Workshops

About

The Songwriters Association of Canada with Manitoba Music and Music Nova Scotia embarks on the annual Songposium tour. Presented in Toronto, Winnipeg, and Halifax this intensive one-day seminar for aspiring and emerging songwriters is not to be missed. If you are interested in learning more about the art, craft and business of songwriting, come and hear from some of the foremost international talent in the music industry as they share their experience and knowledge in helping you get your songs heard. Take advantage of this great opportunity to network with songwriters in your area.

*With the exception of the Demo Evaluations, these sessions are streamed live from Toronto

Demo Submissions:
Please email an mp3 with a bit rate no higher than 128 kbps and a word document of your lyrics to events@songwriters.ca by January 25th and please answer the following:

1. Song Title
2. Songwriters Name and City
3. I write songs for: Self interest or hobby, To perform them myself, To have other artists perform them, For Film/TV
4. Please comment on: Songwriting, Performance, Demo Quality

**Submissions are selected at random and depending on time not all submissions will be played.

Note: If you would prefer an alternative payment method, please email roland@manitobamusic.com

Day at a Glance

8:30am - Registration
9am - Anatomy of a Hit*
10:45am - Creative Digital Marketing*
1:15pm - Pitching to Radio*: What it takes to get on the radio
2:45pm - Demo Evaluations: Get your song critiqued by PROs!

Anatomy of a Hit
Suzie McNeil is a seasoned performer who was introduced to the world stage as the last woman standing in the 2005 CBS hit reality series Rockstar:INXS. Suzie has since released 3 albums in Canada which included her inspirational top ten hit ‘Believe’ and the #3 smash hit ‘Supergirl’. She was awarded the 2008 Canadian Indie Award for “Best New Pop Artist” in addition to her nominations for a JUNO for “Best New Artist” and 2 Canadian Radio Music Awards. In 2011, Suzie’ debut single ‘Drama Queen’ from her upcoming CD is climbing the charts and she is also looking forward to a 4th season as a judge on YTV‘s ‘The Next Star’.

Creative Digital Marketing for Songwriters
Brian Thompson, better known as the guy behind Thorny Bleeder (Records) is a Vancouver based music industry entrepreneur, record label owner, artist manager, marketing consultant, digital strategist, brand architect, web designer, blogger, podcaster and industry speaker. He's been in the music biz for twenty years. Formerly the corporate head of music buying and marketing for a large national music retail chain, Brian has since moved on to become a well respected voice on the convergence of artist development, music marketing, social media and technology.

Pitching to Radio
Bobby Gale is a veteran of the music industry. He started off as a radio personality at stations such as Chum in Winnipeg, L’Espirit in Montreal and Q107 in Toronto. He went on to work in promotions and publicity at Polygram for over a decade after which he launched his own company plug (Music) Inc., specializing in radio, video and tour promotions. For the past 20 years, his company has promoted the talents of artists such as 54-40, Bruce Cockburn, Matthew Good Band, City and Colour, Luke Doucet, Emm Gryner, Andy Kim, Melissa McClelland, Danny Michel and a slew of other staples of the Canadian Music scene.

Demo Evaluations
Keri Latimer lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She has been writing, recording and performing with the band “Nathan” since 1999. People say her songs confound description. Acoustic Guitar Magazine wrote “infectious alt-country noir, fractured folk-swing and surreal songwriting.” The Globe and Mail described them with “something mysterious at the core ... as if to remind you that home is just another word for the place where you keep your darkest secrets.” Keri just lets the song write itself. Music awards include Juno, Western Canadian Music, and Canadian Folk Music. In 2008 she collaborated with Peter Golub and Shahzad Ismaily on the musical score for the film “Frozen River” which was nominated for 2 Academy Awards, and won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Keri has just completed an albums worth of songs, which have been committed to kitchen laptop for a FACTOR funded solo recording. “Crowsfeet and Greyskull”, will be released in the spring of 2012.

Phil Deschambault is a producer/songwriter and is one-half of quirky pop duo Ash Koley (Nettwerk/Sony). Ash Koley won the 2011 Canadian Music Radio Award’s Best New Group or Solo Artist of the Year – Hot A/C for hit song “Don’t Let Your Feet Touch Ground,” which was written and produced by Phil. Phil produced the acclaimed release by Michou and Tracy Bone’s Juno-nominated debut, and has written and produced a number of songs for film and TV. Phil is also signed to EMI Music Publishing New York.
 

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REGISTER ONLINE winnipegsongposium.eventbrite.com/
FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact:
Roland Deschambault, Training Coordinator Manitoba Music
P: 204.975.5188
E: roland@manitobamusic.com