Photo by Infoman/Zone3

Prix Gémeaux 2023 : Clay & Friends come out on top

Story by Eric Parazelli | Monday September 18th, 2023

Clay & Friends, Gémeaux 2023The 38th edition of the Gala de l’industrie des Prix Gémeaux, honouring the artisans of the Québec television industry, was held on Sept. 14, 2023. The ceremony took place at Complexe Desjardins, in Montréal, with two categories dedicated to screen music.

While SOCAN members nominated in the Best Original Score: Fiction or Documentary category were edged out by internationally renowned composers Hans Zimmer and David Flemming (for Xavier Dolan’s series The Night Logan Woke Up), the Best Theme Music: All Categories Award went to Clay & Friends, for their theme song for the TV show Infoman 2022. The song was co-written by Michael Mlakar (Mike Clay) and Samuel Ricard (Sam Rick), and co-composed by Michael Mlakar, Clément Langlois-Légaré, Adel Kazi-Aoual, Pascal Boisseau and Émile Désilets.

We reached Mike Clay on the day after the ceremony, which he was unable to attend, and he had this to say: “There are two things I want to say about this song. For one thing, it’s the only Clay and Friends song I’ve ever co-written with none other than Sam Rick the manager – I can’t wait for his album to come out! Secondly, it’s the only song that I’ve ever written with only one functional knee. It’s also the first time we’ve won a trophy, and I hope there’s no correlation. What a bucket list moment for La Musica Popular de Verdun. Thanks to Jean-René Dufort and the whole Infoman team for this incredible moment. Keep it movin’!”

Congratulations to Clay & Friends, and to all the nominees in the two music categories! For more information on the winners and nominated artists at the Gémeaux, visit the Academy website.

Photo by courtesy of/courtoisie de Peter Chapman

Peter Chapman earns five nominations in 2023 Canadian Screen Music Awards

Story by Howard Druckman | Tuesday September 19th, 2023

Screen Composer Peter Chapman has earned five nominations, while his fellow SOCAN #ComposersWhoScore Steph Copeland, Spencer Creaghan, and the duo of Brian and Caleb Chan have earned three apiece, in the second annual Canadian Screen Music Awards (The CASMAs), presented by the Screen Composers Guild of Canada (SCGC). These awards honour composers for their outstanding work in media and screen-based industries, and are the first to be juried and awarded by fellow composers in Canada.

For the 2023 edition of the event, a total of 52 musical works received nominations in 11 categories, covering feature film, television, animation, documentary, games, and interactive media. Nominees were selected by the SCGC’s roster of jurors, and the winners will be announced live at the 2023 CASMAs ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, at El Mocambo in downtown Toronto.

The nominated music creators are:

Best Original Main Title Theme Music (Sponsored by SOCAN)

  • Andrew Lockington – Mayor Of Kingstown
  • Brian Chan & Caleb Chan – Builder Brothers Dream Factory
  • Brian Kobayakawa – Jackals & Fireflies
  • Justin Delorme – Diaspora
  • Layal Watfeh – Under Guardianship – Taht Al Wisaya

Best Original Song (Sponsored by Music Publishers Canada)

  • Alexandra Petkovski & Kris Kovacs – “Deathloop: Déja Vu Remix”
  • Craig McConnell – “The Bullet or The Blade”
  • Jesse Zubot, Wayne Lavallee & Marie Clements – “You Are My Bones”
  • Spencer Creaghan & Milen Petzelt Sorace – “My Little Pony Make Your Mark”
  • Stephen Krecklo & Ashley Jane – “How Lucky Am I?”

 Best Original Score, Animated Series or Special

  • Caleb Chan & Brian Chan – Pinecone and Pony: The Sturdy Stone
  • Erica Procunier – The Mystery of Lookout Mountain (Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go)
  • Neil Parfitt – Super Wish: The Legend of Cake-Bun Bottom
  • Peter Chapman – Happy House of Frightenstein: Lucky Spell
  • Spencer Creaghan & Neil Parfitt – Matchbox Adventures: Season 3

Best Original Score, Comedy Series or Special

  • John Rowley – Pretty Hard Cases: Always A Bridesmaid
  • Peter Chapman – The Lake: Midsommar Madness
  • Peter Chapman & Maylee Todd – Workin’ Moms: The End

