CPCC is the non-profit agency charged with collecting and distributing royalties on the media that are used by individual Canadians to copy music. Established in 1999, CPCC is an umbrella organization that represents songwriters, recording artists, music publishers and record companies, the groups on whose behalf the royalties are collected.

Note that individual artists are members of collective societies which in turn have formed the CPCC.

The private copying levy is a royalty for music rights holders, such as performers and songwriters, that is included in the price of blank CDs that you buy at your local store. The levy provides a way to compensate music creators when individuals copy music onto blank CDs for their own listening enjoyment. This additional use is referred to as private copying.

The beauty of the private copying levy is that it addresses the inherent nature of private copying — it provides some compensation to the creators for a use of their work that is indeed private and cannot be monitored.

The levy was established by the Federal Government in 1998. The amount of the first levy was set in 1999. Previously, music that was copied onto blank CDs infringed the creators’ copyright and they, as rights holders, received nothing for this use of their work.The private copying levy is a royalty for music rights holders, such as performers and songwriters, that is included in the price of blank CDs that you buy at your local store. The levy provides a way to compensate music creators when individuals copy music onto blank CDs for their own listening enjoyment. This additional use is referred to as private copying.