SOCAN has announced the finalists for the 2018 SOCAN Songwriting Prize, presented by YouTube Music, the most prestigious competition that celebrates the talent of emerging Canadian songwriters over the past year.

This year women from across the country make up the large majority of the writers of the 10 nominated songs in English. The SOCAN Songwriting Prize is the only major music creation award in Canada that allows music fans to decide the winners of $10,000, a Yamaha PSR-S970 keyboard, and a $500 gift card from Long & McQuade.

The 10 English finalists for the SOCAN Songwriting Prize presented by YouTube Music are:

"Dreams Tonite" - written by Alec O'Hanley, Molly Rankin; performed by Alvvays; published by Rough Trade Publishing Canada.

"Money" - written by Leandra Earl, Eliza Enman-McDaniel, Jordan Miller, Kylie Miller, Garrett Lee; performed by The Beaches; published by Done with Dolls Inc., Besme, administered by Kobalt Music Group Ltd.

"Main Girl" - written by Charlotte Cardin; performed by Charlotte Cardin; published by Red Brick c/o Corico Arts.

"Cotton Candy" - written by Jessie Reyez; performed by Jessie Reyez; published by BMG Rights Management Canada.

"Chills" - written by James Barker, Gavin Slate, Travis Wood, Donovan Woods; performed by James Barker Band; published by Warner Chappell Music Canada, Ole Media Management LP II.

"Play the Field" - written by Josée Caron, Lucy Niles; performed by Partner; published by Partner Mus.

"Walkaway" - written by Jasmyn Burke, Morgan Waters; performed by Weaves.

"Magic"- written by Eoin Killeen, Timothy Law, Patrisha Sanna Campbell; performed by Birthday Boy and Trish.

"Healers" - written by Benjamin McCarthy, Iskwé, Ryan Somerville; performed by Iskwé.

"Lingua Franca" - written by Neil Bednis, Christopher Laurignano, Fraser McClean, Melanie St. Pierre; performed by Casper Skulls.

From May 24 to June 7, 2018, music fans are encouraged to listen to and vote for their favourite song from the nominees by visiting www.socansongwritingprize.ca or through social media, on Twitter using the hashtag #mySSPvote and identifying the performer's name in the tweet. Fans can vote once daily through each platform for each of the English and French prize competitions.

The winning songs are scheduled to be announced the week of June 11, 2018.

"The finalists for the 2018 SOCAN Songwriting Prize reflect the diversity of Canada and the unique perspectives of music creators," said Mike McCarty, Chief Membership & Business Development Officer at SOCAN. "SOCAN is privileged to support and encourage Canadian songwriters and composers throughout the year, and the SOCAN Songwriting Prize is truly special because it allows music creators to receive recognition for their work directly from their fans. This is a great opportunity to showcase these emerging music creators and their remarkable talent."

The French and English finalists are determined by respective independent panels of 15 music-industry influencers who nominate two songs that they feel were artistically superior by emerging Canadian songwriters and composers, within the eligibility period (see Rules for complete criteria). All long-listed songs are then compiled, reviewed and voted on by each panel to determine the final 10 short-listed finalists in each category.

SOCAN has no role in determining nominees or winners.

Capitol Launches Online Mixing & Mastering Services

Capitol Studios, the iconic and state-of-the-art recording facility located in the historic Capitol Tower in Hollywood, California has expandED its reach with the launch of its new Online Mixing, Mastering and Vinyl-Cutting services. The services officially went live on April 2, 2018.

"Capitol Studios has an established history of GRAMMY® Award-winning, world-class audio services," noted Paula Salvatore, VP/Studio Manager, Capitol Studios. "Our cutting-edge facilities and unparalleled team of engineers are now made available to artists and producers all around the world with these online mixing, mastering and vinyl-cutting services. We welcome you to come experience the best of the best."

Clients' projects will benefit from the entirety of Capitol Studios' world-class mixing and mastering facilities, including one-of-a-kind echo chambers. Projects are guaranteed to have a turnaround of five days or less for mastering services, and 30 business days or less for mixing services, no matter where you are in the world.

For mixing services, projects can be uploaded in WAV format to Capitol Studios' website. Clients will be able to preview the result and request a revision, and downloads will be provided as master stems.

For mastering services, projects can also be uploaded in WAV format, and the client will select the desired mastering formats and choose an engineer from the list of five world-class mastering engineers (Ron McMaster, Robert Vosgien, Evren Göknar, Ian Sefchick and Kevin Bartley). Clients will be able to preview the result and request a revision, and the master will be provided in WAV format or vinyl pressing/CD. Additional formats can be selected as add-ons at economical price points.

AIMP Announces Agenda For Music Publishing Summit

The first featured speakers and panels are confirmed for the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) Indie Music Publishing Summit, in New York City on Tuesday, June 12. Featured speakers include a keynote conversation with John Josephson, Chairman/CEO of SESAC, and the slate of panels will cover topics ranging from the current state of the industry and music supervision from both U.S. and international perspectives to New Revenue Opportunities for Independent Music Publishers, Digital Tools of the Trade, an update on international news from CISAC, and more.