Best Original Score, Documentary, Factual, Reality Series or Special

  • Andrew Gordon Macpherson – Tales From The Territories: Andy Kaufman vs. The King of Memphis
  • Ben Fox – The Climate Baby Dilemma
  • Justin Delorme – The Nature of Things: Grizzly Rewild
  • Peter Chapman – Cross Country Cake Off: Holiday Finale
  • Peter Chapman – Mary Makes it Easy: Overnight Guests

Best Original Score for a Documentary Feature Film

  • Agatha Kasper – The Long Weekend
  • Ben Fox – Cynara
  • Jonathan Kawchuk – True Survivors
  • Mark Dolmont – Satan Wants You
  • Stéphanie Hamelin Tomala – J’ai placé ma mère (I Lost My Mom)

Best Original Score, Dramatic Series or Special (Sponsored by DGC National)

  • Ari Posner, Amin Bhatia & Joel Schwartz – Ride: Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
  • Caleb Chan & Brian Chan – Panhandle: Machetes Out
  • Jeff Danna – Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities: Graveyard Rats
  • Lora Bidner and Rob Carli – Ruby and the Well: I Wish The Well Would Let Us Be Forever
  • Spencer Creaghan – Slasher: Ripper – The Slaughterhouse

Best Original Score for Games and Interactive Media

  • Andrea Wettstein & Alec Harrison – Windborne: Call of the Canadian Rockies
  • Blake Matthews – Tiny Colony
  • Janal Bechthold – Loki’s Castle
  • Jim Guthrie – Nobody Saves The World

Best Original Score for a Narrative Feature Film (Sponsored by Orchestral Tools)

  • Michelle Osis – Fixation
  • Steph Copeland – Laced
  • Steph Copeland – Outpost
  • Todor Kobakov – Brother
  • Tom Third – The Young Arsonists

Best Original Score for a Short Film (Sponsored by Cinesamples)

  • Amin Bhatia – Jane Goodall’s Reasons for Hope
  • Blake Matthew – Nahuales
  • Daniela Pinto – Diaspora
  • Noora Nakhaei – Printemps
  • Suad Bushnaq – Corvine

Best Original Score for a Television Special

  • Adrian Ellis – Love in Wolf Creek
  • Kristjan Bergey – Swindler Seduction
  • Medhat Hanbali – Queen Rising
  • Sean Nimmons-Paterson & Stephen Krecklo – Hotel for the Holidays
  • Steph Copeland – Designing Christmas

SOCAN congratulates all of the nominees on this great honour!

Photo by Matt Barnes/CCMA

Tenille Townes wins three honours at 2023 CCMAs, including SOCAN Songwriter Award

Story by Howard Druckman | Monday September 18th, 2023

Tenille Townes was the big winner at the 2023 Canadian Country Music Association Awards (CCMAs), where she took home three honours – for Female Artist of the Year (for the fifth year in a row); Country Program of the Year (as the host of Christmas Time with Tenille Townes 2022); and Songwriter of the Year (for “The Thing That Wrecks You,” a duet with Bryan Adams).

SOCAN CEO Jenn Brown and Creative Director Cameron Kennedy presented the songwriter award to Townes – who co-wrote “The Thing That Wrecks You” with Bryan Adams, Daniel Tashian, and Kate York – at the gala ceremonies for the 41st annual edition were held in a broadcast show, televised on CTV, on Sept. 16, 2023, from the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton. Artists were also honoured the previous night at the Music Industry Gala Dinner & Awards.

Jade Eagleson earned both the Male Artist and Entertainer of the Year Awards, as well as one for Innovative Campaign of the Year, for the “She Don’t Know” Wedding Contest. The Reklaws, who hosted the awards broadcast ceremonies, won Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year, for Good Ol’ Days. Jason McCoy and  and Brian Edwards were inducted into Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, and Big Loud Publishing earned the Music Publishing Company of the Year Award, while Dean Brody received the Gary Slaight Music Humanitarian Award.

Earlier in Country Music Week, leading up to the awards weekend, SOCAN Creative Executive Lord Quest – along with representatives from the other rights organizations CMRRA, ACTRA/RACS, MROC, and Connect Music Licensing – participated in Royalties Round Up: The Big Picture Seminar. The session answered questions, filled in gaps, and provided attending CCMA members with greater knowledge of how to handle their royalties.

Access a full list of the winners here.

SOCAN congratulates all of its members and music industry colleagues who won Canadian Country Music Awards this year!