SOCAN showed up throughout CCMA Week, from September 16 to 19 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, championing the people behind the songs with educational programming, live songwriter performances, networking, and artist development initiatives.
We presented the Songwriters Unplugged series with CCMA and Apple Music. Across three different sessions, this series included intimate performances with a host of country music talent, including Andrew Hyatt, Tebey, Adam Wendler, Sacha, Parker Graye, Brock Philips, Shantai, TANAEYA, Noah Derksen, Brittany Kennel, Catie St. Germain, John Morgan and Dean Brody, to name a few, and eventual CCMA winner, Tenille Townes
On September 16, SOCAN led a conversation during the CCMAU Seminar Series on maximizing a SOCAN membership. The overall series is designed for music creators to thoughtfully explore and discuss how to navigate the industry overall and network in the country music community.
SOCAN’s panel—presented by Carleton Stone, SOCAN’s East Coast Ambassador and Tanya Van Luven, Director of Publisher Relations—helped attendees and members understand the key tools and resources available to them. This included a walkthrough of the Member Portal, the fundamentals of working with a music publisher, and how publishing can work in a music creator’s favour for a longer-lasting career, including sustained growth and royalty revenue.
Finally, SOCAN partnered on Top of the Country with SiriusXM to support the next generation of country artists. Blue Ridge Band, one of Quebec’s leading country acts, won the contest worth $25,000. The band will also be awarded a songwriting trip to Nashville, collaboration opportunities with songwriting veterans, and a spot in a future SOCAN songwriting camp. Runners up included Morgan Griffiths and Shawnee Kish.