SOCAN Montréal Gala Returns with a Grand Celebration of Québec’s Greatest Music Creators and Publisher

May 2, 2023 | Media

Montréal, April 18, 2023 – More than 100 trophies in 28 categories will be awarded to Québec’s creators and publishers as the SOCAN Gala returns to Montréal on May 7, 2023, at La TOHU. Following two online editions and a one-year hiatus, the 33rd edition will celebrate the past two years of accomplishments by music creators and publishers, with those from the past, the present and the future all equally celebrated. 

The event will be hosted by the flamboyant and colourful drag queen, Barbada, while the talented Chloé Lacasse will complete the role of musical director, promising thrilling surprise performances and musical tributes. 

Among the SOCAN Achievement Awards, the SOCAN Cultural Impact Award will be presented to Jean-Pierre Ferland for his hymn to the hope and emancipation of a nation, “Un peu plus haut, un peu plus loin,” and the most famous performer of the song, Ginette Reno, will receive the SOCAN Special Achievement Award. 

Another legendary creator from Québec, the inimitable Plume Latraverse, will see his long and extraordinary career celebrated with the SOCAN Lifetime Achievement Award.  

The Songwriter (Performer) Award and Songwriter (Non-Performer) Award will go to two creative duos, Roxane Bruneau and Mathieu Brisset, and hitmakers Banx & Ranx, respectively. 

In the audiovisual category, two Screen Composer of the Year awards will be presented to a pair of rising stars: Nathalie Bonin and Cristobal Tapia de Veer, who have each accumulated countless successes and rewards for their compositions for screens of all sizes over the last two years. Bonin’s work was featured in such productions as the award-winning documentary Women Warriors: The Voices of Change, and Tapia de Veer is perhaps best known for his Emmy-winning work on season two of The White Lotus. 

Additional invaluable contributions of film composers will be recognized in several categories related to their outstanding creative work in film and television. 

Still in the Achievement Awards category, the work of SOCAN’s publisher community will be celebrated with the Publisher of the Year Award going to Éditions Bloc Notes Musique, while the International Award will go to the Montréal-based production duo, Demy & Clipz, who are behind the worldwide hit “La Corriente” by Grammy Award winner Bad Bunny, a song that has so far amassed more than a billion streams across the world’s music platforms.  

This year will also mark the return of SOCAN Classic Awards1 with trophies going to “Toune d’automne” by Les Cowboys Fringants, “Parce qu’on vient de loin” by Corneille, “La Désise” by Daniel Boucher, “Point de mire” by Ariane Moffatt, “Balade à Toronto” by Jean Leloup, “Rêver mieux” by Daniel Bélanger, “Amalgame” by Les Respectables, and “On jase de toi” by Noir Silence, while the band is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.  

The Francophone, Anglophone and International Popular Song Awards will go to the world’s most-played songs over the past two years, and the winners of the Special Awards will also be announced, including the Breakthrough Award, Breakthrough Female Screen Composer Award (for the first time), the Country Music, Electronic Music, Viral Music, Hip-Hop Music Awards, and the Hagood-Hardy Award (global music) and Jan V. Matejcek Award (new classical music).   

Every year, SOCAN honours organizations that consistently uphold fair music licensing and the rights of music creators and publishers to earn their fair share from the use of their music. This year’s SOCAN Partner in Music Award will be jointly presented this year to Télé-Québec and Sphère Média for their ongoing commitment through the outstanding TV show Belle et Bum which celebrated its 20th season this year. 

“We are thrilled to present the SOCAN Gala again in Montréal, live and in-person,” said SOCAN’s CEO, Jennifer Brown. “We will celebrate the great achievements of songwriters, composers, screen composers and music publishers from Québec and the Canadian Francophonie, and I couldn’t be prouder of our employees for rising to meet and exceed the needs of our members, help them navigate an ever-changing landscape, and ensure that they are fairly compensated for their extraordinarily valuable work. This 33rd edition will be a great opportunity to look back with appreciation and gratitude on the major players of the past while also celebrating the ever-increasing success of current creators.” 

Each of the Achievement Awards winners will receive “The SOCAN,” the first and only major music industry trophy in the world that is also a musical instrument. 

The full list of the 2023 SOCAN Gala winners will be released on the evening of May 7, 2023, via news release and on the dedicated SOCAN 2023 Gala website at galasocan.com. 

The SOCAN Gala in Montréal is the French equivalent of the SOCAN Awards presented in Toronto for songwriters, composers of music for the screen and music publishers working primarily in English. 

About SOCAN 

SOCAN is a rights management organization that connects more than four million music creators worldwide and more than a quarter-million businesses and individuals in Canada. More than 180,000 songwriters, composers, music publishers are its direct members, and more than 100,000 organizations are Licensed To Play music across Canada. With a concerted use of progressive technology and unique data as well as a commitment to lead the global transformation of rights management, SOCAN is dedicated to upholding the fundamental truths that music has a value and its creators and publishers deserve fair compensation for their work. To find out more: www.socan.com 

Media contacts:
Roy & Turner Communications (for SOCAN): Marie-France Côté, 514-844-9678 ext. 206, mfcote@roy-turner.com
SOCAN: Eric Parazelli, eric.parazelli@socan.com