83 Awards Handed Out at the 21st Annual SOCAN Awards Gala Presentation in
Toronto

TORONTO, Nov. 22 /CNW/ - SOCAN (The Society of Composers Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) and the best of Canada's music industry came together tonight at the John Bassett Theatre in recognition of some of this country's most talented songwriters, composers, lyricists and music publishers at the 21^st annual SOCAN Awards Gala. Hosted by members Hawksley Workman, Kardinal Offishall and Suzie McNeil, the SOCAN Awards acknowledge members' and other music industry influencers' outstanding achievements from the previous year. SOCAN members Burton Cummings, Theory Of A Deadman, Doc Walker, Kim Mitchell, The Road Hammers, Brian Howes, Karl Wolf and Bill Henderson (Chilliwack), among many others, were in attendance to accept their awards.

illScarlett thrilled the crowd with their opening performance of the Kim Mitchell classic "Easy To Tame." 2010 ECHO Songwriting Prize winners Brasstronaut took to the stage next to perform their ECHO Prize-winning song "Hearts Trompet". Other performances included award winners Alan Doyle (Great Big Sea) and Don Thompson.

Other award winning members included: Nickelback for "Gotta Be Somebody" and "If Today Was Your Last Day" ; George Canyon for "Just Like You" Sarah McLachlan for "Adia," "Angel," "Building A Mystery" and "I Will Remember You," among others; and Johnny Reid for "A Woman Like You."

A complete list of winners for the 2010 SOCAN Awards can be found at www.socan.ca

"The SOCAN Awards Galas, held in Toronto and Montreal, are truly unique opportunities for Canada's music industry - from songwriter-artists to other industry leaders - to come together and celebrate the success of some of Canada's best songwriters, composers, lyricists and music publishers," says Eric Baptiste, CEO of SOCAN. "Recognizing the remarkable achievements of our members and individuals who make such a big contribution to Canada's culture, as well as its economy, is just one example of how SOCAN strives to advance the efforts of its members and Canada's music industry."

Each year SOCAN celebrates music industry pioneers for their involvement with, and influence on, the Canadian music industry. Recipients of SOCAN's major achievement awards this year included: Galt MacDermot (Lifetime Achievement Award); Spirit Of The West (National Achievement Award); Brian Howes (International Achievement Award); Tommy Banks (Special Achievement Award); and ClubLink (Patron of Music Award).

SOCAN recognized outstanding Francophone music creators and publishers at an awards gala on Tuesday, November 16, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Montreal Hotel. SOCAN members Luc Plamondon, Cœur de pirate, Marie-Pierre Arthur, K.Maro and Édith Butler, to name a few, joined hosts Marie-Mai, Jim Corcoran and Jean-Claude Marsan in celebration of this year's SOCAN Award recipients.

About SOCAN
At SOCAN, we understand that the Canadian music industry is only as strong as the sum of its parts. We are proud to play a leading role, working with other organizations to ensure the long-term health of our members' livelihoods and the Canadian music industry as a whole. SOCAN is the Canadian copyright collective for the communication and performance of musical works. We administer these rights on behalf of our members (composers, lyricists, songwriters and their publishers) and those of affiliated international organizations by licensing this use of their music in Canada. The fees collected are distributed as royalties to our members and to affiliated organizations throughout the world. We also distribute royalties received from those organizations to our members for the use of their music worldwide. SOCAN has offices in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton and Dartmouth.

For further information:

Cara McCutcheon, McCutcheon Communications for SOCAN
Phone: [phone] (cell)
E-mail: [email protected]