As we prepare for the Gala SOCAN in Montréal on May 7, 2023, “The SOCAN” – the world’s only major music industry trophy that’s an actual musical instrument – has been chosen for a special exhibit at the Mint Museum of Charlotte in North Carolina, the foremost craft museum in the U.S.
Along with other major company and industry trophies, “The SOCAN” will be on display from December of 2023 until February of 2024, with an information placard highlighting its background, purpose, and the intricate materials and process used to create it.
The brainchild of SOCAN Chief Communications & Marketing Officer Andrew Berthoff and then-Chief Membership Officer Michael McCarty, “The SOCAN” started as a somewhat radical “What if?” idea at a brainstorming meeting, on a dark night in November.
“I remember it well,” says Berthoff. “When the idea of a trophy that was also a musical instrument was first raised, a few in the meeting looked at us like we had two heads. There was a lot of resistance. Looking back, it’s amazing that ‘The SOCAN’ actually came to fruition, through sheer persistence, and believing that it was the right idea.”
The SOCAN is presented to Achievement Award winners at both the SOCAN Awards in Toronto, and the SOCAN Gala in Montréal. The biggest award winner at each event is allowed to choose the notes for the crotales, made by SABIAN Percussion of New Brunswick, that adorn the trophy – chosen from a song or composition that they wrote. SOCAN teamed up with the Society Awards of New Jersey to bring the trophy to life.
The Mint Museum is a prestigious fine art museum in North Carolina that hosts more than 150,000 visitors each year. We’re thrilled to be a part of the exhibition!