New survey on workplace diversity at SOCAN provides encouraging results

Story by By Howard Druckman, with files from/avec la participation d’Allison Dell | Tuesday September 12th, 2023

A new Employee Equity Census on diversity in the workplace at SOCAN has yielded some encouraging results, including better-than-average representation for both women and racialized groups, in addition to our already strong bilingual service to our members.

Among the findings:

  • Eighty-six percent of SOCAN employees responded to the census.
  • More than half (58%, or about 6 out of 10 people) of the respondents identify as women, compared to 51% of the Canadian population, according to a 2021 Canadian Census.
  • The proportion of surveyed SOCAN employees that identify as members of a racialized group (32% about 3 out of 10 people) is significantly higher than that among the Canadian population (22%).
  • Of the census respondents, 5.7% in SOCAN’s Membership Department identify as coming from an Indigenous/ancestorial background, compared to 5% in the Canadian population.
  • Seven percent (or about 1 in 14 people) of respondents identify as being lesbian, gay, bisexual/pansexual, queer, two-spirit, or an analogous term, compared to four percent of the Canadian population.
  • Nearly half (48%) of respondents also speak a language other than English or French, including (17 languages, in alphabetical order): Arabic, Armenian, Cantonese, Farsi, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil, Ukrainian, and Urdu.

SOCAN is very happy to have such strong multilingual representation, and beyond the census results, we discovered that more than half (51%) of the SOCAN member-facing employees in Montréal, Vancouver, and Toronto, who connect with our members every day are bilingual. We’ve always been pleased and proud to provide SOCAN members with the ability to be served in their preferred language, and we’re committed to ensuring that employees continue to meet this expectation.

SOCAN is proud to be home to such diversity in culture and experiences, and we’re continuing to make strides.  Despite strong representation in several areas, we’ve identified those where we need to improve. We look forward to creating opportunities for diverse representation in the leadership talent pipeline and organizational decision making, and ongoing efforts to de-stigmatize disabilities.

Please stay tuned as we monitor our progress and continue to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion at SOCAN.

Photo by Philippe Larivière / APCM. De gauche à droite : Anique Granger, Beau Nectar, Étienne Fletcher

Gala Trille Or 2023: Francophone winners from across the country

Story by Eric Parazelli | Tuesday September 12th, 2023

Gala Trille Or, 2023, Sara Dendane, SOCAN

Sara Dendane (SOCAN)

The Association des professionnels de la chanson et de la musique (APCM) presented 10 awards at the Babs Asper Theatre of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, on Sept. 9, 2023, during the 12th annual edition of the Gala Trille Or – a major artistic recognition ceremony for the French-Canadian music industry.

The awards were presented in a show directed by Kristell Le Nôtre and Mario Lepage, and hosted by radio on-air personality Éric Robitaille. Two prizes each were won by Saskatchewan Francophone Étienne Fletcher, and Beau Nectar, a duo formed by éemi, originally from Saskatchewan, and Marie-Clo, originally from Ontario. Anique Granger won in the prestigious Author (Lyricist) and/or Composer category, receiving a $1,000 SOCAN cash prize from Sara Dendane, SOCAN’s Creative Relations and Partnerships Manager.

The evening included several performances, the highlight of which was one by Mehdi Cayenne – winner of six Trille Or awards in 2021—who performed the Franco-Ontarian anthem “Notre Place,” written by François Dubé and Paul Demers, that was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame during the ceremony.

Several other prizes were awarded during the two Célébration Trille Or events that preceded the gala, and you can consult the list here for those on September 7 and here for those on September 8.

 

The winners of the 2023 Gala des prix Trille Or are:

Author and/or composer—With a $1,000 cash prize from SOCAN
Anique Granger

Solo artist
Étienne Fletcher

Band
Les Rats d’Swompe

Breakthrough
Beau Nectar

Album
Etienne Fletcher for Entre-deux

EP
Beau Nectar for Two Lips Pt. I

Best Song
“Le noyer” by Beau Nectar

Live show
YAO

Music video
“Les années” ft. Témé Tan by Ponteix

Fan Favourite Award
Reney Ray

Congratulations to all the winners! For more information on the winners and nominated artists, visit www.trilleor.ca.

Photo by SOCAN Foundation / Fondation SOCAN

SOCAN Foundation announces 2023 Awards for Emerging Screen Composers

Story by SOCAN Foundation / Fondation SOCAN | Tuesday August 29th, 2023

The SOCAN Foundation has announced that it will distribute $30,000 among the 12 award recipients of 13 prizes in the 2023 edition of its annual Awards for Emerging Screen Composers.

“SOCAN Foundation believes in celebrating the achievements of young emerging artists,” said Charlie Wall-Andrews, SOCAN Foundation Executive Director. “These awards help support and foster the development of talented young SOCAN members across Canada.”

 “The SOCAN Foundation is keen on celebrating the artistic excellence of Canada’s emerging screen composers,” said Executive Director Charlie Wall-Andrews. “We’re confident that this recognition and financial support will help these music creators continue the upward trajectories of their careers.”

These awards showcase Canadian screen composers aged 30 or under for original themes or scores created exclusively for an audiovisual medium (television, film, Internet, etc.). Prizes were awarded in each of the competition’s four categories: Best Original Theme (Opening or Closing) and Best Original Music Awards in the fields of Fiction, Animation, and Documentary. The works submitted were evaluated by juries comprising prestigious Canadian composers Steph Copeland, Caleb Chan, and Anaïs Larocque.

RECIPIENTS

Grand Prize
Maxime Fortin for Après le deluge – Best Original Score – Fiction

Best Original Score – Animation
1st Prize – Greg Mulyk for AquaREEL
2nd Prize – Chiara Yung for Best and Bester are to blame
Honourable Mention – Jordan Andrew for Jitters

Best Original Score – Fiction
1st Prize – Dominic Sambucco for re. azioni
2nd Prize – Kalaisan Kalaichelvanpour for This Place
Honourable Mention – Andrés Galindo Arteaga for Broken Order

Best Original Score – Documentary
1st Prize – Dillon Baldassero for Linda’s Last Trip – Every Tear is a New Birth
2nd Prize – Julien Verschooris for A Disappearing Forest
Honourable Mention—Sasha Leger for Around the Ring Road of Iceland

Best Original Theme (Opening or Closing)
1st Prize – Maxime Fortin for Savoirs Légendaires
2nd Prize – Alexandra Petkovski for Happily Undead After
Honourable Mention – Nicholas Nausbaum for Burnt

More information on the winners of the SOCAN Foundation awards

Application deadlines for the 2024 competitions will be posted on the SOCAN Foundation website in the early months of 2024.