This is a very interesting discussion. I've only ever observed one interaction with SOCAN, and that one was eyebrow raising in that the SOCAN rep was very agressive in tone and the 'venue' they wanted fees from is a barely surviving community supported heritage museum. The music they wanted fees ($30. a month, if I remember rightly) for is a single recording of 1940s era music, about ten songs, most of them instrumental, played for atmosphere in the cookhouse.