[mrlayance]

Concerts at Toronto's Air Canada Centre could be temporarily halted if an organization representing the Canadian music industry gets its way.

According to a report Wednesday in the Toronto Star, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is seeking a court injunction preventing arena owner Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. from holding concerts at the ACC while a dispute over the company's alleged refusal to pay rights fees is resolved.

It isn't yet clear when a judge might rule on the injunction.

Under Canada's Copyright Act, promoters of concerts held in the country must pay tariffs — which can be as much as three per cent of gross ticket sales — to SOCAN, which distributes the royalties to its 80,000 members, including composers, lyricists, songwriters and publishers.

MLSE, which also owns the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs and the NBA's Toronto Raptors, contends that it is merely a venue, not a promoter.

"All we have received has been rent," MLSE general counsel Robin Brudner told the Star, adding that in the instances when the company has paid the SOCAN tariff, the money came out of the concert promoters' end.

SOCAN filed a lawsuit in Federal Court in December 2004, citing 29 concerts dating back to 1999 in which MLSE allegedly did not hand over fees and calling the company's conduct "deliberate and high-handed."

MLSE argued in its statement of defence that the concerts were "the sole responsibility of the concert promoter and/or the performer or performers."

The case has not yet gone to trial, and SOCAN lawyer Kelly Gill told the Star she expects it to be at least a year before that happens.

Hope this doesn't happen.

[clearlyentranced]

I've never heard of that before. Sounds like an odd situation.

[chris]

I don't see this going any where as MLSE have deep pockets, and SOCAN needs them as a venue for their performers.