Photo by Jeff Knights

SOCAN’s Jeff King named Chair of the Board of DDEX

Story by Howard Druckman | Monday April 20th, 2020

Jeff King, Chief Operating and Corporate Development Officer of SOCAN, has been named Chair of the Board of DDEX, the international standards-setting organization dedicated to improving the exchange of data and information across the music industry. He succeeds Paul Dilorito, the former Director of Innovation and Partnerships at PRS for Music.

“I’m honoured to have been elected to the role of Chair at such a pivotal time in the music industry, when the mandate to standardize metadata has become even more critical to identify and deliver global digital royalties back to music creators,” said King. “On behalf of myself and the DDEX Board, many thanks to Paul Dilorito for his work with us over the years and his leadership in so many areas of the organization.”

Named COO of SOCAN in 2011, King is responsible for strategy, licensing, distribution, international, information technology and corporate planning. As Canada’s largest rights management organization, SOCAN connects more than four million creators worldwide and more than a quarter-million businesses and individuals. Additionally, King led acquisitions expanding SOCAN’s capabilities with subsidiaries in -Seattle and New York that provide back-office and content-fulfilment services to the music ecosystem. Since first joining SOCAN in 2001 as Director of Distribution, Jeff rose through the organization, leading initiatives that significantly heightened member and licensee satisfaction. As Vice President of Licensing, Jeff developed a robust strategic plan to expand SOCAN’s customer base and increase efficiency. As Vice President of Membership, Jeff led the development of a number of industry-leading e-commerce tools and the creation of SOCAN’s Information Centre. Jeff holds an BA Honours from Wilfrid Laurier University and has been keynote speaker at several international conferences on innovation and free trade.

The DDEX Board is made up of executives from the 19 charter members of the organization, which in addition to King include representatives from Amazon, Apple, Google, Kobalt Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Spotify AB, the Universal Music Group, the Warner Music Group, and our colleague music rights organizations ASCAP, BMI, GEMA (Germany), PRS for Music (England), and SACEM (France). DDEX develops international standards in the digital value chain, from initial recording through distribution and reporting, as well as other types of business transactions in particular sectors of the industry. The standards are being used by all the major players in the digital music industry as well as most smaller organizations and startups. DDEX members participate in regular working group meetings to refine current standards and develop new ones.

Photo by courtesy/courtoisie. Alessia Cara.

“Stronger Together/Tous Ensemble” TV special airs Sunday, April 26

Story by Amal Yassir | Wednesday April 22nd, 2020

Musicians are coming together from their homes for an all-Canadian, star-studded benefit in support of front-line workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. The one-hour special will feature a mix of music and stories of hope and inspiration.

Stronger Together/Tous Ensemble will be broadcast on the CBC, CityTV, CTV, Global, ICI ARTV, SériesPlus, VRAK, and V television networks, and streamed online on platforms across Canada on Sunday, April 26, at 7:00 p.m. ET. The event will raise funds to help Food Banks Canada provide more nourishment for those in need across the country during the pandemic.

The lineup includes SOCAN members Céline Dion, Marie-Mai, Alessia Cara, Michael Bublé, Bryan Adams, Jann Arden, Sarah McLachlan, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Barenaked Ladies, and Arkells, among others.

Also making special appearances are author Margaret Atwood, astronaut Chris Hadfield, skater Tessa Virtue, TV stars Eric McCormack, Jason Priestley, Howie Mandel, Rick Mercer, Russell Peters, and Will Arnett.

SOCAN takes Song Camp Mondays online during pandemic

Story by Howard Druckman with/avec Rodney Murphy | Friday April 17th, 2020

Living in self-isolation and quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic can take a massive toll on your creative process and output. Not being able to go into a studio with your fellow writers, producers, and artists can have a serious impact on your business and career. In an effort to help connect our members to one another and subsequently stimulate creativity, the growth of new creative partnerships, and hopefully commercial activity down the road, SOCAN has taken its Song Camp Mondays online. We’ll be facilitating multiple virtual songwriting sessions per week (as opposed to our previous one-every-two-weeks, in-person version) across the country, and in the U.S., based on applicant submissions.

These Virtual Song Camp Monday sessions – each one a full-day co-writing session connecting three SOCAN members at a time – will bring together participants from across North America, via online meeting platforms, from the comfort of their own homes and/or home studios, during the current period of social isolation. The challenge is to complete one new song by the end of the day.

Three songwriter applicants will be selected and connected for each of the several virtual co-writing sessions being held every  week. Participants for the sessions are selected at random from all submissions and notified one to two weeks before each session. Once your submission has been received, it remains on file throughout the calendar year.

Each session will run from the morning through the afternoon (specific times TBD, depending on the writers’ time zones). A “SOCAN 101” session will be hosted virtually by one of our SOCAN A&R representatives at some point during the session, in order to help explain how to register the co-written song with SOCAN, and all the ways to get paid!

Please submit your application via the online form, here.