More than 100 SOCAN members gathered at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver on June 17, 2008, for the organization’s 2007 annual general meeting. As always, the meeting served as a welcome opportunity for members to approve SOCAN’s audited financial results for the previous fiscal year, to cast their votes on proposed changes and procedures, and to get to know SOCAN board members and the executive team during a series of reports and a post-meeting reception.

SOCAN president Pierre-Daniel Rheault opened the meeting by pointing to some recent developments, as well as reminding those in attendance that 2009 is a SOCAN election year and urging all to vote for the new board of directors – and to give serious consideration to standing for nomination to the board. “One of our current projects,” he informed all, “is to simplify the election process, to ensure that we have fewer spoiled ballots that must be rejected. To that end, we are introducing for the first time an online voting process.” (Previously, the process required that writer members choose nine writer directors, with publisher members choosing nine publisher directors.)

André LeBel, SOCAN’s CEO, followed with his management report, mentioning some highlights from the 2007 financial position and the results of SOCAN’s latest online member survey . He announced that SOCAN distributed $180.9-million in royalties during 2007 and reduced its net administrative expenses to 13.9 percent. The most encouraging news affecting 2007 revenues, said LeBel, was the confirmation by the Copyright Board earlier this year of SOCAN’s 2005 tariff decision for increased commercial radio royalties. This resulted in an additional $27-million for SOCAN members and international PROs ($9.1-million related to current year revenues, with the remainder representing arrears). As for the member survey, the results showed that member satisfaction sits at 7.79 on a scale from 1 to 10. As always, SOCAN management is determined to improve that showing.

In other good news from 2007, LeBel announced that SOCAN’s Licensing department is showing excellent results from its reorganization, after integrating dozens of new employees. The department’s new business development group exceeded its revenue objectives in its first year of operations by 15 percent, and gained 102 percent of the projected new customer accounts.

Looking ahead to the remainder of this year, LeBel pointed to a number of expected decisions and challenges, including the Copyright Board decision on Tariff 22B (applicable to other music services operating over the Internet), a decision on SOCAN’s satellite radio tariff, the outcome of the wireless carriers’ appeal of the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision on the ringtones tariff, and the wireless carriers’ and digital service providers’ appeal, also to the Federal Court of Appeal, of the recently announced Tariff 22A decision relating to online music services.

As for SOCAN’s general operation, LeBel noted: “We want to make innovation central to the SOCAN business culture, in order to better meet your needs over time. We’re going to abolish bureaucracy as much as possible and encourage innovation throughout the organization.”

SOCAN treasurer Stan Meissner summarized the 2007 financial results, showing a series of charts and explaining some variances from the previous year. As well, Pierre-Daniel Rheault explained a number of proposed amendments to SOCAN’s bylaw No. 1, designed in part to update and modernize the bylaw. The amendments, which were approved unanimously by those in attendance, also include a proposal to replace the dated term “serious music” with the term “new classical music” for the purpose of board representation. As well, beginning in 2009, the approved amendments will allow members to vote for SOCAN directors by electronic means.

Other business conducted during the AGM included approval of the minutes from last year’s meeting (held June 12, 2007, in Toronto), reappointment of KPMG as SOCAN’s auditors, and a series of reports from the chairs of the Executive Governance; Tariff, Licensing & Distribution; Membership; and Risk Identification & Management committees of the board, as well as from the SOCAN Foundation.