Do I need to be a member of the S.A.C.?

Article par Lily Cheng | mercredi 3 octobre 2012

Les traductions pour les articles avant l’automne 2013 ne sont pas disponibles pour le moment.

Despite having an ongoing presence at music industry events across the country, representatives of the Songwriters Association of Canada (S.A.C.) are often asked, « Are you SOCAN? »

To which the answer is always, « SOCAN is an important organization for songwriters to be part of in order to get paid performance royalties. The S.A.C. is a separate organization that is also great for songwriters for networking, education and advocacy. »

As a member of SOCAN, you probably take your songwriting career seriously. Similarly, S.A.C. membership is an investment, not only in your career, but also in the songwriting industry at large.

Founded in 1983, the Songwriters Association of Canada was formed to inform and support songwriters at all levels, and to create a platform for songwriters to have a voice in the ever-changing landscape of the music industry. Since that time, the business has undergone significant changes, and continues to evolve rapidly with emerging technologies. As such, the importance of advocating on behalf of songwriters is now more important than ever. The S.A.C. continues to build important bridges between songwriting organizations and policy makers, both  in Canada and throughout the world.

Over the years, the organization has expanded to include networking and education initiatives to nurture the songwriting industry in Canada. This includes a recently launched webinar series that songwriters can log into from anywhere across the country, to access topics such as « How To Get Your Music in Film & TV, » « Going Indie in Urban Music, » and « Work, Life Balance for Songwriters. » Our webinars form part of Channel S.A.C., a video library exclusive to members on our website.

This past year saw the launch of our annual reference edition of Songwriters Magazine – a publication that covers both the business and craft of songwriting. We’ve also expanded a program called « Songworks, » that creates opportunities for professional and emerging songwriters to co-write and record together – which has already resulted in song placements around the world.

Our other programs include:

  • Song Vault:  A secure registration service to protect your songs.
  • Song Assessment: Get online professional feedback.
  • Regional Writers Group: Network and hone your songwriting.
  • WritersConnect : Meet new songwriting partners and collaborate.
  • SongPitch.ca:  Pitch your songs for film & TV placement.
  • Songposium: Full-day interactive workshops.
  • BlueBird North: Where writers sing & tell.

We welcome professional songwriters to join our roster of mentors, panelists and song assessors, along with providing feedback on our advocacy initiatives.  We also welcome aspiring songwriters who can tap into a wealth of growth and networking opportunities to help them succeed.  For more information about S.A.C., and to join, visit songwriters.ca

Lessons Learned: Tips on writing music for a weekly TV series

Article par Karen Bliss | mardi 25 dcembre 2012

Les traductions pour les articles avant l’automne 2013 ne sont pas disponibles pour le moment.

  •  Immerse yourself in the psychology of the characters in the show, not just in the stylistic genre.
  •  Be organized. Have templates to work from and be able to pull out previous pieces of music and convert them into new pieces.
  • Be accommodating and collaborative, and not so attached to a particular vision.
  • Don’t be only be a good composer, but also a good synth programmer, sound designer and music engineer. Take a composition course.
  •  Find somebody to apprentice with, who you can learn from on a daily basis.

Hip-hop music publishing

Article par Mike Doherty | vendredi 2 dcembre 2011

Les traductions pour les articles avant l’automne 2013 ne sont pas disponibles pour le moment.

Tony Tobias has worked in the cultural industries in Canada for more than 35 years, in the fields of music and media rights management, among others. His publishing company is Pangaea Media & Music Inc., and he’s a member of SOCAN’s Board of Directors. Saukrates is a veteran, Juno-nominated Canadian rapper, singer, and record producer who co-founded Capitol Hill Music, and sings in the group Big Black Lincoln. He’s also a member of Redman’s Gilla House collective, and has worked with K-os and Nelly Furtado. Here, they discuss publishing in hip-hop music.

Tony Tobias:
If you’re a hip-hop songwriter, you should be concerned about what you own of the copyright, which translates into multiple potential revenue streams. Some hip-hop producers don’t have a great handle on what music publishing is. The producer contributes to the master track, but the recording is a different entity to the song, so we have to differentiate – they’re separate as far as copyright is concerned.

There are also different types of producers. The producer-as-investor tells the artist, “I didn’t write the song, but because you can’t pay me, I’m proposing that you put me on the song as a co-writer, so I can benefit from airplay – that might be my only revenue.” Here, the artist retains copyright, as he or she does when working with the producer-as-arranger – or beat-maker – who comes up with beats for the song the artist has created. As an artist, don’t let that producer convince you that they have now co-written a song. The producer-as-composer actually has ideas as a musician and collaborates with the artist on the actual writing of the music, with a clear understanding that they are co-writing and sharing copyright.

In a writing-room situation, before you start, say, “OK, everybody in the room is cool with the fact that this is a collaboration/co-songwriting thing here, and before we leave the room we’ll agree about who contributed what, and here’s the sheet that we’ll all sign, basically accepting the percentage that we agreed.”

Saukrates:
These days the lines get blurred between beat-makers and producers. The more talented beat-makers play a huge role in putting a song through the roof. They can take some of the producer credit, or share it, because they have taken it that far.

A lot of times, new beat-makers get opportunities on a mixtape, which nowadays is just putting your music out there so people can get a feel for what you do. So in that case they might say, “You can use it for a minimal amount, but it’s non-exclusive” – and they’ll retain their publishing, and reap the long-term benefit. Two years later, you call the beat-maker again, and it’s not the same: you can’t use this piece of music for nothing, non-exclusively or exclusively. It’s a battle. It’s war out there!
Up-and-comers don’t even think about the red tape before they go in the studio. That’s something for all veterans to take note of, to keep it loose and be free with it and deal with it all afterwards. If it don’t fly, you find a way to change it, to replace the sample or said musician. The sky’s the limit.