Photo by Brad Ardley

SOCAN Leadership Updates: Catharine Saxberg

Story by Howard Druckman | Wednesday November 25th, 2020

In the midst of social distancing to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus, SOCAN is continuing to operate at full capacity. To keep you posted about what we’re doing to adapt to the situation, and how we’re doing it, we present a series of SOCAN Leadership Updates – online video interviews with various SOCAN executives.

This time, SOCAN’s Vice-President of International Relations, Catharine Saxberg, discusses her team’s role in ensuring that our members have continued to receive their global royalties, not charging them for worldwide collections, and how the department works.

Photo by courtesy/courtoisie Michael Asante

Michael Asante joins SOCAN as first A&R Representative, Rap and R&B

Story by SOCAN | Monday November 30th, 2020

SOCAN has appointed Michael Asante to the role of A&R Representative, Rap and R&B, a new position to address this rapidly growing part of the company’s membership base. His appointment is the culmination of a four-month search that saw more than 500 applicants vie for the role.

As A&R Representative, Rap and R&B, Asante will:

  • Actively recruit Canadian music creators by scouting for emerging artists/songwriters, producers, and screen composers who are, or have the potential to be, relevant in rap, R&B, pop, electronic/dance, rock, and screen composer genres.
  • Identify emerging Canadian music creators and trends.
  • Build relationships with emerging music creators and their business teams by meeting with them, listening to their music, attending their shows, and discussing their career aspirations and needs from a creative and business perspective.
  • Provide support to SOCAN’s music publishing and screen composer member communities.
  • Strategically analyze member earnings and trends to prepare financial reports to maximize members’ SOCAN experience.
  • Create career opportunities for members by introducing songwriters and composers to applicable creative and industry members to further their careers (i.e., music publishers, managers, agents, and record labels.
  • Facilitate creative opportunities, such as planning and executing songwriting camps and workshops, songwriting collaborations, master production classes, and business seminars.

Asante’s career before SOCAN included roles as Digital & E-mail Marketing Manager with Canopy Growth; founder of A&R Report Inc., a consultancy that scouts and researches new songwriters, producers, artists, and engineers; Marketing Automation Specialist with G Adventures; and Marketing Manager with the Royal Conservatory of Music (Koerner Hall) in Toronto.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Michael Asante to the SOCAN team,” said Interim-CEO Jennifer Brown. “He brings expertise and dedication to the vital and rapidly expanding Rap and R&B part of our total membership of nearly 170,000 music creators and publishers.”

“It’s with great pleasure that I join an amazing organization and team over at SOCAN,” said Asante. “Over the years, I’ve prided myself on building with, and serving, artists in the music community. Please feel free to utilize me as a vessel when it comes to building and growing your musical careers. I look forward to working with each and every member in the SOCAN family.”

Photo by Brad Ardley, via Zoom

Video: The Breakdown – How to best approach connections for screen composing?

Story by Howard Druckman | Tuesday November 24th, 2020

Words & Music is pleased to extend its helpful “how-to” series for our members, “The Breakdown,” into the realm of short, question-and-answer videos.

 In this episode, SOCAN A&R Representative Racquel Villagante talks again with Mary Ancheta, an in-demand accompanist, composer, and solo performer, who’s successfully transitioning into the screen composing world of “synchs” – synchronizing music and moving images.

Our question this time is, “How can music creators best approach connections for screen composing?”