SOCAN has joined One Arena, the international live performance network founded by Germany’s GEMA, extending the initiative beyond Europe. The move is expected to give songwriters, artists and rightsholders greater transparency over royalties earned from music performed on stages worldwide.
What the network offers#
One Arena gives rightsholders a clearer picture of what they can expect to earn from international live performances, when payments are likely to arrive, and how royalties were calculated through individual concert reporting. Members are working together to make licensing and distribution more transparent, so that payments are made efficiently, accurately and promptly.
How the network operates#
Founded by GEMA, One Arena brings together seven European collective management societies. By sharing information, they give music creators, publishers and their representatives greater visibility into license collection and live performance royalty distribution in other territories.
The network’s work includes:
- Detailing upcoming concerts
- Producing royalty forecasts
- Submitting setlists to the relevant collective societies
- Tracking the status of licensing and payments
Members and responsibilities#
One Arena is an international cooperation among collective management organizations. It provides structured information and operational coordination across the live performance value chain, helping rightsholders and their representatives understand how live performance royalties are licensed, processed and distributed across borders.
Its members are SUISA, AKM, Buma-Stemra, KODA, TONO, OSA, SOCAN and GEMA.
Licensing music rights and paying royalties remain the responsibility of each collecting society in its own territory, governed by its own rules and established practices.
Executives on the expansion#
Tobias Holzmüller, chief executive officer of GEMA, said:
“One Arena’s strength lies in the expertise and commitment of all the collecting societies involved.” “Together, we’re building greater transparency and making it easier for songwriters and artists to understand how royalties are generated by their international live performances. We’re delighted to welcome SOCAN into our network; this will enable us to draw on SOCAN’s expertise in the Canadian market and support even more rightsholders in the future through One Arena.”
Jennifer Brown, chief executive officer of SOCAN, added:
“For songwriters, a concert doesn’t end with the final note. When it comes to international performances in particular, the path to collecting and distributing royalties is often long and has information gaps. One Arena helps us to track our members’ performances abroad more efficiently, with a level of transparency that is welcomed in the live performance sector. We’re delighted to be part of this network that is putting the needs and royalties of members first.”
