Legendary SOCAN member Joni Mitchell awarded at 2021 Kennedy Centre Honors

Story by Howard Druckman | Tuesday December 7th, 2021

Legendary singer-songwriter and SOCAN member Joni Mitchell  accepted a Kennedy Center Honor, one of the most prestigious lifetime-achievement awards in American culture, at a ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021.

The iconic Mitchell – who’s faced health issues in the wake of an aneurysm in 2015 that left her temporarily unable to walk or talk – has come a long way back within a few short years, attending the gala in person, walking onto the stage to accept, and addressing her challenges with her usual humour, grace, and strength.

“I always think that polio was a rehearsal for the rest of my life,” she said as she accepted her award, referring to the disease she suffered aged nine. “I’ve had to come back several times from things. And this last one was a real whopper. But you know, I’m hobbling along, but I’m doing all right!” She also described the award as “a fantastic honour… enjoy yourselves, I’m gonna go back and sit down!”

Other honourees at the 44th annual edition of the event were singer-songwriter Bette Midler, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels (who’s originally from Canada), Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, and opera singer Justino Díaz. The show will be broadcast on CBS on Wednesday, Dec. 22, at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Photo by Marie-Michèle Bouchard

SOCAN website gets fresh new design and content

Story by SOCAN | Wednesday December 8th, 2021

A page in SOCAN’s history has been turned with today’s launch of our new public website, with bolder visuals, easier navigation, and a more intuitive, informative, and user-friendly experience.

The number-one goal of the redesign was to give SOCAN members, licensed businesses, and partners an easy way to join and/or learn about our organization. We developed a comprehensive user experience research strategy by talking to existing and future users.

“We wanted a website that was easier to use – a place where visitors can find the information they’re looking for quickly and easily. The needs of music creators, publishers, music users, and our partners are varied, and now they can navigate quickly to the tools, resources, and benefits that are most important to them,” says project lead and Communications & Marketing Manager Nicole Van Severen.

The website is more accessible than ever, with a fresh new look, an improved layout, more prominent calls-to-action to give users better access to useful information about SOCAN, what we do, and who we work with.

“We used important member feedback to significantly simplify the information architecture and enhance the overall look and feel. We’re now able to present a cleaner, easier-to-use website format that reflects our variety of rights-management offerings,” explains Saba Seyedi, Associate Product Manager, Member Digital Products, who spearheaded the user-research portion of the project.

Streamlined navigation and compelling pages are just a couple of ways that the new site gives users better access to useful information about SOCAN. The site also offers a dynamic company FAQ and integrated content from Words & Music magazine as well as greater member visuals across the website.

The new SOCAN.com is mobile-friendly – completely optimized for all devices and mobile platforms.

The completion of the project was the result of diligent and exhaustive user-experience research, planning, and work across nearly every department. Using an agile approach to short- and long-range planning, the site will receive updates and additions, to meet the changing needs of our members, music users, and other stakeholders, as well as our own ever-changing business.

Visit the new www.socan.com to start exploring!

Sign up today for Women in Music Canada directory

Story by Women in Music Canada | Monday December 6th, 2021

Women in Music Canada invites individuals throughout the Canadian music ecosystem to sign up today to the organization’s official directory. It’s a valuable resource to connect to women and people of under-represented gender identity across the country, and a way to expand one’s professional network and gain more career opportunities

The Women in Music Canada directory is the only nationwide resource for music organizations and businesses to find talented and experienced women and under-represented gender identity professionals to fill roles within their company, tour, board, conference panels, and more. It presents a clear opportunity for Canadian music organizations of all kinds to be part of ongoing change to create more diversity, equity, and inclusion in every part of our industry.

The Women in Music Canada (WIMC) directory is supported by FACTOR, the Government of Canada, and Ontario Creates.

Sign up and join today!