“This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ to Glide” inducted into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame

Story by Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame / Panthéon des auteurs et compositeurs canadiens | Wednesday November 4th, 2020

Two songs, one classic hit.  Songwriting partners and members of The Kings, David Diamond and Mister Zero, knew they had two pretty good tunes, but it wasn’t until the band put the songs together as a segue in rehearsal that the magic started to happen.  The 1980 release of “This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ to Glide” became The Kings’ breakout rock hit, and has earned more than two million streams on Spotify, while the video has more than four million views on YouTube.

On the 40th anniversary of the song, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) was pleased to celebrate the song induction on Nov. 2, 2020, with a virtual induction airing on Breakfast Television Canada.  The presentation to co-writers Diamond and Zero also included a live-streamed performance by The Kings onstage inside the newly-renovated El Mocambo in Toronto.

“We’re thrilled to recognize the writing duo of Diamond and Zero, whose song will now join a rich legacy of fellow Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductees who have also created hybrid hits, including The Guess Who’s ‘No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature,’ and Galt MacDermot’s ‘Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In,’ by The Fifth Dimension,” said Vanessa Thomas, CSHF Executive Director.

When The Kings went into Toronto’s Nimbus 9 recording studio to make an indie album, they had no idea that they would meet celebrated producer Bob Ezrin, who had just recorded Pink Floyd’s No. 1 album The Wall.  Ezrin realized that while the talent was there, the band needed his studio expertise.  With Ezrin’s input, Diamond had changed the chord structure for “This Beat Goes On” and then Zero spent a couple of weeks re-writing the lyrics.  Their record company, Elektra, released “Switchin’ to Glide” as a single, but it didn’t get much notice until the label released the two-song segue –  and that’s when the phones started ringing at major market radio stations across North America.

“This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ to Glide” stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 23 weeks, peaking at No. 43 on Dec. 13, 1980.  It reached the Top 10 on Toronto’s CHUM-FM, and WMET in Chicago, but it was massive airplay at U.S. stations like mid-West powerhouse WLS-AM, WRIF in Detroit, KROQ in L.A., and WNEW in New York City that gave Elektra reason to really promote the single.  On the West coast leg of a long tour, they debuted in L.A. at the Whisky a-Go-Go, and gave an electrifying performance on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand for ABC-TV.

In Canada, the song reached No. 59 on RPM’s Top 100 chart, and No. 8 on the Canadian content chart.  It was also named “One of the Top 100 Radio Programmers Picks of the Decade” by Album Network Magazine U.S., and labelled the “Almost Official Song of Toronto” in 2018 by the Toronto Star.

The album The Kings are Here reached Billboard’s Top 100 album chart and went Gold in Canada, earning a JUNO Award nomination for Most Promising Group of the Year, and The Kings were named Most Promising New Band by Cashbox Magazine USA.   After the CD version came out, the album passed platinum status and was declared a SOCAN Classic in 2016 for more than 100,000 plays on Canadian radio.

Four decades since its release, The Kings have performed more than 2,000 shows across North America, sharing stages with international stars including Eric Clapton, The Beach Boys, Bob Seger, Jeff Beck, and many others, as well as Canadian artists Loverboy, April Wine, Jeff Healey, Teenage Head, and more.

Since there never was a video for the segue, The Kings produced one themselves, using live footage from more than 20 years of shows, which was also re-purposed for their documentary, Anatomy of a One-Hit Wonder, that tells the band’s success story with their trademark humour.  Alongside YouTube and music streaming, The Kings continue to amass fans from around the world with a recently released concert movie, The Kings: Live at Heatwave, using re-mastered footage from their closing performance at 1980’s Heatwave Rock Festival in Bowmanville, Ontario that also featured Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, The B-52’s, and The Pretenders, among others.

Following the virtual song induction, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame will add This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ to Glide to its permanent and interactive exhibition at the National Music Centre in Calgary,

that features a celebrated catalogue of inducted songs that fans can listen to, as well as displays, exclusive artifacts, and one-of-a-kind memorabilia celebrating Canada’s greatest songwriters.

