From the virtual backstage of the 50th JUNO Awards in 2021, SOCAN spoke with Louis-Jean Cormier, winner of the Francophone Album of the Year award. As this is his third JUNO, we asked him what this recognition from English-speaking Canada means to him. We also talked about the impact of the pandemic on his creative process.
Photo by screen shot
Photo by courtesy / courtoisie. Cécile Doo-Kingué.
Folk Music Canada spearheads creation of nine songs through international collaboration
Story by Howard Druckman | Friday June 11th, 2021
Folk Music Canada (FMC) has released nine original songs as part of the International Collaboration Recording Export Program. From a call for submissions, FMC selected nine Canadian folk musicians and partnered them with nine international folk artists/bands from Australia, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, and Sweden – helping the Canadians to grow their international presence and networks during a time when touring isn’t possible.
“We understand the impact this time has had on creation and the live showcase model,” says the Executive Director for FMC, Karrnnel Sawitsky. “This project has fostered a meaningful connection from across the globe; allowing for remote creations between artists with distinct perspectives and styles.”
All participants were financially compensated, with all production and promotion costs covered. The collaborative recordings will be promoted on a global scale, as a means of exporting Canadian folk artists, and to celebrate the importance, diversity, and cultural value of folk music in Canada.
The full list of pairings and song titles is:
- “Breaking Point” by Aerialists (Canada) + Långbacka/Bådagård (Sweden)
- “I’ve Been Gone” by Amanda Rheaume (Canada) + Monique Clare (Australia)
- “Here With You” by Cécile Doo-Kingué (Canada) + Beckah Amani (Australia)
- “Hope & Fortune” by Irish Mythen (Canada) + Svavar Knútur (Iceland)
- “Sons & Daughters” by Jenn Grant (Canada) + Ash Bell and Sara Tindley (Australia)
- “I Remember by Leith Ross” (Canada) + Ida Wenøe (Denmark)
- “Ovddos / Hivumuuniq” by PIQSIQ (Canada) + VILDA (Finland)
- “Fall Awake” by The Once (Canada) + Jack Carty (Australia)
- “Bright New World” by The Small Glories (Canada) + Darling West (Norway)
All songs are released today and available on FMC website and through all streaming platforms. Folk Music Canada acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Government of Canada.
SOCAN to connect with members at 2021 East Coast Music Awards Festival & Conference
Story by Howard Druckman | Wednesday June 9th, 2021
SOCAN will participate in a panel and present a songwriters’ circle, all online, as part of the 2021 East Coast Music Festival & Conference, which includes to the East Coast Music Awards on June 10, 2021.
The panel, “Royalties & Rights Management Explained,” will gather SOCAN and several other organizations that specialize in the area of royalties and rights management, to explain that ecosystem to artists. The panel is slated for Wednesday, June 9, at 2:30 p.m. ET, 3:30 p.m. AT.
We’ll also present the SOCAN Songwriters’ Circle, featuring two rounds of songs and stories: the first hosted by Rose Cousins, and featuring Jah’Mila, Kim Harris, and Dave Sampson; the second hosted by Heather Rankin, and featuring Breagh Isabel, Owen O’Sound Lee, and Joel Plaskett. The circle is slated for Sunday, June 13, starting at 1:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. AT.
The ECMA 2021 Industry Conference, which runs from June 9-13, will feature a series of high-level online conference sessions to help prepare industry professionals and companies by providing the insight that might expand their career and business opportunities in the world of film, television, advertising and music supervision. To attend, you can register here.
Among the 50-plus SOCAN members playing live-streamed showcase performances at the online festival, which runs concurrently with the conference, are Classified, Gabrielle Papillon, Rich Aucoin, Hillsburn, Beòlach, Jimmy Rankin, Jah’Mila, and Rachel Beck.