The unstoppably successful Drake has earned two nominations for the 62nd annual Grammy Awards, to be held Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, and broadcast live, worldwide, from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Drake earned both 2020 Grammy nods as the featured artist on a song: one in the Best Rap Song category, for “Gold Roses,” by Rick Ross, and the other in the Best R&B Song field, for “No Guidance,” by Chris Brown.

Drake’s right-hand-man producer, Noah “40” Shebib, was also included in the nomination for “No Guidance,” while his frequent co-writers Noel Cadastre and Ozan “OZ” Yildirim were included in the nomination for “Gold Roses.”

Daniel Caesar earned a nomination for Best R&B Performance, his fourth, in recognition of his duo with Brandy, “Love Again.” Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello were nominated – he for the third time – for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, for their huge hit single “Senorita.”

Jessie Reyez earned her very first Grammy nomination, in the Urban Contemporary Album category, for Being Human in Public. Michael Bublé earned his third Grammy nomination, in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category, for the Deluxe Edition of Love. Northern Cree earned their seventh(!) with a Best Regional Roots Music Album nomination, for When It’s Cold – Cree Round Dance Songs.

Barbara Hannigan earned the honour for Best Opera Recording – along with fellow soloists Stéphane Degout, Peter Hoare, and Gyula Orendt – for George Benjamin’s Lessons in Love & Violence.

While electronic dance music singer-songwriter and DJ Marie Davidson wasn’t directly nominated, the Soulwax Remix of her song “Work It” – done by David Gerard and Stephen Antoine C Dewaele – was nominated for Best Remixed Recording.

And although SOCAN member Eric Corne wasn’t directly nominated, he wrote, published, and produced all the songs on Sugaray Rayford’s Somebody Save Me, which earned the recognition for Best Contemporary Blues Album.

Also indirectly, Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Too Much” and ”No Drug Like Me” were among the songs for which John Hill earned a nomination for Producer of the Year, Non Classical.  And the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique; Fantaisie Sur La Tempête De Shakespeare was among the albums that earned Blanton Alspaugh a nomination for Producer of the Year, Classical.

Ajay Bhattacharya (a.k.a. Stint) co-wrote and produced the songs “Another Lifetime,” “Drive and Disconnect,” and “Don’t Change,” on NAO’s Saturn, nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album.

Bernie Herms co-wrote the Casting Crowns song “Only Jesus,” nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.

T-Minus produced “The London,” performed by Young Thug Featuring J. Cole & Travi$ Scott, nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance; produced “Carried Away” on the H.E.R. album I Used To Know Her, nominated for Album of the Year; and co-produced “Middle Child,” by J Cole, nominated for Best Rap Performance. T-Minus is also a co-producer on Dreamville’s Revenge of the Dreamers III, nominated for Best Rap Album.

Boi-1da co-produced “C7osure (You Like),” on Lil Nas X’s 7, nominated for Album of the Year; co-produced “1000 Nights” on Ed Sheeran’s No.6 Collaborations Project, nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album; and co-produced “Out For The Night, PT.2,” on 21 Savage’s I Am > I Was, nominated for Best Rap Album.

Colin Linden co-produced the Keb’Mo’ recording Oklahoma, nominated for best Americana Album.

Dan Brodbeck was a recording engineer/mixer on The Cranberries In the End, nominated for Best Rock Album.

SOCAN congratulates our Grammy-nominated members on this huge achievement!



John Mann, singer and songwriter of Spirit of the West – the West Coast Celtic-folk-rock band whose rollicking ode to drinking, “Home For a Rest,” became an essential party staple that catapulted them to platinum-sales success – passed away on Nov. 20, 2019, at age 57, at his home in Vancouver, from early-onset Alzheimer’s.

In a statement, the band said: “Surrounded by friends and loving family until the end, all were reminded of John’s rich legacy. He was a potent force in music, acting – onstage, in movies and on television, and was world-renowned as a songwriter. As well, he was a foresightful activist and charitable figure for several worthwhile organizations. His work will resound long after his untimely passing.

“His career spanned nearly 40 years and included multiple film roles, numerous star turns in theatre, and fame as lead singer and spellbinding front-person of Canadian musical group Spirit of the West.

