Photo by Marie-Michèle Bouchard

Video – Keep creating, no matter what

Story by Éric Parazelli | Wednesday December 14th, 2022

2022 was the year when live shows rerurned, much to the delight of artists and audiences alike. But 2022 was also a year of painful assessments concerning the difficulty of generating substantial revenues from streaming platforms, not to mention the discoverability issues of Canadian and Québec music, especially Francophone music, on these platforms. Add to that the rising costs of touring, while concert fees aren’t increasing at the same rate, and you have a situation that could potentially discourage the most die-hard artists. Fortunately, the SOCAN members interviewed during the Premier Gala de l’ADISQ on Nov. 2, 2022, still find the motivation to carry on creating and performing, despite adversity and recurring bad news in the music ecosystem. In this video, Pierre Lapointe, Souldia, Lisa LeBlanc, Jean-Michel Blais, and Hubert Lenoir share what motivates them to keep creating, no matter what.   

Interview thumbnail

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Photo by SOCAN

SOCAN transfers visual arts & crafts collective management business to COVA-DAAV

Story by SOCAN | Wednesday January 4th, 2023

SOCAN has announced an agreement with Copyright Visual Arts/Droit d’Auteurs Arts Visuels (COVA-DAAV) that will see the transfer of SOCAN’s visual arts and crafts business to the Ottawa-based company. 

The move means that COVA-DAAV will be the only copyright collecting agency in Canada tasked with licensing and distributing copyright royalties to the visual arts and crafts sector. 

“After careful analysis, we’ve decided to focus entirely on our core work of managing the performing and reproduction rights of songwriter, composer, and music publisher members and clients,” said SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown. “We’re delighted that visual arts and crafts members will be in great hands with COVA-DAAV, a proven leader and expert in that market, and wish them and their members every success for the future.” 

“This new consolidation of services simplifies access to licensing support for visual artists, their estates, and other rightsholders, and we share SOCAN’s vision for the future of licensing and copyright management for our sector,” said Marcia Lea, Executive Director of COVA-DAAV. 

Copyright Visual Arts has the full support of CARFAC (Canadian Artists’ Representation/le front des artistes canadiens) and RAAV (Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels), the national associations for visual artists in Canada and Québec, respectively. CARFAC and RAAV have always been confident in the collective’s deep understanding of the visual arts ecosystem, allowing them to negotiate the best terms for their artist-members. 

“We’re thrilled with this news, knowing that artists in Québec and Canada will feel welcome and supported, and that COVA-DAAV will continue to provide high quality service to their new artist-members and rightsholders,” said Paddy Lamb, CARFAC’s National President. 

Following its acquisition of SODRAC in 2018, SOCAN has managed a visual arts department, representing more than 40,000 creators and rightsholders worldwide. The agreement with COVA-DAAV underscores SOCAN’s heightened commitment to its music creator and publisher members and clients, through the company’s member-centric strategic pillar. 

SOCAN plans to conclude its visual arts and crafts business on January 30, 2023, with the recommendation that relevant members join Copyright Visual Arts. 

Copyright Visual Arts also responds to a shifting art economy by providing effective digital tools to enable visual artists to achieve sustainable careers. This includes their new Image Bank digital licensing service, and Copyright Visual Arts’ partnership in building Imprimo, a new Blockchain platform, which helps artists organize and present their work, authoritatively track its provenance, make connections within the arts community, and create opportunities for discovery. 

Photo by Marie-Michèle Bouchard (collage)

The Best of 2022

Story by Howard Druckman & Eric Parazelli | Thursday December 8th, 2022

As we look forward to 2023, Words & Music and Paroles & Musique also remember and celebrate 2022, with Top 10 Lists of SOCAN members’ songs from some of our regular contributors. Happy Holidays!

 

Eric ParazelliEric Parazelli
Eric Parazelli is the Editor of SOCAN’s online magazine Paroles & Musique and Manager of Francophone Communications for SOCAN.

 

1. Lydia Képinski – “Depuis”
2. Vulgaires Machins – “Aisle”
3. P’tit Belliveau – “Demain”
4. Les Louanges – “Facile”
5. Les Trois Accords – “Pâté chinois”
6. Ariane Roy et Lou-Adriane Cassidy – “Fille à porter”
7. Marilyne Léonard – “Dans la foule”
8. Lisa LeBlanc – “Gossip”
9. Rymz – “Hédoniste”
10. Gab Bouchard – “Trou d’eau”

 

Howard DruckmanHoward Druckman
Howard Druckman is the Editor of SOCAN’s Words &  Music online magazine.

 

 

1. Julian Taylor – “Wide Awake”
2. Jessie Reyez – “Only One”
3. TOBi – “Flowers”
4. Fortunate Ones – “Day to Day”
5. Beaches – “I’ll Grow Up Tomorrow”
6. Lisa LeBlanc – “Gossip”
7. Daniel Caesar featuring BADBADNOTGOOD – “Please Do Not Lean”
8. Bros. Landreth – “Shame”
9. Snotty Nose Rez Kids – “I’m Good”
10. Moonfruits – “Brittle Earth”

 

Olivier Boisvert MagnenOlivier Boisvert-Magnen
Contributor to Paroles & Musique Olivier Boisvert-Magnen is a journalist, researcher, columnist, host, curator of music lists, and on-air director for ICI Musique/Première, QUB Musique, Stingray, and CISM.

