ROBERT CHARLEBOIS, MONIQUE LEYRAC, CLAUDE DUBOIS AND MANY MORE TO BE HONOURED BY SOCAN

Montréal, September 26, 2017 – For the first time in the history of the Gala de la SOCAN, two special achievement awards will be presented to one creator, when Robert Charlebois is presented with both the SOCAN Lifetime Achievement Award and, with co-writer Claude Péloquin, the SOCAN Cultural Impact Award on the evening of Monday, October 16th, at La Tohu in Montréal.

Charlebois will be honoured separately for his remarkable body of work over his life and then specifically for “Lindberg,” a true musical monument that has left a lasting and meaningful mark throughout the world.

Nearly 50 awards in total will be presented at the event, presented in a new format that promises to be rich in emotion and surprises as a who’s-who of Québec music creation salutes the very best and most successful in music creation and publishing.

Monique Leyrac will receive the SOCAN Special Achievement Award as one of the greatest singers in history; the SOCAN International Achievement Award will go to Cristobal Tapia de Veer, the composer whose work has earned him awards all over the world; John Nathaniel, SOCAN Songwriter of the Year; the prolific Michel Corriveau, who will receive the first SOCAN AV Composer of the Year Award; and Éditorial Avenue will receive the SOCAN Publisher of the Year Award for leadership in the industry.

All will be in attendance at the Gala de la SOCAN, which will be hosted again by the affable singer-songwriter and actor, Stéphane Archambault.

“It is of the utmost importance for SOCAN to celebrate the excellence and wonderful diversity of its music creator and publisher members like Éditorial Avenue, one of the most import publishers in the country,” said SOCAN CEO, Eric Baptiste. “The 2017 Gala de la SOCAN will highlight, more than ever, several generations of artists, from Charlebois to the Dead Obies, France D’Amour to Half Moon Run, and the diversity of musical genres, from pop to rap, electronic music to country, and new classical music.”

The outstanding work of SOCAN’s publisher members will be highlighted and honoured, as will the increasingly world-renowned work of composers for film and TV.

In addition to Popular Song Awards, for the greatest number of domestic performances during 2016, several songs will be officially designated SOCAN Classics for achieving 25,000 radio plays, including Claude Dubois for two songs from of his immense repertoire, and France D’Amour and Luc de Larochellière each will see three of their works attain SOCAN Classic status. SOCAN Classics record-holder Luc Plamondon will earn another two, and iconic Montréal band, The Box, will receive one.

Among the artists who will perform live during the gala are Vincent Vallières, Diane Tell, Canailles, Beyries and Émile Bilodeau, plus several surprise special performances.

Special Achievement award winners will be presented with The SOCAN, the first and only major music industry trophy that is also a musical instrument. The trophy’s five crotales – made by SABIAN of New Brunswick – this year are custom-tuned to the first notes of Robert Charlebois’s “Je reviendrai à Montréal,” a nod to Montréal’s 375th anniversary and one of his greatest pieces.

The complete list of winners at the 2017 Gala de la SOCAN will be released during the evening of October 16th.

 About SOCAN
SOCAN connects more than four-million music creators worldwide and more than a quarter-million businesses and individuals in Canada. Nearly 150,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers are its direct members, and more than 130,000 organizations are Licensed to Play music across Canada. With a concerted use of progressive technology and a commitment to lead the global transformation of music rights, with wholly owned companies Audiam and MediaNet, SOCAN is dedicated to upholding the fundamental truths that music has value and music creators and publishers deserve fair compensation for their work.

Media contacts:
Roy & Turner Communications (for SOCAN): Marie-France Côté, 514.844.9678 x 206, mfcote@roy-turner.com   
SOCAN: Eric Parazelli, 514-844-8377 x 4934 eric.parazelli@socan.com