses through Entandem.

The money collected from music licenses is paid to the talented music creators behind the music being performed at your show or event. Performers or the event organizers submit music programs and set lists to Entandem. SOCAN then uses this information to distribute royalties to the rightful owners of the songs (whether they are from Canada or other countries).

If the songs are played in their original form without any changes, you might not need to report them. Our team will check and confirm and credit events if the music is confirmed to be public domain.