Tegan and Sara to release memoir in Fall of 2019

Story by Howard Druckman | Wednesday December 12th, 2018

After 20 years of making music, Tegan and Sara will release a memoir, High School, on Sept. 24, 2019, via Simon & Schuster in Canada, MCD × FSG in the U.S., and Virago in the U.K.

Said the dynamic duo in a statement: “How did you start your band? When did you know that you were gay? What were you like before Tegan and Sara? We have spent 20 years answering those complicated questions with simple answers. Writing High School gives us the opportunity to tell the intricate stories that shaped our relationship as sisters, musicians, and queer girls.”

High School promises a unique coming-of-age story of the twin SOCAN members from Calgary, growing up at the height of grunge and rave culture in the ’90s, before they became celebrated musicians and LGBTQ icons. While grappling with their identity and sexuality, they faced academic meltdown, their parents’ divorce, and the looming pressure of life after high school. Written in alternating chapters from Tegan’s point of view and Sara’s, the book is a raw account of the drugs, alcohol, first loves, first songs, and friendship they explored in their formative years.

Tegan and Sara have sold well over a million records and released eight studio albums. They’ve earned three JUNO Awards, a Grammy nomination, a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, and the 2018 New York Civil Liberties Union Award. They’ve performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, from Coachella to the Academy Awards. In 2016 they created the Tegan and Sara Foundation, which fights for health, economic justice, and representation for LGBTQ girls and women.

Photo by Eric Parazelli, of/de Marie-Mai with/avec David Charest and/et Widney Bonfils of/de la SOCAN

Marie-Mai earns two SOCAN No. 1 Song Awards

Story by Eric Parazelli | Thursday December 13th, 2018

On Dec. 13, 2018, the SOCAN Montréal office enjoyed the pleasure of hosting Marie-Mai, who received two SOCAN No. 1 Song Awards, for her hits “Empire” and “Je décolle,” which both were No. 1 on the BDS and ADISQ Correspondants charts over the past few months.

“I’ll never get used to this recognition from the industry,” says Marie-Mai. “I feel privileged that my songs “Empire” and “Je décolle” have found their way into people’s hearts so strongly.”

SOCAN congratulates Marie-Mai and her collaborators Thomas “Tawgs” Salter (“Empire”) and Olivier Epsom (“Je décolle”) ,as well as the songs’ publishers, MAIB Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing Canada, and BMG Rights Management Canada.

Marie-Mai’s current album, Elle et moi, is still faring very well on sales charts and digital platforms. Her tour of the same name has already reached new heights since the tickets have gone on sale; to date, she’s sold more than 35,000, even before rehearsals have begun.

Marie-Mai was invited to the prestigious Canada’s Walk of Fame Awards on Dec. 1, in Toronto (aired on Dec. 9), and shared the spotlight with renowned Canadian stars such as Sarah McLachlan and actress Catherine O’Hara. While onstage, Marie-Mai paid homage to the late, great Leonard Cohen by singing his song “Famous Blue Raincoat.” You can watch Marie-Mai’s performance here.

“Growing up in Montréal, Leonard Cohen is everywhere, in arts, music and culture,” she3 says. “His body of work and his words are anchored in our collective memory, and carried on generation after generation. It truly is a great honour to have been able to pay homage to him.”

Also of note, starting on January 30, 2019, Marie-Mai will share the spotlight with Scott Borchetta as an official judge for the popular Canadian TV program The Launch, which will air on CTV and VRAK (with French subtitles).

Photo by Eric Parazelli

Major update for L’Édition musicale book

Story by Eric Parazelli | Monday December 10th, 2018

On Dec. 6, 2018, SOCAN’s Montréal office hosted a book launch for the second edition of the reference text L’Édition musicale, de la partition à la musique virtuelle” (freely, Music Publishing, From sheet music to virtual music), written by Daniel Lafrance and Serge Provençal, in collaboration – for this edition – with Claude Brunet.

Jérôme Payette, Daniel Lafrance, Aline Côté, Éditions Berger, Claude Brunet, Izabel Beaubien, APEM

Left to right: Jérôme Payette (APEM), Daniel Lafrance, Aline Côté (Éditions Berger), Claude Brunet, and Yzabel Beaubien (APEM).

The first edition of the book fulfilled its essential mission: creating a tradition of proficiency in music publishing, by placing the profession at the heart of the value chain between the lyricists, songwriters, composers and artists, both amongst themselves and with the public. This second edition reflects the astounding changes that have affected the way music is exploited, and the equally formidable ways in which music publishing has had to adapt, in order to identify and protect the creativity of songwriters, and to promote that creativity in the greatest number of niches, avenues, and territories possible.

Daniel Lafrance won the 2017 SOCAN Publisher of the Year Award, the 2013 Christopher J. Reed Award, as well as nine Félix Awards as Publisher of the Year. He’s also studied anthropology, administration, and music. He began his career as a guitarist, and moved on to composition and teaching; he’s also served as a talent manager, tour director, and record producer. He’s devoted all of his energy to publishing since 1990, and as such has overseen the career development of countless lyricists, songwriters, and composers.

After stints in radio, recording, and artist management, Serge Provençal practised intellectual property, entertainment, and business law. He represents creators, producers, and associations from the fields of recording, stage performance, booking, music publishing, and film and television, as well as teaching at the Université de Montréal.

The second edition was also prepared in collaboration with Claude Brunet, who’s worked with SOCAN and the Canadian government, as well as being a member of delegations to UNESCO and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). His exceptional work in the field of entertainment and intellectual property law has been recognized many times, and he has won many awards, including the Beaumarchais Medal and the Christopher J. Reed Award in 2016.

L’édition musicale
De la partition à la musique virtuelle
Daniel Lafrance & Me Serge Provençal, in collaboration with Me Claude Brunet
300 pages + index
$34,95/29 euros
Éditions BERGER
978-2-921416-91-7