This expanded, second edition of the Summit will take place on several floors of the 3 West Club in New York City, and in addition to the planned programming beginning at 9 a.m., there will be an all-day networking lounge and a closing reception from 5 to 7 p.m. The current list of panels and speakers is below.

This year, the AIMP is proud to have ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, Songtrust, SoundExchange, Tresóna Music, Viacom, and YouTube as its inaugural Summit sponsors, and the organisation also appreciates the promotional support from the Copyright Alliance, Music Business Association, NSAI, Production Music Association, and Women in Music as well as media partners Billboard, Hypebot, Music Connection, and SonicScoop.

Registration is now open [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aimp-indie-publisher-summit-2018-tickets-43003610958], with full-priced tickets at $429, and increasing to $529 after May 4. This includes a one- year Professional membership in the organisation. Current Premier Professional and Professional members receive a 30% and 20% discount, respectively, off the non-member price; codes are available in the member section of www.aimp.org, and discounts are also available for members of the event's promotional partners.

Confirmed AIMP Indie Music Publishing Summit Panel Agenda (more speakers to be added):

AIMP Leadership KickOff Address

•  Alisa Coleman - AIMP NY Executive Director (ABKCO Music)

•  Michael Eames - AIMP President, Los Angeles (PEN Music Group)

•  John Ozier- AIMP Nashville Executive Director (ole)

CISAC Cross Industry Projects Update

• Teri Nelson Carpenter, President & CEO of Reel Muzik Werks, LLC and Vice President of AIMP

Digital Tools Of The Trade:

• John Raso, SVP of Client Services at HFA

International State Of The Industry

• Teresa Alfonso, CEO of Teddysound, President of the Spanish Association of Music Publishers, and Executive Board at IMPF (Spain)

• Ger Hatton, EU Specialist and IMPF Secretary General (Europe)

• Jennifer Mitchell, CEO of Red Brick Songs and member of the CMPA Board of Directors (Canada)

• Mary Megan Peer, Deputy CEO and President of Asia Pacific & Strategic Markets at peermusic (Asia)

• Chris Butler, Group Head of Publishing & Rights at The Music Sales Group and President of ICMP Board of Directors (UK) (moderator)

Music Supervision Abroad

How to navigate blanket licensing, multi-territorial licenses, and getting your music into commercials, TV shows, and films from overseas.

• Nicky Bignell, BBC

• Catherine Grimes, BBC

New Revenue Models for Songwriters and Music Publishers

• Chantal Epp, Clicknclear

• Mark Greenburg, Tresona

• Deborah Evans, Tracklib

U.S. Music Supervisors panel

• Ricki Askin, Vice

• Megan Currier, Search Party

U.S. State Of The Industry

• Michelle Lewis, Songwriter & Co-Founder of SONA

• MaryJo Mennella, CEO of MNM and Pulse

• Alison Smith, EVP of Broadcast Music Inc.

• Kelli Turner, EVP, Operations, Corporate Development and CFO, SESAC

• Amelia Wang Binder, Vice President, Industry & Government Affairs, NMPA

• Teri Nelson Carpenter, President & CEO of Reel Muzik Werks, LLC and Vice President of AIMP (moderator)

Started in 2017 as the AIMP celebrated its 40th anniversary, the Indie Music Publishers Summit brings together all three chapters of the organisation - Los Angeles, New York, and Nashville - and kicks off a week of events celebrating songwriters and the music publishing industry, including the NMPA Annual Meeting on June 14 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on June 15.

Sony To Acquire Mubadala Interest In EMI Music

Mubadala Investment Company and Sony Corporation have announced that they have signed a legally binding memorandum of understanding for the sale of the Mubadala consortium's approximately 60% equity interest in EMI Music Publishing to Sony Corporation of America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony, based on an enterprise value of $4.75 billion. 

As a result of the transaction, Sony will indirectly own approximately 90% of the equity interest in EMI Music Publishing and it will become a consolidated subsidiary of Sony.  The closing of the transaction is subject to certain closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

Edge Music Network Announces Launch Of "Artist Pages"

Edge Music Network (EMN), a music video streaming service delivering on-demand video content through a syndication platform, has announced its partnership with the digital distribution service MondoTunes, which provides major label music distribution for independent labels and artists worldwide, as well as the launch of EMN's official "Artist Pages" designed to deliver a new way for artists and musicians to establish connections with fans, venues and labels. With modern architecture, deep navigation capabilities, advanced search tools and user-friendly features built from the ground up, EMN's latest advances enable users to interact, book a band, watch live performances, follow artists on their official social media channels and connect through the platform's chat capability.

"We are thrilled to announce the launch of EMN's 'Artist Pages' in tandem with its partnership with MondoTunes- which allows EMN to offer artists a full 360 distribution model for Mp4 as well as Mp3 music videos," says CEO Elizabeth Vargas, the industry veteran and powerhouse who founded EMN in 2001. "EMN is on a path to revolutionising one of the world's most valuable industries with a goal to unleash the universal and transformative power of music."

