Photo by courtesy/courtoisie. Left to right/De gauche à droite : Tim Moxam; Devan Glover and/et Khalid Yassein of/de Wild Rivers.

Tim Moxam, Wild Rivers take first place in 2019 International Songwriting Competition

Story by Howard Druckman | Thursday May 7th, 2020

Out of more than 18,000 entries from 140 countries, SOCAN members Tim Moxam, and Khalid Yassein and Devan Glover of Wild Rivers (with co-writer Robyn Dell’Unto), earned first-place prizes in the 2019 International Songwriting Competition (ISC). Moxam won in the Music Video category, for his song, “Honesty,” and Wild Rivers won in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter field, for “I Do.”

Several SOCAN members earned other 2019 ISC awards, as follows:

Second  Place

  • Lyrics Only – Scot Robinson and Bobby Cameron, for “Istanbul” (performed by Scot Free Sessions)

Third Place

  • Blues – Harpdog Brown and Mike Ross, for “No Eyes for Me” (performed by Harpdog Brown)
  • Comedy/Novelty – Avery Pearson and Scout Durwood, for “Fingerblasting Women”  (performed by Scout & Avery)
  • Lyrics Only – Carl Bernard, for “I Am the Storm” (performed by Carl Bernard)
  • Performance – Mathew van Vooght and Dan Mangan, for “Let Me Go” (performed by Mathew V)

For a complete list of 2019 winners and honorable mentions, and to hear the winning songs, visit the ISC website. SOCAN congratulates all of our winning members on their achievements!

Photo by courtesy/courtoisie. Left to right/De gauche à droite : Rose Cousins, Ed Robertson, William Prince, Tenille Townes

Rose Cousins, Ed Robertson, William Prince, Tenille Townes to play JUNOs 365 Songwriters’ Circle series

Story by Howard Druckman | Friday May 8th, 2020

CBC and The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) present the second of five instalments of the JUNOs 365 Songwriters’ Circle virtual series, adapted for an online audience after the popular “Jewel of the JUNOs” event was cancelled in Saskatoon due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Presented by SOCAN in association with Music Publishers Canada, the series of five online events, continuing next Friday, May 15, 2020, features some of Canada’s best songwriters telling the intriguing stories behind the songs, and performing from their homes. The second episode will feature Rose Cousins, Ed Robertson, William Prince, and Tenille Townes.

The JUNOS 365 Songwriters’ Circle will be available free in Canada on CBC Gem and globally on CBC Music’s Facebook and YouTube pages and cbcmusic.ca/junos, every other week on Fridays, until June 26.  For more information, click here.

Québec TV/music benefit event “Une chance qu’on s’a”

Story by Marie-Michèle Bouchard | Wednesday May 6th, 2020

Une chance qu’on s’a will present of 80 Québec artists from all fields, who’ll unite from their homes for a benefit event that will raise funds for two charities: Les petits frères, which helps relieve the isolation of elders 75 years of age and older, and SOS Violence conjugale, which ensures safety for victims of domestic violence.

Une chance qu’on s’a will air Sunday, May 10, 2020, which also happens to be Mother’s Day. The show, produced with the help of the Government of Québec, will air on Télé-Québec and TVA at 7:30 p.m. ET. The event will be hosted by six on-air personalities who’ll take turns throughout the evening: Marie-Claude Barrette, Mélissa Bédard, Marie Soleil Dion, Pier-Luc Funk, Marc Labrèche, and Gildor Roy.

The star-studded list of featured artists will include SOCAN members such as Céline Dion, Lara Fabian, Koriass, Louis-Jean Cormier, Claudia Bouvette, Ariane Moffat, Alex Nevsky, Les Trois Accords, Andréanne A. Malette, Bleu Jeans Bleu, Elisapie, and Charlotte Cardin, to name just a few.

Music won’t be the only focus of the event, and other guests will include media personality Mélanie Maynard, comedian François Bellefeuille, writer Kim Thúy, Étienne Boulay, actress Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse, and many more.

Donations can be made here.