Ally Sou, Poesy, Steph Copeland

In January of 2019, SOCAN is re-launching its “Song Camp Mondays” initiative, whereby SOCAN members are chosen to participate in a three-person, one-day writing session in the Sound Lounge at the SOCAN Toronto office, or those Sound Lounges at our new offices in either Vancouver, or – for the first time – Los Angeles.

Three applicants, who must be SOCAN members, will be selected at random, to come in for a co-writing session, which will be held at least once a month. SOCAN members can apply right now, here, for sessions that start in January 2019. Submissions are open to all SOCAN songwriter members, regardless of musical genre, skill level, geographical location, or whether the applicant has a publisher or not.

“Song Camp Mondays” are designed to help Canadian songwriters build their relationships, gain experience collaborating, and advance their craft by bringing the song camp experience to as many SOCAN writers as possible.

“It was an absolute pleasure participating in SOCAN’s Song Camp Mondays, meeting and working with brilliantly talented songwriters, musicians, and producers from all different backgrounds,” says songwriter/producer Cody Taylor. “It’s an experience nobody should ever turn down. I would do it again, hands down.”

“I’ve always been so shy to ask my fellow musicians if they’d like to collaborate with me, so when I was approached to be a part of the SOCAN Song Camp Mondays, I was pulled out of my comfort zone in the greatest way imaginable,” says singer-songwriter Bukola Balogun. “I was blessed with the opportunity to collaborate with such talented songwriters/producers, and was able to leave the camp with a brand new song, some new ideas, but most importantly, new friends.”

“I had a super-inspiring time at SOCAN headquarters writing with some special local artists,” says music creator Chase Horseman. “[SOCAN Vancouver A&R representative] Racquel [Villagante] is a whiz at matching synergetic talents and creating an open atmosphere, where we could all be ourselves. In one afternoon we finished a song for Mady, played around with some other ideas, and all became friends. Lots of love for SOCAN and the team!”

MO3 (Moses Adediran), Desiree Dawson, Francis Arevalo

Each “Song Camp Mondays” session will run from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Sound Lounge of one of our offices. There will be a break for a pizza lunch at 1:00 p.m., which includes a brief “SOCAN 101” session to explain how to register the song, and other ways to get paid. The Sound Lounges are equipped with gear, but participants are welcome to bring their own instrument(s) and gear of choice for songwriting. At least one participant must bring an audio interface required to connect computers to outboard recording gear.

Participating songwriters must be willing to split ownership of the newly created song in equal shares – regardless of the individual parties’ contributions to the final work. They must also be prepared to work collaboratively and co-operatively, and come into the session with an open mind, willing to work with their two co-writers, regardless of genre and skill level. Of course, if participants are enjoying the co-writing process, they’re free to continue the co-writing relationship after the session.

SOCAN members can apply only once for “Song Camp Mondays”, as their applications will be retained on file, to be randomly chosen to participate at any point in the future. Please note that SOCAN won’t provide any payment for travel or lodgings to successful applicants for Song Camp Mondays.