“John was a man of uncommon courage, was a loyal and beloved friend, a gentleman of great social conscience, and a soul brimming with creativity and enthusiasm. Most importantly, he was a loving father to Harlan and Hattie, and a wonderful husband to Jill Daum.

“A private memorial service will be held later. John Mann’s family thank you for privacy at this difficult time.”

Spirit of the West, John Mann, 2010 SOCAN Awards

Spirit of the West at the 2010 SOCAN Awards

Spirit of the West earned two platinum-selling albums in Canada, 1990’s Save This House and 1993’s Faithlift, and one Gold one, 1991’s Go Figure. The band earned four JUNO Award nominations between 1989 and 1995, and a SOCAN National Achievement Award, for their entire body if work, in 2010.

Along with “Home for a Rest,” the singles and CBC Music standards “Venice Is Sinking” and “Political” fostered and engaged a cross-Canada community of fans in the ‘90s, who would later help raise money for Mann’s care. More recently, “Spirit of John” fundraising events were held in Toronto and Vancouver, allowing the Alzheimer Society Music Project to purchase MP3 players to load with music and distribute to patients.

A documentary film that aired on HBO Canada, Spirit Unforgettable, told the story of the group preparing for a show, and performing at, Toronto’s Massey Hall. Mann also had many acting credits, appearing in such stage productions as Miss Saigon, Les Misérable, and Of Mice and Men, and roles on such TV series as Smallville, Battlestar Galactica, DaVinci’s Inquest, and Bionic Woman.

SOCAN extends our deepest sympathies and condolences to Mann’s family and friends at this challenging time.



SOCAN’s publisher members gathered at our Montréal office on Nov. 14, 2019, for our annual meeting.

Our team welcomed about 30 publisher members, as well as representatives from APEM (known in English as PMPA, the Professional Music Publishers Association), to talk about subjects that matter to them with our attending representatives: SOCAN CEO Eric Baptiste, Huguette Langlois, Geneviève Côté, Leslie Craig, Tobi Akinwumi, James Leacock, Martin Lavallée Gary Laranja, David Charest, Karine Melchior, Nathalie Gagné, Lyne Lanoue, Widney Bonfils, Jennifer Brown, Kit Wheeler, and Stephanie Kornhaber.

SOCAN, publishers, meeting, Montreal

SOCAN updated the publishers on our current action plan, and addressed the following subjects:

  • New Technologies: the Distribution and Management of Digital Products
  • Distribution and Licensing
  • Legal and Governmental Affairs

The attendees also had the opportunity to ask questions about the issues that concern them, as well as recent developments.

Thank you to everyone who attended:

  • Guillaume Lombart—Ad Litteram
  • Jérôme Payette — APEM
  • Sébastien Navarro & Vincent Dufour – Apollo Publishing
  • Diane Pinet & Caroline James — Éditions Bloc-Notes
  • Jean-François Guindon — COOP Faux Monnayeurs
  • Roseline Rousseau-Gagnon & Carmel Scurti-Belley — Éditions Dare to Care
  • David Murphy, Dominique St-Cyr & Stéphane Martire — David Murphy et cie
  • Denis Wolff — Ho-Tune Music
  • Françoise Morin — Intermède Musique
  • Xavier Debreuille & Antoine Brosseau — Éditions Musicor
  • Jehan Valiquet — Musinfo
  • Nicole Beausoleil – Les Productions Nicole Beausoleil
  • Julien Bidar — Éditions Outloud
  • Odette Lindsay—Third Side Music
  • Jean-François Denis — YUL média
  • Christophe Piot — Write Here Music
  • Sébastien Charest — Seb Charest Gestion de droit d’auteur
  • Guillaume Nestoret — Ninja Publishing
  • Marie-Ève Rochon — Bonsound
  • George Vuotto — Finger Printz Music (Premier Muzik)
  • Marie-Laurence Asselin (Fair Enough Publishing)

The meeting was followed by a cocktail reception where attendees networked and exchanged ideas in an informal setting.

SOCAN, publishers, meeting, Montreal