Canadian music industry leader Catharine Saxberg has been appointed Head of International Relations for SOCAN – the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada – a role created in response to the substantial growth in royalties found outside of Canada and distributed back to SOCAN’s more than 120,000 members.
Until joining SOCAN in January 2024, Saxberg will continue as the Executive Director of the Canadian Music Publishers Association, where she has been responsible for all operations of the organization since 2024, including strategic planning, government relations, communications, board relations, administration, policy development, financial and staff management.
“With Catharine Saxberg’s help we will create even more opportunities for SOCAN members beyond Canadian borders,” said SOCAN CEO Eric Baptiste. “She will work with our International team to manage relationships with partner performing rights organizations around the world, particularly the larger ones that provide more than 90 percent of SOCAN members’ international royalties.”
Royalties from international performances of SOCAN-member music increased from $39-million in 2024 to $47-million in 2024, and are expected to achieve more than $50-million in 2024 – the largest amount ever. Total royalties distributed by SOCAN to members in 2024 were nearly $220-million.
“Catharine has been the guiding force in making the Canadian Music Publishers Association one of the strongest music publishing associations in the world,” said Jodie Ferneyhough, president of the CMPA and head of CCS Rights Management. “She has forged bonds with the National Music Publishers’ Association, the International Confederation of Music Publishers, and a majority of the associations and music publishing companies around the world. Her work here at home has put Music Publishers on the map and she has established herself and the publishing community as the voice of reason in Ottawa in the unsettled world of copyright and copyright reform. Although a direct loss to the CMPA, Catharine in her new role at SOCAN will continue to be an advocate for music publishers and all rights holders.”
In addition to being Executive Director of the CMPA, Catharine Saxberg has served as Executive Director of the Radio Starmaker Fund; Senior Project Director with Balmur Corus Music; and Director of Marketing, Canadian Broadcast Sales. She also has been co-chair of Canadian Music Week; a director with the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame; and a member of the National Advisory Board of FACTOR.
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