Union des artistes (UDA)

What Union des artistes (UDA) does

Union des artistes (UDA) is a Montreal-based professional union (syndicat professionnel) founded in 1937 that represents performing artists and creators across multiple disciplines in Quebec, including actors, musicians, singers, and dancers. Its statutory role is to defend the social, economic, and moral interests of its members by negotiating collective agreements that establish minimum working conditions, compensation standards, and workplace protections across the sectors under its jurisdiction. The organization operates on a member-owned, dues-funded model with no parent company, external ownership, or public-market listing; affiliated entities include the Fondation des artistes (artist hardship support) and Artisti (Quebec's English-language actors' guild).

UDA's service portfolio bundles a group insurance plan, retirement savings (Épargne-retraite), the Caisse de sécurité des artistes (security fund), vacation pay administration, continuing education, member discounts across entertainment, health, travel, and hospitality, and an electronic member directory (Bottin électronique) that gives members professional visibility. Distribution is direct: artists join through a formal admission procedure, with parallel pathways for full members and interns (stagiaires), and services are delivered through UDA's website, service counters (member services, labor relations, training, media), and affiliated channels. Revenue mechanics are subscription-recurring via membership dues, with no publicly disclosed pricing.

The technology layer is deliberately thin: UDA operates a member portal, online forms, and the Bottin électronique directory, but no proprietary platform, app, API, or disclosed AI capabilities are present in the source material. Headcount stands at 338 with operations concentrated at the Montreal headquarters, serving a regional Quebec/Canada market. Recent activity centers on governance renewal (new Board administrator Ricardo Lamour, transition involving David Bussières), policy advocacy for the Quebec audiovisual strategy, and reinforcement of workplace civility and harassment-prevention resources.

Name

Union des artistes (UDA)

Legal name

Union des artistes

Website

https://uda.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Union des artistes (UDA) is a Montreal-based professional union, founded in 1937, representing performing artists and creators across multiple disciplines in Quebec through collective agreement negotiation and member benefits delivered via membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: UDA generates revenue through membership fees from artists who join the union. As a professional union representing performing artists, members pay dues to access collective representation, negotiated working conditions, insurance benefits, retirement savings plans, and other member services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

UDA is a professional union that recruits, represents, and provides services to performing artists and creators in Quebec. Its core offering centers on negotiating collective agreements that establish minimum working conditions and compensation, supplemented by a member services portfolio including collective insurance, retirement savings, a security fund (CSA), continuing education, an electronic member directory (Bottin), and member discounts across entertainment, health, travel, and hospitality.

Product overview

UDA is a professional union representing performing artists and creators across multiple disciplines. The organization provides a portfolio of services including an electronic member directory (Bottin électronique), collective insurance plans, retirement savings programs, vacation pay, and a security fund (CSA). Members also have access to continuing education programs, tools for professional development, and various discounts on entertainment, health, travel, and hospitality services. The affiliated Fondation des artistes provides emergency support to artists during difficult periods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bottin électronique Electronic member directory providing performing artists and creators with increased visibility, personalized profiles, and a dedicated demo space for showcasing their artistic work. Available to UDA members via bottin.uda.ca.
• Régime collectif d'assurance Group collective insurance plan offering social benefits and a financial safety net for UDA members.
• Formation continue Continuing education program providing diversified training, tools, and professional development opportunities for skill acquisition and ongoing professional development for UDA members.
• Rabais aux membres Member discount program covering theater and entertainment, health and wellness, travel, hotels, and transportation services.
• Caisse de sécurité des artistes (CSA) Artist security fund providing financial protection and a social safety net for UDA members.
• Épargne-retraite Retirement savings program available to UDA members.
• Fondation des artistes Affiliated foundation providing financial and social assistance to artists during difficult periods.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ArtistiminorOthersArtisti is Quebec's English-language actors' guild operating as a separate but affiliated organization. While distinct from UDA, the two organizations are related entities serving the Quebec performing arts community.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Writers Guild of Canada (WGC): WGC is the Canadian union representing English-language screenwriters, negotiating collective agreements for television, film, and digital media writing. It operates the same collective bargaining model and provides similar member services to UDA, but for writers rather than performing artists.
• ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists): ACTRA is the national Canadian performers' union representing English-language performers in film, television, radio, and digital media. It is the closest direct peer to UDA, mirroring the same union structure, collective bargaining function, and member services model, but operating in the English-Canadian market rather than Quebec.
• Canadian Actors' Equity Association (CAEA): CAEA is the Canadian union for stage performers and live theatre professionals, negotiating collective agreements on minimum working conditions and compensation. It shares UDA's core union business model and statutory authority but focuses exclusively on English-language live performance across Canada.
• Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec (GMMQ): GMMQ is the Quebec musicians' union, representing professional musicians across live performance and recording. It operates the same Quebec-based union model as UDA, with collective bargaining and member services, but focuses exclusively on the musician subset of the performing arts community.
• American Federation of Musicians (AFM): AFM is the US musicians' union, representing professional musicians and negotiating collective agreements for live performance and recording. While geographic and language-specific, AFM closely mirrors UDA's union structure, collective bargaining function, and member service ecosystem for one of the artistic disciplines UDA covers.
• Directors Guild of Canada (DGC): DGC is the Canadian union representing directors, editors, and other production professionals in the film and television industry. It shares UDA's professional union operating model, collective bargaining authority, and member benefit structure, serving a different but adjacent creative category.
• Union des écrivaines et des écrivains québécois (UNEQ): UNEQ is the Quebec professional association representing French-language writers and authors. Operating in the same Quebec market and French-language cultural context as UDA, it represents a parallel professional organization model for creators, illustrating the segmented nature of Quebec creative-industry representation.

Others

• International Federation of Actors (FIA): FIA is the global federation of performers' unions and guilds, with UDA being a member. FIA provides the international umbrella under which UDA coordinates cross-border advocacy, supporting UDA's regulatory and collective bargaining function in international contexts.

Broad incumbents

• SAG-AFTRA: SAG-AFTRA is the largest US performers' union, formed by the merger of Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. It is the international equivalent of UDA, operating at much larger scale with broader scope (film, TV, radio, broadcast, streaming), demonstrating the broader professional union model UDA operates within.

Emerging players

• Guilde québécoise des réalisateurs (GQR): GQR is the Quebec directors' guild, representing French-language directors in film and television. It shares UDA's Quebec cultural-sector positioning and union-style advocacy model, but operates at smaller scale and covers a complementary rather than overlapping creative discipline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/union-des-artistes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Union des artistes (UDA)