The evolution of EMN includes live streaming for artists as well as capabilities for aspiring pop, hip-hop, rock, alternative, country and all other genres of artists to upload their own music content based on genre and via an exclusive page. The platform's artists are able to extend their reach to a broader audience--building their brand and reaching new fans while offering lucrative magnetisation opportunities.

"Our partnership with EMN will provide thousands of artists and labels a new platform to upload their music video content as well as utilise MondoTunes to upload unlimited amounts of songs onto more than 600 retailers across 140 countries," said MondoTunes founder and CEO, Mershad Javan. "I have had the pleasure to watch EMN grow to one of the largest digital music distribution channels out there and I am thrilled to be partnered with such a dynamic platform."

On a mission to reinvent the way music is heard, viewed and shared, EMN is backed by industry giants such as John Paul DeJoria, VH1 Classic founder Eric Sherman, Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, The Who lead singer Roger Daltrey, Queen drummer Roger Taylor. The EMN app is available through the Apple ITunes Store and Google Play. For more information, visit www.edgemusic.com.

James Blunt Willing To Represent UK At Eurovision

British singer-songwriter James Blunt, has revealed that he would be willing to represent the United Kingdom at a future edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.

https://tinyurl.com/y8gu75mb

Bernie Taupin's Advice For Songwriters

Bernie Taupin celebrated his 68th birthday recently, and it goes without saying that Taupin's songwriting partnership with Elton John over the past five decades has been one of the most successful in music history.

https://tinyurl.com/y7z3vqc2

Japanese Songwriter Makes US Debut At Age 70

A veteran songwriter who composed major Japanese '80s hits such as "Heartbroken by Julia" sung by the pop group Checkers, is now making his US debut as a singer at the age of 70.

https://tinyurl.com/y8mny652

Scotty McCreery Celebrates First Number One Single

Scotty McCreery celebrated his first No. 1 single with "Five More Minutes" on Wednesday, at the Country Music Association's offices in Nashville.

https://tinyurl.com/y94659bn

It Takes An Average Of 4.84 Songwriters To Pen A Hit

Research by Music Week has revealed that the average of 4.84 people were credited as writers on 2017's Official Top 100 biggest songs. The figure is up from 4.53 in 2016.

https://tinyurl.com/ybm6vmrc

UK Singer-Songwriter Is Britain's 3rd Richest Woman

A singer-songwriter has been crowned Britain's third richest woman - and she has more money than the Queen, J.K Rowling and Adele combined!

https://tinyurl.com/y9dd4p4v

Israel Complains Over Dutch TV Eurovision Parody

The Israeli embassy in the Netherlands has lodged a complaint over a parody of Israel's Eurovision winner that criticised Israeli policies and prompted accusations of anti-Semitism.

https://tinyurl.com/y7o9tdhw

'I Was Born To Write': Joan Armatrading

The songwriter, whose new album is "Not Too Far Away", weighs in on Post Malone, recording with Queen and learning to play on a £3 guitar.

https://tinyurl.com/yanfcn6a

Smokey Robinson Thanks 'Fellow Songwriter' Orrin Hatch

Smokey Robinson has told a US Senate committee that it's "ludicrous" for digital music services not to pay artists.

https://tinyurl.com/ydhbl4dk

Desmond Child Reveals The Tales Behind The Hit Songs

Desmond Child has enough hits to fill a jukebox -- several times over.

https://tinyurl.com/ydzbbnvo

Rod Stewart: 'I Thought Songwriting Had Left Me'

As the singer prepares to release his new album Time - the first he has written for in 15 years - he talks frankly about women, drugs and his lifelong struggle with his craft.

https://tinyurl.com/y7yjov6b
 
How To Get Started As A Songwriter (For Free!)

My songwriting journey began in college. I was studying vocal performance and attending general education classes, but I'm creative and completely neurotic, so I found myself spending late nights in my room gathering my many swirling thoughts into words.

https://tinyurl.com/y7cyvurn

Ray Wylie Hubbard Talks Songwriting

Near the end of the autobiographical song 'Mother Blues', Ray Wylie Hubbard says, 'The days that I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, well, I have really good days'.

https://tinyurl.com/y9r55vwm

Sony/ATV Completes Entire Year at No. 1

Sony/ATV Music Publishing has today completed the astonishing feat of having published or co-published the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. each week for an entire year.

https://tinyurl.com/y8fg7vh5

Amy Shark Wins Vanda & Young Song Contest

In what's been a whirlwind two year's for the Gold Coast native, Amy Shark has taken out the top prize in 2018's Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition for her mega-smash 'Adore'.

https://tinyurl.com/yb5ofx84

Steve Earle On Songwriting Secrets

The country-rock maverick also talks raising a son with autism, the appeal of New York and the magic of refried beans.

https://tinyurl.com/ych9srjj