Photo by Houtan Houdania, via Zoom. Left to right/De gauche à droite : William Prince, Aidan D'Aaoust of/de la SOCAN.

William Prince at Folk Music Ontario/SOCAN songwriting masterclass

Story by Howard Druckman, with files from/avec la participation de Houtan Houdania | Wednesday October 14th, 2020

Folk Music Ontario and SOCAN presented a songwriting masterclass with William Prince on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020, online via Zoom, to a limited audience that signed up for the event.

The down-to-earth Prince – winner of the 2020 SOCAN Songwriting Prize, for his song “The Spark” –  offered stories from his life, and insights into the art and craft of his songwriting, in a conversation with SOCAN A&R Representative Aidan D’Aoust.

Prince discussed how he’s dealing with the pandemic, and some of the positives that have come from it: He’s been able to spend more time with his son, and watch him ride his bike for the first time, now that he’s not touring so much. He’s also had time to focus on his health, and more time to write music.

Prince also talked about his parents’ wedding DJ business, and how it exposed him to lots of music when he was a boy, as he helped to prepare mixtapes and select songs for the weddings. He also mentioned the importance of Gospel music as he was growing up.

As for his actual songwriting process, Prince said that he usually starts by jotting down lyrics on Hilroy Canada Exercise Books.

Video : We Met on a Monday – “Vrai ou faux”

Story by Eric Parazelli | Friday October 16th, 2020

In April 2020, SOCAN launched its “Virtual “Songcamp Mondays” in the wake of self-isolation measures. These one-day online creative sessions gather three SOCAN members who are at home, or in their studio, anywhere in North America via an online meeting platform. This new series of video interviews allow us to tell the stories behind these collaborations.

The main goal, for the participants, is to remotely create and record a full song in a single day. Sometimes, the end result is so good that they decide to actually release their collective creation. Such was the case for Debbie Tebbs, Sara-Danielle and Meggie Lennon who today release their song “Vrai ou faux,” created during one of those Virtual Songcamp Mondays.

We met with the co-writers to find out more about their experience, the genesis of their song, and their writing process.

And here’s the lyric video for the song:

“Vrai ou Faux” by Debbie Tebbs ft. Sara-Danielle
Co-writers: Debbie Tebbs, Sara-Danielle, Meggie Lennon
Publisher: SYNC.MU/Quartier Général
Label : Quartier Général
Distribution : Select

If you’re a SOCAN member and would like to participate in one of these virtual song camps, please send your application here.

Photo by Benoit Rousseau (Gala SOCAN 2019, le gagnant du Prix de l’éditeur de l’année / Winner of the Francophone Publisher of the Year, David Murphy & Cie)

Apply now for the Francophone SOCAN Publisher of the Year Award

Story by Eric Parazelli | Thursday October 8th, 2020

The next edition of the Francophone Gala SOCAN, which will be virtual, will once again celebrate the outstanding contributions of music publishers by presenting the SOCAN Music Publisher of the Year Award. Publishers are invited to submit their nominations now.

The SOCAN Publisher of the Year Award recognizes a SOCAN publisher member who has made significant and positive contributions to the music industry and the creative community over the one-year period preceding the year of the award’s presentation.

The eligibility period for the 2020 SOCAN Awards extends from Jan. 1, 2019, to Dec. 31, 2019, and only achievements having taken place during that period will be considered. All nominations will be assessed by a jury of music industry professionals.

To be eligible, music publishers must operating in Canada, and their repertoire must be predominantly Francophone, or have had a significant Francophone impact creatively and commercially. Publishers with a representative sitting on the selection committee are not eligible for this award.

Nominations for the Montreal Gala SOCAN must be sent to Andréanne Robertson (andreanne.robertson@socan.com) by Oct. 16, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. ET.

The Francophone SOCAN Publisher of the Year Award will be presented virtually during the 31st edition of Gala SOCAN, at a date to be confirmed shortly.

Download the nomination form