Photo by Heather Pollock

Video: The Breakdown – “What do you need in order to mix a record?”

Story by Howard Druckman | Thursday February 11th, 2021

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, former SOCAN A&R Representative Racquel Villagante talks with Toronto-based mixing and mastering engineer Jason Dufour, who worked as an assistant at the legendary Phase One, and was later hired as staff engineer at Revolution Recording. Jay has since gone independent and is quickly joining the ranks of the industry’s elite. Dufour has mixed consecutive No. 1 singles for July Talk, and won Recording Engineer of the Year at the 2017 JUNO Awards for his work on their Alternative Album of the Year-winning release Touch. Known for his relentless work ethic, creativity, and meticulous attention to detail, Jay has dedicated his life to the art of mixing records.

Our question this time is, “What do you need in order to mix a record?”

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC)

Story by SOCAN | Thursday February 11th, 2021

You may have been reading lately about the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) that launched on Jan. 1,  2021. Provided you’re a client of SOCAN for reproduction rights, and have granted us the right to collect in the U.S on your behalf, SOCAN has you covered.

The MLC was created to issue mechanical (also known as reproduction) licenses to eligible streaming and download services in the United States, and to distribute those royalties to stakeholders, like SOCAN, on behalf of their reproduction rights clients.  The MLC will be processing trillions of pieces of data, including data associated with significant monies in unclaimed royalties from performances that could not be matched previously to the correct rights holders. The centralized database is designed to make efficient matching and distribution of current and future royalties a reality.

SOCAN has been collecting international reproduction royalties for a long time through agencies such as Harry Fox Agency and MRI and has now added the MLC as a partner. If you’re a SOCAN reproduction rights client, we already have your data and are working closely with the MLC to ensure the smooth transition of your works information into their systems.

We’re excited by the new relationship with the MLC to get you the mechanical rights royalties you’ve earned. It will take time for the MLC to ingest all the data. They expect to process their first distribution in the second quarter of 2021.

It’s important that all music creators’ works are represented in the MLC database accurately and thoroughly so that they can receive all the money that they’ve earned, or will earn, in the U.S. from reproductions of their music. Provided you’re a client of SOCAN for reproduction rights and have granted SOCAN the right to collect in the U.S on your behalf, you’re covered.

What more can you do as a SOCAN member? 

  1. Make sure you’re a SOCAN Reproduction Rights client. If you’re a publisher or a self-published writer, and you aren’t yet a SOCAN reproduction rights client, contact us at reproduction@socan.com to see if your catalogue, or part of your catalogue, is eligible for representation by SOCAN. **Important SOCAN can only represent you for works for which you are the copyright owner, whether in part or wholly-owned.
  2. Ensure all of your works are registered and up-to-date in SOCAN’s system here. If any of your works are missing or if you need access credentials, contact reproduction@socan.com.
  3. Check that you’ve granted SOCAN a license to collect your reproduction rights in the United States. If you’re not sure, or would like more information, or have any questions ,contact us at reproduction@socan.com.
Photo by courtesy / courtoisie. Left to right/De gauche à droite :Don Alder, Valerie "Valley" Hennell, Lynne Partridge.

SOCAN recognizes three 2020-2021 BC Entertainment Hall of Fame inductees

Story by Howard Druckman | Wednesday February 10th, 2021

SOCAN is pleased and proud to recognize that British Columbia’s BC Entertainment Hall of Fame recently inducted SOCAN member and acoustic guitarist extraordinaire Don Alder; Western Canadian performing rights pioneer Lynne Partridge; and trailblazing music publisher and artist manager (among other things) Valerie “Valley” Hennell.

Don Alder is a three-time World Champion Acoustic Guitarist, who performs with a rare kind of passion. Often referred to as the Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar, he continues to impress audiences around the world with his jaw-dropping performances. Guitar Player magazine Senior Editor Michael Molenda says, “Alder, is a Guitar Star in the making, and can hold an audience with the best of the seasoned pros”. Carly Rae Jepsen says, “Just saw the most amazing guitarist, still shocked this morning.” Ray Daniels, manager of RUSH, says, “Alder should be famous around the world.” Alder has shared the stage in duets with the likes of Jepsen, Col. Chris Hadfield, poet Shayne Koyczan, among many others.

Lynne Partridge pioneered performing rights in Western Canada, launching the BMI Canada (later called PROCAN) office in 1968. She’s been a constant source of knowledge, information, and inspiration to both young and established artists in British Columbia. In 1987, she was honoured with a Special Achievement JUNO Award for her tireless work on behalf of creator’s rights. Partridge has served as Director of Communications for the Songwriters Association of Canada, and as tour manager and publisher for The Irish Rovers. She has also served on the Boards of Directors of numerous music organizations, including CARAS, PROCAN, ArtSpring, Salt Spring Island Folk Club, and BMI.

Valerie “Valley” Hennell Is a music-industry trailblazer, and a mainstay of the British Columbia arts scene as a writer, producer, artist manager, music publisher, and arts advocate. She has managed the careers of several well-known BC artists, including previous BC Entertainment Hall of Fame inductee Ann Mortifée. Hennel has also produced a dozen award-winning albums and countless seminal performing arts events and series. She’s recognized throughout the Canadian music industry as a force for integrity, fair dealing, and positive change. Her numerous national and local award awards are a testament to her talent and dedication to the music community in British Columbia.

SOCAN congratulates all three inductees on their lifetimes of achievement!