New SOCAN Nashville House open for business

Story by SOCAN | Tuesday January 14th, 2020

SOCAN is pleased to offer new accommodations in Nashville exclusively for all SOCAN songwriters, composers, and music publishers visiting the city to further their career, craft, or business. Located in East Nashville, the brand new SOCAN Nashville House lies in the heart of an up-and-coming creative community, while still close to the downtown core.

Applications must be submitted to SOCAN no earlier than three months prior to the start date of the requested stay period, and the standard stay is one week, from Monday to Sunday. The maintenance fee per stay is $200 CAD, and the maximum number of guests per stay is two, including the SOCAN member.

The amenities are two queen beds; linens and towels; a sofa; a dining counter and stools; flatware, utensils, and other tableware; cookware; a French coffee press and a toaster; a microwave oven, stove, full-size fridge, dishwasher, and garbage disposal; a washing machine-dryer combo; a vacuum cleaner; a private bathroom, with basic toiletries and a hair dryer; a furnished sitting/meeting/songwriting room; walk-in-closets and a large, private backyard; wi-fi with unlimited data; and on-site parking.

For more information, or to apply, click here.

Photo by Brad Ardley

SOCAN Foundation launches groundbreaking mentorship program

Story by Howard Druckman, with files from/avec SOCAN Foundation/Fondation SOCAN | Wednesday January 15th, 2020

The SOCAN Foundation held the inaugural edition of the groundbreaking Equity X Production mentorship program, designed to empower women and gender minority music producers, on Jan. 9-11, 2020, at the Signal Creative Community in downtown Toronto.

Equity X Production, SOCAN Foundation“SOCAN Foundation established this national program in response to the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study launched in 2019,” said Charlie Andrews, Executive Director of SOCAN Foundation. “The profoundly concerning research exposes the lack of gender diversity among the role of the music producer. We worked to fundraise and develop a program that challenges the status quo by empowering gender minorities to become producers, through education, networking, and support.”

The program is made possible with the generous support of RBC, Ableton, and Signal Creative Community (a one-of-a-kind creative hub), as well as encouragement from the SOCAN Foundation Board of Directors.

The first edition received more than 300 submissions, and allowed for only 25 participants. About 70% of the participants were from outside of Ontario, and all are SOCAN Members. Instructors Heidi Chan and Laura Dickens (both also SOCAN members) facilitated as the group of aspiring and emerging producers worked with, and learned more about, MIDI loops and keyboard mapping, drum machines and samplers, drum programming, workflows, production for live performances, and more. Ableton, in collaboration with SOCAN Foundation, was able to give the participants full access to Ableton Live 10 software.

The first-year participants were (listed in alphabetical order, by last name):

  • Ila Barker
  • Hannah Bayoumi
  • Emma Berger-Kovacs
  • Ashley Bieniarz
  • Tonya Cattan
  • Richelle Chatarpaul
  • Monique Clarke
  • Nicole Curry
  • Rebecca Emms
  • Anique Granger
  • Tajkiran Grewal
  • Eugénie Jobin Tremblay
  • Kaia Kater
  • Missy Knott
  • Kate Kurdyak
  • Alice Lin
  • Kellie Loder
  • Marie-Hélène Massy Emond
  • Ali ‘Willa’ Milner
  • Atisa Rashadi
  • Emily Rockarts
  • Jordana Talsky
  • Kirsten Taylor
  • Nimkish Younging

Also attending were Charlie Andrews; Meryl Gosch, SOCAN Foundation Project Co-Ordinator; Julien Boumard-Collier, SOCAN Foundation Administrator of Programs; Aggrey Ellis, Sales & Marketing, Ableton; and Tanya Faraday, Special Events & Programming, Signal Creative Community.

Equity X Production, SOCAN FoundationSaid SOCAN CEO Eric Baptiste visited on Jan. 10, along with SOCAN CFO Diane Petrucci, to offer a word of encouragement to the participants. “This is a very innovative program, that has drawn attention around the world,” he said. “What you’re doing today is a great contribution to proving to the world that if you’re talented and hardworking, you have a place not only at SOCAN, but in the music business.” Also visiting, from the Entertainment, Media & Digital Media, Commercial Financial Services department of RBC, were Joy Yang, CPA, CA, and Joelle Finnen, MBA.

Said participant Mizz Taj (Tajkiran Grewal) on Instagram, “After hearing stories from other women from across Canada, I’m so inspired by them, and realize that I wasn’t the only one who was facing barriers as a woman in music! Not only did I leave this program being more Ableton Live 10-proficient, but I met 30 phenomenal women from across Canada and made friends to last a lifetime.”

SOCAN mourns the loss of Rush drummer Neil Peart

Story by Howard Druckman | Monday January 13th, 2020

Neil Peart, the iconic, influential drummer of the enduring progressive-rock trio Rush, has died at age 67, on Jan. 7, 2020, in Santa Monica, California, after having been diagnosed with brain cancer.

The drummer and primary lyricist of Rush, his band with bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson, Peart received numerous awards for his musical performances, including an induction into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1983, making him the youngest ever to receive that honour.

Along with his bandmates, Peart was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1996 – the first rock band to be so honoured, as a group. Peart was also co-inducted into the Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame along with Lifeson and Lee. And in 2013, after 40 years together, Rush was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

As a drummer who inspired everyone from The Rheostatics’ Dave Clark to Nirvana’s Dave Grohl, Peart was widely celebrated among the worldwide drumming community for his exacting technical proficiency, and the overwhelming power and stamina of his incendiary live performances. Moving from his initial hard-rock style in the spirit of The Who’s Keith Moon and Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham, to incorporate more swinging jazz elements, reminiscent of Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, Peart developed a well-earned reputation as one of the greatest drummers of the classic-rock era, and well beyond. Modern Drummer voted him the Best Rock Drummer of the Year no less than nine times – the last two in 2006 and 2008.

As a lyricist, Peart spent his early days with Rush focused on realms of fantasy, science fiction, mythology, and philosophy. Moving forward, in songs like “2112,” Peart concentrated on the struggle of an individual against the collectivist forces of a totalitarian state. From the mid-‘80s onward, he objectively addressed more social, emotional, and humanitarian issues, using symbols and metaphors. Rush fans worldwide have always considered his words thoughtful and intelligent.

After a few fruitless years pursuing music in England, Peart returned home and joined the then-local band Rush in the summer of 1974. He replaced original drummer John Rutsey just two weeks before the group’s first tour of the U.S., where he played his first gig in front of more than 11,000 people.

In  1997, Peart faced great tragedy as his first daughter and then-only child, 19-year-old Selena Taylor, was killed in a single-car accident on Highway 401 near Brighton, Ontario. His common-law wife of 23 years, Jacqueline Taylor, succumbed to cancer only 10 months later, in 1998.

Devastated, Peart took a long sabbatical to mourn and reflect, and travelled extensively throughout North America on his motorcycle, covering a total 88,000 km. After his trip, Peart returned to the band, and wrote a book, Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road, documenting both his physical and emotional journeys. Peart ended up writing and publishing six more nonfiction books focused on his travels and personal stories.

Peart is survived by his current wife, photographer Carrie Nuttall, and daughter Olivia, with whom he lived in Santa Monica, California in his later years, and by his bandmates Geddy lee and Alex Lifeson. SOCAN extends our deepest condolences to them, and mourns the loss of this legendary musician and songwriter – as do his extended family, friends, Rush fans, music lovers, and no doubt the thousands of drummers worldwide who were inspired by his work.