SOCAN A&R Representative Racquel Villagante reached out to our members in Alberta with a week-long tour that connected them with us, and with each other.
On Nov. 13, Villagante drew a full house at a “SOCAN 101” information session at the ATB Financial (Alberta Treasury Branches) Branch for Arts & Culture in Edmonton, co-ordinated by Allison Myggland from Alberta Music. Attendee Mike Nash, from Edmonton band The Prairie States (who made the Top Three in Project Wild), was thrilled to learn about the SOCAN House in Nashville, and was also very interested in our song camps and song house events.
The next stop for a “SOCAN 101” was the Red Deer Memorial Centre, again co-ordinated by Myggland. Red Deer Arts Council members attended, in order to learn more about how we help to support music creators in their community. One of the songwriters who came out after teaching vocal lessons, Kayla Williams, said she was very grateful for info on how to claim royalties from live performances. After the presentation, Teresa Neuman from the council e-mailed Villagante to say, “The information presented was excellent, and we really appreciated the opportunity to host you and benefit from your expertise.”
The third and final info session was on Nov. 17 at the Alberta Electronic Music Conference (AEMCON), an annual event gathering artists, producers, DJs, and music industry people from all over the world. Our well-attended afternoon session was held in Studio Bell, at the National Music Centre in Calgary. One of the DJ/producers who attended, Tyler Martens of Stickybuds, called our Info Centre afterwards to say he was very appreciative of the learning experience. Calgary-based producer Jack Trades e-mailed to say he was “really excited to be working with SOCAN, and be a part of all the upcoming events and opportunities in the future.”
That night, Villagante attended the AEMCON-sponsored Beat Battle, hosted by 10at10. Thirty-two competitors showcased their production skills as they battled each other for a $1,000 prize. The winner was Creeasian, and first runner-up was Jon Mario of DayxNight, and all of the participating beat-makers enjoyed great support from organizers, judges, and fans.
After a strong week of SOCAN education and building new connections, SOCAN plans to continue supporting Alberta’s diverse, vibrant music scene.