MONTRÉAL AND TORONTO, April 3, 2014 /CNW/ - Music industry leader Geneviève Côté has joined SOCAN - the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada - in the newly created role of Chief Québec Affairs Officer, with a mandate of elevating SOCAN's success and presence in Québec by raising awareness of SOCAN and important issues among regional politicians, influential journalists, and essential stakeholders.
Working directly with CEO Eric Baptiste as SOCAN's primary high-level point of contact for the Québec music industry, SOCAN licensees, opinion leaders and decision-makers, Côté will build an even more meaningful presence for the organization at important events, forums and conferences. As manager of SOCAN's Montréal office, she will work with a team of more than 20 full-time employees who serve the Quebec-based 25,000-plus members and the many thousands of businesses in the province that are licensed to play music.
"I am very excited to join a management team that cares deeply about the interests of music creators," Côté said. "To have rubbed shoulders with them, first as a member of SOCAN for 10 years, and then even more closely as a Director on its Board, I know that the SOCAN team is just as passionate as I am about SOCAN's mission, and I'm thrilled to extend my role with SOCAN as the organization's leader in Québec."
As Québec and Canada approach key electoral periods, it is especially important that the critical concerns and integral role of SOCAN's more than 120,000 total members are heard and realized by provincial and federal government, industry influencers, and like-minded organizations, so that music creation remains strong and valuable aspects of Canada's economy, culture and pride.
"The drive and passion that I have seen Geneviève give to her work as a music publisher and manager, and as a Director, will be huge assets to SOCAN's member songwriters, composers and publishers," Baptiste said. "Geneviève will raise the bar by working tirelessly to make sure that all of our Québec-based authors, composers and music publishers can benefit from all of the opportunities that SOCAN can create for them, both in Canada and around the globe."
Geneviève Côté has a law degree from Ottawa University and has been working in the entertainment industry since 1998. Her first few years were spent working with independent production companies such as Productions J, Zone3, Just For Laughs and Diffusion YFB. For the last 10 years, Geneviève has been running her own business, Frilance Musique, dividing her time between managing artists such as Montreal-based singer-songwriter Ian Kelly, Guillaume Arsenault and Little Suns, and music publishing for clients like Kelly, Arsenault, Rachel Therrien and Jean-Fred Messier. Very active on the Montréal music scene, she has covered a wide array of roles including publicist, booker, production manager, concert promoter and music video production executive. She sat on the boards of la Société pour la promotion de la relève musicale de l'espace francophone (SOPREF), Société du Droit de Reproduction des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Éditeurs au Canada (SODRAC) and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame before she was elected in 2009 to the Board of Directors of SOCAN and the SOCAN Foundation. She also sits on the board of directors of Les Francouvertes.
Geneviève Côté starts work with SOCAN on April 28th.
About SOCAN
SOCAN is a member-based organization that represents the Canadian performing rights of more than three-million Canadian and international music creators and publishers. SOCAN is proud to play a leading role in supporting the long-term success of its more than 120,000 Canadian members, and the Canadian music industry overall. SOCAN licenses more than 125,000 businesses in Canada, and distributes royalties to its members and music rights organizations around the world. SOCAN also distributes royalties to its members for the use of their music internationally in collaboration with its peer societies. www.socan.ca
Image with caption: "Geneviève Côté (CNW Group/SOCAN)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140403_C8476_PHOTO_EN_38784.jpg
SOURCE: SOCAN
Media Contact:
Andrew Berthoff, SOCAN, Communications & Marketing, 416-442-3836, [email protected]
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