SOCAN Buys CMRRA, Music Reports' Songdex Turns 10, GMR and Music Choice Settle Copyright Case

How The Music Business Works - Issue #74

August 13, 2026

Welcome back to How the Music Business Works.

On the rights front, SOCAN's acquisition of CMRRA marks a significant step toward unified song licensing in Canada, while Suno continues its push toward industry legitimacy with a global BMG deal, even as litigation with the majors grinds on. 

Separately, songwriters are pushing back hard on the Phonorecords V proposed settlement, calling it a thinly veiled rate rollback, while GMR closes yet another infringement suit, this time against Music Choice. 

And the industry pauses to mourn William Orbit, the Grammy-winning producer whose fingerprints are on some of pop music's most enduring records.

Here's the news.

Canada’s SOCAN Buys CMRRA From SoundExchange

Canada's performing rights society SOCAN has acquired CMRRA, the country's leading mechanical rights organization, bringing most Canadian song rights licensing under one roof. Historically, performing rights and mechanical rights have been managed by separate societies, in Canada, SOCAN handled the former while CMRRA handled the latter. The deal consolidates the two, mirroring a trend already underway: SOCAN had previously acquired French-language mechanical society SODRAC back in 2018. The move reflects the realities of the digital era, where streaming platforms exploit both performing and mechanical rights simultaneously, making separate licensing increasingly inefficient. Pending regulatory approval, the combined organization aims to create a more seamless experience for publishers, self-published songwriters, and the digital platforms licensing their work.

Music Reports Marks 10 Years of Songdex Marketplace and Driving Scalable Music Licensing

Music Reports is marking a decade of its Songdex Marketplace, a direct-licensing platform that has quietly become a cornerstone of music rights administration. Built on top of the world's largest music rights registry, the platform lets publishers opt into licensing deals from digital service providers without costly negotiations, while shifting administrative costs to the DSPs, meaning publishers keep 100% of gross royalties. Over ten years, it has hosted more than 60 license offers and directed hundreds of millions of dollars to rights holders. The model proved influential enough to be incorporated into the Mechanical Licensing Collective structure under the Music Modernization Act. As streaming, social media, AI, and emerging platforms continue to reshape how music is consumed and licensed, Songdex is expanding its frameworks to keep pace, reducing friction for both publishers and the services that need their music.

Suno Inks Global Licensing Deal with BMG

AI music platform Suno has announced a global licensing agreement with BMG, covering both recorded music and publishing repertoire. The deal includes an opt-in element for BMG artists and songwriters, ensures compensation for prior use of BMG content, and positions both companies as partners in developing Suno's upcoming model releases. BMG becomes the second major rightsholder to strike a deal with Suno, following Warner Music Group nine months ago, while Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment remain in active litigation against the platform over alleged copyright infringement during AI training. The announcement comes alongside new platform safeguards from Suno, including download restrictions and audio watermarking to combat fraud and align with EU AI Act requirements. BMG, meanwhile, is preparing for a multi-billion-dollar merger with Concord, expected to close by year end.

Industry Voices Push Back on Phonorecords V Settlement

The Copyright Royalty Board's Phonorecords V rate-setting proceeding has drawn sharp opposition to a proposed settlement that critics say amounts to a rate freeze, or worse, a rollback. The settlement, put forward by the major labels, NMPA, A2IM, and others, would keep existing Phono IV mechanical rates in place with only inflation adjustments. But opponents including the Songwriters Guild of America, Word Collections, and Eminem's publisher Eight Mile Style argue the proposal would actually reset the base mechanical rate back to 12 cents per work in 2028, down from the current 13.1 cents. SGA and Word Collections contend the rate should be closer to 15.6 cents when accounting for cumulative inflation since 2020. Critics also raise concerns about vertical integration between the major labels and their publishing affiliates, questioning whether the settlement reflects genuine arm's-length negotiation. The CRB's public comment period closed August 10, and the board must now decide whether to accept or reject the proposal.

William Orbit, Grammy-Winning Producer for Madonna and Blur, Dies at 69

William Orbit, the British musician and producer best known for his transformative work with Madonna, passed away at home on July 23. He was 69. No cause of death was given. Born William Mark Wainwright in London's East End in 1956, Orbit developed his musical instincts as a teenager and built his career from the ground up, busking across Europe before establishing himself as a producer at his own Guerilla Studios. He worked with an eclectic range of artists over the decades, from the Cocteau Twins and Sting to U2, Blur, and Britney Spears. His defining moment came with Madonna's 1998 album "Ray of Light," which he largely produced and which earned him three Grammy Awards including Best Pop Album. Orbit continued releasing solo work through the end of his life, with his most recent albums arriving in 2022 and 2024.

Random Ramblings:

• 10 essential William Orbit productions.
• The Metadata Debt Problem: How Independent Labels Lose Control of Their Catalogs.
• Spotify’s AI Persona Label to Pluck AI Artists From Your Algorithm.
• The Rise of One-of-a-Kind Merch: How Artists Are Moving (Way) Beyond T-Shirts.