On Dec. 6, 2018, SOCAN’s Montréal office hosted a book launch for the second edition of the reference text L’Édition musicale, de la partition à la musique virtuelle” (freely, Music Publishing, From sheet music to virtual music), written by Daniel Lafrance and Serge Provençal, in collaboration – for this edition – with Claude Brunet.

Jérôme Payette, Daniel Lafrance, Aline Côté, Éditions Berger, Claude Brunet, Izabel Beaubien, APEM

Left to right: Jérôme Payette (APEM), Daniel Lafrance, Aline Côté (Éditions Berger), Claude Brunet, and Yzabel Beaubien (APEM).

The first edition of the book fulfilled its essential mission: creating a tradition of proficiency in music publishing, by placing the profession at the heart of the value chain between the lyricists, songwriters, composers and artists, both amongst themselves and with the public. This second edition reflects the astounding changes that have affected the way music is exploited, and the equally formidable ways in which music publishing has had to adapt, in order to identify and protect the creativity of songwriters, and to promote that creativity in the greatest number of niches, avenues, and territories possible.

Daniel Lafrance won the 2017 SOCAN Publisher of the Year Award, the 2013 Christopher J. Reed Award, as well as nine Félix Awards as Publisher of the Year. He’s also studied anthropology, administration, and music. He began his career as a guitarist, and moved on to composition and teaching; he’s also served as a talent manager, tour director, and record producer. He’s devoted all of his energy to publishing since 1990, and as such has overseen the career development of countless lyricists, songwriters, and composers.

After stints in radio, recording, and artist management, Serge Provençal practised intellectual property, entertainment, and business law. He represents creators, producers, and associations from the fields of recording, stage performance, booking, music publishing, and film and television, as well as teaching at the Université de Montréal.

The second edition was also prepared in collaboration with Claude Brunet, who’s worked with SOCAN and the Canadian government, as well as being a member of delegations to UNESCO and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). His exceptional work in the field of entertainment and intellectual property law has been recognized many times, and he has won many awards, including the Beaumarchais Medal and the Christopher J. Reed Award in 2016.

L’édition musicale
De la partition à la musique virtuelle
Daniel Lafrance & Me Serge Provençal, in collaboration with Me Claude Brunet
300 pages + index
$34,95/29 euros
Éditions BERGER
978-2-921416-91-7