SOCAN Members Elect 2026 Board Directors at Annual General Meeting 

Toronto, May 4, 2026 – SOCAN has announced the results of its 2026 Board of Directors election, following a voting period that ran from April 8 through April 29, concluding after the organization’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). Votes were cast by eligible SOCAN songwriter, composer, and music publisher members to elect directors for the 2026-2029 term.

Held both online and in person, this year’s AGM marked the first time the event has taken place in Calgary, beginning with an insightful masterclass by entertainment lawyer Matthew Gorman of Gorman Entertainment Law. Chair of the Board Marc Ouellette, CEO Jennifer Brown, as well as members from the SOCAN executive team shared updates on SOCAN’s record-breaking financial results and highlighted strategic priorities for the year ahead.

In 2026, there were three writer director positions and three publisher director positions up for election consistent with SOCAN’s annual board election cycle.

The following people were elected for three-year terms.

Representing SOCAN Writer Members (alphabetically by last name):  

• David Bussières  (Québec) (Francophone)*
• John Rowley (east)
• Sarah Slean (east)*

Representing SOCAN Publisher Members (alphabetically by company name):  

• Diane Pinet (Québec) (Francophone) Bloc-Notes Music Publishing*
• Mark Jowett (west) Nettwerk Music Group*
• Jennifer Mitchell (east) Red Brick Music Publishing*

*  Incumbent

“I’m grateful to each of our newly elected directors for stepping forward to serve SOCAN’s members,” said Jennifer Brown, CEO SOCAN. “Your insight and dedication will help ensure that songwriters, composers, and music publishers are supported with clarity, fairness, and a strong voice in a music ecosystem that continues to transform. The management team looks forward to the work we will accomplish together with the entire 2026-2027 Board.”

The SOCAN Board of Directors is composed entirely of songwriters, composers, and music publishers – the very individuals SOCAN exists to represent. There are 18 seats total – nine writer directors and nine publisher directors, with regional, cultural, and audiovisual representation.

2026-2027 SOCAN Board of Directors continuing their terms:  

Representing SOCAN Writer Members: 

• Lesley Barber (east) (audiovisual)
• Darren Fung (west) (audiovisual)
• Greg Johnston (east)
• Troy Kokol (west)
• Laurence Lafond-Beaulne (Québec) (Francophone)
• Marc Ouellette (Québec) (Francophone)

Representing SOCAN Publisher Members (alphabetically by company name): 

• Jason Klein (east) Anthem Entertainment
• Jennifer Beavis (east) BMG Rights Management Canada
• Daniel Lafrance (Québec) (Francophone) Éditorial Avenue
• Cheryl Link (east) peermusic Canada Inc.
• David Quilico (east) Sony Music Publishing Canada
• Jean-François Denis (Québec) (Francophone) YMX Media

The new SOCAN board of directors will hold its first meeting on May 5.

View SOCAN’s 2025 Annual Report.  

About SOCAN    
SOCAN is Canada’s largest member-owned music rights organization, championing the fundamental value of music and the people who create it. SOCAN collects license fees for the public performance and reproduction of music, matches them to rights holders, and distributes them as royalties to songwriters, composers and music creators and publishers in Canada and around the world. With more than a century of expertise and innovation, SOCAN stands for respect and fair compensation for creative work – protecting, recognizing, and celebrating its over 200,000 songwriter, composer, and music publisher members. For more information: www.socan.com.

Media contacts:    media@socan.com 
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