That Eric Alper

In 2015, SOCAN began diving deeper into the world of Song Camps in an effort to support the recently created A&R strategy. By focusing on craft development and creating an opportunity for music creation, SOCAN hopes to add even more value to the careers of SOCAN members. Modeled on the legendary Motown and Brill Building formats that resulted in some of the greatest popular songs in history, an effectively run song camp features a delicate balance between artistic and commercial spirit, with a dose of healthy competition and deadline pressure.

Launched in 2015, SOCAN’s Kenekt Song Camp is a curated event that brings together established songwriters, producers and recording artists to collaborate on the creation of new songs.  The first KENEKT has already produced the debut single from Canadian artist Vacay and 2 upcoming singles for Fall Out Boy’s Uma Thurman producers, Young Wolf Hatchlings.

Shiloh and Waqaas Hashmi of Young Wolf Hatchlings (Photo: Jeff Knights)

Perched atop a remote cliff in Upper Kingsbury, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, stand the Shobac Cottages where the SOCAN Kenekt Song Camp got its start and where it will be returning later this month. The Shobac cottages provide an idyllic atmosphere for a group of songwriters to escape the realities of their everyday to allow them the opportunity to turn off distractions and immerse themselves in the creative, collaborative process.

While SOCAN is proud of the Kenekt brand and how it’s developed, the organization is pleased to announce that their suite of song camps is growing in 2016 and that from Vancouver to Montreal, more members will have opportunities to participate in a SOCAN Song Camp.

In the fall of 2016, SOCAN will host two new Song Camps; one in Quebec focusing on upcoming pop projects and one in British Columbia that is still being fine-tuned. Both song camps will give their publisher members the opportunity to recommend writers, producers and artists. Stay tuned for more information.

SOCAN has formed a new partnership with the world renowned, Black Rock Studios. Held in Santorini, Greece twice annually, the Black Rock Songwriter Camp is considered one of the world’s premier songwriting camps. SOCAN’s new partnership with Black Rock will ensure that two spots at each camp are filled by SOCAN members in addition to any SOCAN writers who’ve been invited back to participate by the team at Black Rock. This ensures a steady flow of new members getting to attend the camp. SOCAN will suggest the writers with final approval coming from Black Rock.

SOCAN’s A&R team continues to play an integral role in the artistic development of music creators by connecting Canada’s songwriters, composers and music publishers so that they can create the music we all love to hear.