The SCGC recently conducted a survey of its membership to understand the real issues being faced by the Canadian screen composing community. More than 100 members took the time to complete this survey and add comments to illustrate the current economic challenges they face. Our thanks to all for your responses.

We have already started to use the survey to inform and support our advocacy work on behalf of screen composers. In a recent meeting with the Directors Guild of Canada, many of the statistics and comments went into a lobbying brochure that highlights the issues composers face due to the absence of a collective agreement with Canada’s independent media producers.

This brochure poses an important question. As screen composers are the only key creatives in the Canadian content system not protected by a collective agreement with Canada’s independent media producers, what does that mean for our industry?

The answers make difficult reading for everybody invested in Canadian screen composing and culture:

• Our intellectual property is unfairly taken
• Without protection, we feel forced to accept buyouts
• We work for free or have to split our writers’ share
• We are not hopeful for the future of our profession