She will remain with the Canadian music licensing agency as a strategic adviser.
The Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency, Ltd. (CMRRA) has announced that its president, Caroline Rioux, will step down next year. She will remain with the music licensing agency as a strategic adviser, serving both the CMRRA and her successor, who has yet to be named.
Rioux has worked for CMRRA for more than 20 years in various capacities. She was appointed president in 2013.
"CMRRA has entered into an exciting new chapter, both as a result of its acquisition by SoundExchange/SXWorks and the important changes that are taking place in rights administration in Canada and internationally," Rioux said in a statement. "There will always be more work to do and fights to be won to ensure the prosperity of our music publisher clients. I look forward to helping CMRRA enter this next chapter of its growth."
CMRRA represents the mechanical rights of music publishers and administers the majority of songs recorded, sold and broadcast in Canada. SXWorks, a subsidiary of SoundExchange, is governed by a board consisting of leading music publishers and SoundExchange executives. It was was created in conjunction with the 2017 acquisition of the CMRRA.
Added Michael Huppe, president and CEO of SoundExchange and SXWorks chairman of the board: "Since our acquisition of CMRRA, Caroline has become a valued and trusted member of the SoundExchange family. We are thrilled that, as part of her decision to move on to her next chapter, she has agreed to stay on to advise the company and provide important transition resources for her successor. In this role she will continue to help refine and expand CMRRA's service offerings."
In related news, CMRRA's Vice President of Legal and Business Affairs Veronica Syrtash has been promoted to senior vice president, business affairs and corporate development. She will oversee all "external facing functions," the release states, such as publisher relations, licensee relations, corporate legal affairs, enforcement, as well as all rate-setting negotiations and tariff proceedings.
"Veronica has been an innovator and a driving force behind new licensing initiatives including our recent agreement with Amazon Music in Canada," said Huppe.