SOCAN HQ, in the East Ballroom of the Sheraton Hotel in Hamilton, was buzzing with activity throughout JUNO weekend, March 27-29, 2026, as we hosted a handful of essential sessions and social events for our members, under the SOCAN Academy banner.
The HQ opened up on the afternoon of Friday, March 27, allowing the members of the Young Music Professionals (YMP) organization to hold roundtable discussions with industry leaders. JUNO nominees dropped by throughout the weekend to receive SOCAN gift bags, and we hosted several workshop sessions to help members navigate our new member portal on the SOCAN website.
At the Playlist Storytellers event later the same day, both Cadence Weapon and Haviah Mighty discussed songs that deeply impacted them, then the recorded song was played for the audience. For Weapon, it was an uncharacteristically conscious song by Winnipeg novelty rappers Hip Hop Wieners, called “Poor Folk.” For Mighty, during the throes of a major cardiac health issue over the past few years, it was Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.”
For Beyond The Deal: The Publisher-Songwriter Relationship, on Saturday, Mar. 28, four music publishers and three music creators who work with them discussed when a songwriter should sign with a publisher; what each of them is looking for when they choose to work together; what the working relationship looks like; and the often convoluted path from the written song to the top of the charts. The event was moderated by Laura Holtebrinck of Music Publishers Canada, and the participants were publisher Vince Degiorgio of Cymba Music and Cymba songwriter/producer Jinting Zhao; Warner Chappell Music Canada A&R Ricardo Chung and Preston Pablo, who works with him; and Sony Music Publishing Canada’s David Quilico and Mishelle Pack, with one of their songwriter/producers, Joel Stouffer.
Later the same day, SOCAN HQ hosted an event from ADVANCE – Canada’s Black music business collective – that presented Melanie Fiona In Conversation, alongside key music industry players Jermayne Clayton, Tia Gordon, and Jordon Manswell, and moderated by our own Lord Quest. It was an intimate and insightful discussion with the Grammy-winning Canadian singer-songwriter – who later won a 2026 JUNO for Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for her Say Yes EP. She discussed returning to music independently, after an absence of many years; learning to effectively balance motherhood with her music career; and learning to trust her own internal voice more than those of other people, especially in the music industry
After a SOCAN breakfast drop-in session On Sunday, Mar. 29, we hosted the S.A.C. (Songwriters Association of Canada) Social, with a “fireside chat” beforehand, in which Universal Music Canada A&R David “Click” Cox asked music creators Savannah Ré and Andrew Briol about the ins, outs, and details of the song camp experience – including preparation, connecting before co-writing, the ideal conditions, managing conflicts, and more. During the social that followed, Debby Friday served as the DJ, while invited SOCAN members connected with each other.