The Montréal Songwriting Camp, organized by the 31 East label and Universal Music Canada, assembled some 50 songwriters, producers, and performers, in nine spaces, for five days of intensive music-making at Planet Studios and QCltur Studios, from May 20 to 24, 2024.
Founded in 2017 by Banx & Ranx (Zacharie “Soké” Raymond and Yannick “KNY Factory” Rastogi), 31 East partnered with Universal in 2022 to promote Canadian talent. In less than a year, their roster has achieved Platinum and double-Platinum certifications, as well as earning three JUNO Awards in 2023.
Clockwise from top left: Chloe Florence, Tim Buron, tjrstjrstriste, Soké.
The camp environment was conducive to creativity, and participants worked together to write, compose and produce new songs over the course of the five days. SOCAN supported the initiative as a sponsor, to underline the importance of such events in promoting Canada’s music creators.
Participating to the camp were SOCAN members Kassidy, Preston Pablo, Banx & Ranx, Chloé Florence, Piao, Andréanne, tjrstjrstriste, Altur Santos, Chika, Andye, Gaëlle, Luca The Producer, Ruffsound, Realmind, Hill Kourkoutis, Tim Buron, Kayla Diamond, Lord William, le duo Good Grief, Claire Ridgely, John Fellner, Carlyn, Clerel, La Zarra, Claudia Bouvette, Tianda, and BVLA. International participants Bhav, Slow Mike, Jarly, Sam James, Taneisha Jaxxon, Joe Cleere, and Ian James were also on hand.
Montréal is known for its endless creativity, and that made it the ideal location for this gathering, according to Banx & Ranx. “We were honored and proud to host our fourth song camp with some of the most talented artists, songwriters, topliners and producers to create and write music history together,” said Soké.
The camp ended with a listening session and a VIP party, celebrating the participants’ newly-created songs. The event also marked the 10th Anniversary of Banx & Ranx. “It’s been a pleasure and a challenge for us to organize this camp, where we brought together people from all over the world to Montréal for a week,” said the duo. “Some great music was created, but the most important thing for us is the lasting relationships and bonds that were created between these artists and creators, and their desire to create even more music.”
“The truly magical thing about the 31 East camp is that it builds a real bridge between creators in Montréal and Toronto, two complementary markets that can only benefit from exchanging more,” said Sara Dendane, Creative and Partnerships Executive at SOCAN. “We were able to bring together writers and composers from different horizons, and for some it was the very first time they participated in co-writing sessions – especially crucial in an environment where they had the chance to get coaching and support from Banx & Ranx, and other world-class producers.”
31 East and Universal Music Canada’s Montréal Songwriting Camp 2024 was a total success, and a testament to the power of collaboration and creativity in the Canadian and international music community. SOCAN is proud to have been involved in this highly creative endeavour.