 

 

1. Loud – “Peinture à l’huile”
2. Thierry Larose – “Des noeuds dans les doigts”
3. 1969 Collective et Safia Nolin – “Tu danses, condessa”
4. gabwan – “L’école Sacré-Coeur”
5. Shreez – “Tout c’que j’connais”
6. Raccoon – “C00N”
7. Ariane Roy et Lou-Adriane Cassidy – “Fille à porter”
8. Julie Aubé – “Changer le mal de place”
9. SeinsSucrer et Figure8 – “Un thousand pounds de pression par slap”
10. Bkay – “Post Mortem”

 

DDel Cowieel Cowie
Words & Music contributor Del Cowie has worked as a writer, producer, and researcher for the Peabody and International Emmy Award-winning Netflix documentary series Hip Hop Evolution. He’s also worked as a producer for CBC Music and was hip-hop editor at Exclaim! magazine for more than a decade.

 

1. Kaytranada feat. Anderson .Paak – “Twin Flame”
2. Planet Giza – “While You On Road”
3. Faiza – “Benchmark”
4. Tanika Charles featuring DijahSB – “Different Morning”
5. Pierre Kwenders – “No No No”
6. Dylan Sinclair – “Open”
7. Drake – “Massive”
8. allie – “Soundboi”
9. Jully Black – “Half Empty”
10. Savannah Ré – “About U”

 

Phil RenaudPhilippe Renaud
Paroles & Musique contributor Philippe Renaud has been a music journalist, columnist, and critic for some 20 years, during which time he has been read, seen, and heard at La Presse, Radio-Canada (ICI Première, ICI Télé), L’Actualité, and Le Devoir.

 

1. Jonathan Personne – “Un homme sans visage”
2. Pierre Kwenders (featuring Anais) – “Heartbeat”
3. Modlee – “Grass in Blue”
4. Les Trois Accords – “Pâté chinois”
5. Lash – “Maldita”
6. Sophia Bel – “You’re Not Real You’re Just a Ghost”
7. Vulgaires Machins – “OK”
8. Bayta – “Princesse de Laval”
9. Poirier & Ms. Bella – “Shake Mama”
10. Salimo – “Porte”

 

Nancy DutraNancy Dutra
Words & Music contributor Nancy Dutra is a writer and editor who loves to read, write, and sing about the human condition.

 

 

1. William Prince and Serena Ryder – “Sing Me a Song”
2. Scott Nolan – “Candy”
3. Lynn Hanson – “Hundred Mile Wind”
4. Allison Russell, Brandi Carlile – “You’re Not Alone”
5. The Sadies – “More Alone”
6. Les Cooper – “Keep It Down”
7. Lydia Persaud – “Good for Us”
8. Ron Sexsmith – “What I Had in Mind”
9. Shawnee Kish – “Mr. Tie”
10. Tanya Tagaq – “I Forgive Me”

 

Elise JetteÉlise Jetté
A contributor to Paroles & Musique for the past five years, Élise Jetté heads the musical web magazine Feu à volonté, and has hosted the show Les Charlottes on CISM for the past 12 years. She also writes articles for many print magazines such as Cool! and Clin d’oeil.

 

1. Pataugeoire – “Emoji fraise”
2. Vulgaires Machins – “Aisle”
3. Bolduc Tout Croche – “D’où c’que j’viens”
4.  Larynx (feat. Helena Deland) – “Beau beam”
5. Les Shirley – “It’s Time”
6. Les Louanges – “Facile”
7. Lucill – “Et tout s’effondre”
8. Lydia Képinski – “Vaslaw”
9. Ariane Roy – “Le paradis de l’amour”
10. Mon Doux Saigneur – “Jojo”

 

Errol NazarethErrol Nazareth
Words & Music contributor Errol Nazareth is the host of Frequencies, a global music show that airs every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. ET on CBC Music.

 

 

(In no particular order)
Pierre Kwenders – “Coupé”
Wesli – “Rara Mawoule”
Balaklava Blues – “Shelter Our Sky”
Kobo Town – “Shades of the Living”
Empanadas Illegales – “Batidora 3 In 1”
Bruno Capinan – “Tara Rara”
Daniela Gesundheit –  “The Great Confession”
Tanya Tagaq – “Tongues”
Joy Lapps –  “Lulu’s Dream”
Tallies – “Special”
Waahli & Poirier – “Teke Fren”

 

Claude CoteClaude Côté
Paroles & Musique contributor Claude Côté is a columnist, host, and freelance writer for La Presse, ICI RDI, ICI Première, and Ted Magazine, in addition to working on several industry juries, including that of ADISQ. A journalist for Voir from 1993 to 2003, host and programming director at CIBL in 1994, he’s been active in the field for 40 years.

 

1. Steve Hill – “Don’t Let The Truth Get In The Way (Of A Good Story)”
2. Navet Confit – “Prétentieux d’être en vie”
3. Durham County Poets – “Back at The Groove Shack”
4. P’tit Belliveau – “Depuis que la neige a fondu”
5. Shane Murphy – “Going Back to Brownsburg”
6. Les Shirley – “It’s Time”
7. Paulo Ramos – “Lua Vermelha”
8. Justin Saladino – “Sink or Swim”
9. Scott-Pien Picard – “Nipa minuenten”
10. Luc De Larochellière – “Le Pont Viau”