We caught a great performance by 2016 SOCAN Songwriting Prize winners Fast Romantics at Lee’s Palace in Toronto, on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019! Check out our photos from the event below, including those of co-headliner Begonia!

And keep an eye on https://fastromantics.com/shows for upcoming shows!



SOCAN’s publisher members gathered at our Montréal office on Nov. 14, 2019, for our annual meeting.

Our team welcomed about 30 publisher members, as well as representatives from APEM (known in English as PMPA, the Professional Music Publishers Association), to talk about subjects that matter to them with our attending representatives: SOCAN CEO Eric Baptiste, Huguette Langlois, Geneviève Côté, Leslie Craig, Tobi Akinwumi, James Leacock, Martin Lavallée Gary Laranja, David Charest, Karine Melchior, Nathalie Gagné, Lyne Lanoue, Widney Bonfils, Jennifer Brown, Kit Wheeler, and Stephanie Kornhaber.

SOCAN, publishers, meeting, Montreal

SOCAN updated the publishers on our current action plan, and addressed the following subjects:

  • New Technologies: the Distribution and Management of Digital Products
  • Distribution and Licensing
  • Legal and Governmental Affairs

The attendees also had the opportunity to ask questions about the issues that concern them, as well as recent developments.

Thank you to everyone who attended:

  • Guillaume Lombart—Ad Litteram
  • Jérôme Payette — APEM
  • Sébastien Navarro & Vincent Dufour – Apollo Publishing
  • Diane Pinet & Caroline James — Éditions Bloc-Notes
  • Jean-François Guindon — COOP Faux Monnayeurs
  • Roseline Rousseau-Gagnon & Carmel Scurti-Belley — Éditions Dare to Care
  • David Murphy, Dominique St-Cyr & Stéphane Martire — David Murphy et cie
  • Denis Wolff — Ho-Tune Music
  • Françoise Morin — Intermède Musique
  • Xavier Debreuille & Antoine Brosseau — Éditions Musicor
  • Jehan Valiquet — Musinfo
  • Nicole Beausoleil – Les Productions Nicole Beausoleil
  • Julien Bidar — Éditions Outloud
  • Odette Lindsay—Third Side Music
  • Jean-François Denis — YUL média
  • Christophe Piot — Write Here Music
  • Sébastien Charest — Seb Charest Gestion de droit d’auteur
  • Guillaume Nestoret — Ninja Publishing
  • Marie-Ève Rochon — Bonsound
  • George Vuotto — Finger Printz Music (Premier Muzik)
  • Marie-Laurence Asselin (Fair Enough Publishing)

The meeting was followed by a cocktail reception where attendees networked and exchanged ideas in an informal setting.

SOCAN, publishers, meeting, Montreal



Jessie Reyez is being featured starting Nov. 15, 2019, in Apple Music’s monthly Up Next program, aimed at showcasing rising talent.

Reyez is the first Canadian female singer to become an Up Next artist. As part of the program, she’ll perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Nov. 21, 2019, as part of an Apple Music initiative to create curated music content.

In her history with Apple Music, Reyez had her breakout hit song “Figures” premiered by  Zane Lowe on Apple’s Beats 1 program. Altogether, her music has earned more than 325 million streams on Apple Music alone.

Said Reyez about the recognition, “Honestly, Apple is a giant — I’m working to be one — so I appreciate them putting me on their shoulders as the next Up Next artist.”

Apple Music host Nadeska Alexis said, “In addition to her raw talent, the honesty in her songwriting makes her extremely relatable. On ‘Far Away,’ for example, she tackles something as universal as romantic relationships and as culturally important as immigration, with ease.”

SOCAN congratulates Jessie Reyez on her latest achievement!