Robert Bennett Joins SOCAN as Chief Financial Officer

Story by SOCAN | Thursday November 5th, 2020

SOCAN has announced the appointment of Robert Bennett as the company’s Chief Financial Officer.

Bennett most recently served as served as Lead Financial Officer, Capital Markets, Technology and Operations, BMO Financial Group, a role in which he oversaw multiple aspects of financial planning and forecasting, accounting and financial management, and the amalgamation of financial technology within operations functions.

Before joining BMO, Bennett served as Director of Finance with Edward Jones Canada and Chief Financial Officer with RBC Dexia Investor Services Trust.

“Robert Bennett’s more than 20 years of financial expertise will serve SOCAN well,” said SOCAN Interim CEO Jennifer Brown. “His impressive financial management, revenue reporting, and strategic financial planning experience make him an excellent addition to the executive team.”

“I am thrilled to join SOCAN to be part of a great team,” said Bennett. “It’s awesome to join an organization that is dedicated to music creators and music publishers.”

A certified Chartered Professional Accountant, he holds an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from Smith School of Business from Queen’s University, and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from from McGill University.

Fluent in English and French, in his spare time he’s been singing in choirs since the age of five, and is a keen fan of SOCAN members’ music.

Robert Bennett’s career with SOCAN begins on Nov. 9, 2020.

SOCAN announces final 2019 financial Results

Story by SOCAN | Wednesday November 4th, 2020

SOCAN today announced final 2019 financial results, including record domestic and international collections for the company’s member music creators, music publishers and visual artists. The company also announced significant financial losses due to past investments in the acquisition, creation, and financing of the new business venture Dataclef Inc.

Highlights of SOCAN’s 2019 results:

  • $405.6-million in total collections – an 8.2% increase compared with 2018.
  • Record-setting domestic collections of $315.1-million – 10% more than 2018.
  • A 2.2% year-over-year increase in international royalty collections ($90.5-million).
  • A 37.6% increase in revenue from digital sources ($86-million).
  • Reproduction rights collections increased to $12-million.

Distributions to members totaled $296-million, a 6% decrease compared with the $315-million distributed in 2018. The disparity was due primarily to the steep learning curve required for the company’s newly deployed technology to process international and television income. Significant progress has been made in these areas in 2020, as SOCAN continues to leverage this new technology to meet the data-intensive demands of the digital age.

In 2016, SOCAN through its wholly owned subsidiary Dataclef Inc., embarked on a plan to implement the organization’s strategic vision. The 2019 financial results include losses that resulted in an impairment  of $41.7-million to the advances made by SOCAN to fund its subsidiary operations since 2016.

“At the time of our investment in these operations, we were exploring new ways to support our members by creating other revenue streams and leveraging new technologies,” said interim CEO Jennifer Brown. “Business plans didn’t come to fruition in the way we anticipated. Through the evaluation process, it became clear that we should divest ourselves of Dataclef assets. We are, however, encouraged by significant success with our new technology system and our improved matching and processing capabilities.”

Through extensive evaluation and analysis, SOCAN has developed a plan to manage the losses, which have not impacted distributions.

Aspects of the plan include the sale of Dataclef assets, a significant reduction in SOCAN’s overhead expenses, a re-organization of the Dataclef operation, and new management leadership, all of which have already been put into action.

SOCAN’s management and Board of Directors have also committed to sharpening the company’s focus on core work for members: expanded domestic licensing of music; continual improvement of the depth, accuracy and speed of royalty distributions; and investing in ways that will allow our team to focus on our core purpose of helping music creators and publishers thrive.

The accounting firm Grant Thornton LLP has reviewed SOCAN’s financial plan to manage the financial impairment and has provided SOCAN with its support.

SOCAN will hold its annual general meeting online on Nov. 10, 2020, to discuss the organization’s 2019 results and financial plan in detail. The meeting is available online to members of the organization who earned royalties in 2019. SOCAN’s 2019 annual report and financial statements audited by KPMG will be made available in concert with the meeting.