SOCAN at Francos 2025

In an era that’s not always easy for local/domestic artists, SOCAN is more than ever committed to being there for its Québec members: supporting them in concrete ways; empowering them to face the challenges of their profession; making them shine; and helping them forge strong ties with the local music scene, and the entire global French-speaking community. This is what has guided our involvement throughout the 2025 edition of the Francos.

 

Félix-Leclerc Song Prize, Presented by SOCAN
It was in this spirit that we became more involved than ever in the Félix-Leclerc Song Prize, presented this year by SOCAN, increasing our grant from $1,500 to $10,000. The prize was presented as a surprise to SOCAN members Rose Perron and Félix Paul of the duo Rau_Ze, at the opening cocktail of the Rendez-Vous Pros des Francos, of which SOCAN was also a partner. An emotional moment for Rau_Ze, who then performed three songs to the delight of the accredited attendees from both the local and international musical ecosystems. Full article here.

 

Christopher J. Reed Award presented by APEM with the support of SOCAN
We also shared the tribute paid to Diane Pinet at the presentation of the Christopher J. Reed Award by APEM, with the support of SOCAN, as part of the Francos. It’s always a moving and unifying moment for the music publishing community. Full article here.

 

SOCAN Showcase at the Rendez-Vous Pros des Francos
As in previous years, SOCAN took advantage of the Rendez-Vous Pros des Francos to spotlight two highly talented artists, carefully selected by our creative team for their potential to succeed beyond our borders. This time it was Blynk and Katrine Sansregret, two SOCAN members to keep an eye on, who delivered short but striking performances. The audience – comprised of music professionals from here and abroad, curious attendees, and music lovers as well – was won over, and discussions between the music pros continued during the cocktail reception after the performances. To find out more about these artists, take a look at this article.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOCAN and Industry 101 networking brunch

A networking brunch presented by SOCAN took place on Friday, June 20, 2025, during which accredited guests and attending artists had the opportunity to chat with members of the SOCAN and APEM teams, just after the Christopher J. Reed Award presentation.

Then, in the afternoon, the “Industry 101” educational event, supported by SOCAN, took place in the TD Studio, where more than 25 organizations joined in, setting up booths to answer questions from up-and-coming music creators. Thanks to the participation of ADISQ, APEM, SPACQ, Musicaction, Artisti/UDA, MétaMusique, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, as well as several booking agencies; press relations, management, distribution and other agencies; attendees were able to ask all the questions in mind at a single location. SOCAN, of course, had a booth, which was staffed by Account Executive Karine Landry and Tessy Pokuah Paquin, Creative Programming & Partnerships Coordinator.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kenekt Song Camp x Francos, presented by Desjardins
Finally, from June 17 to 20, 2025, Desjardins, Francos de Montréal, and SOCAN joined forces to host, for the first time as part of the festival, SOCAN’s famous Kenekt Song Camp. The objective? To highlight and propel the creative musical ambitions of young artists by providing fertile ground for collaboration between emerging Québec artists and established figures on the local and international scene, to generate concrete opportunities for artistic and professional growth. In all, 37 participants took up the challenge of creating and recording song demos in an extremely limited amount of time, while having to adapt to each other’s styles and personalities. It was an intense experience, both creative and human, and one which we’ll be telling you more about very soon!