#michael mccarty

So I went to Fanshawe College for recording engineering, met Jack, and was lucky to get hired to work at his Nimbus 9 studio. Jack and Bob (Richardson and Ezrin) were song guys, and by working with them I eventually learned that the secret to making a magic record did not lie in the technology, or the performance of the artist. The secret is  in WHAT they are singing – the song. Jack’s mantra for success was very simple and I still believe in it as a universal truth: 'Great songs sell, shitty ones don’t!'

Of course there are many factors that bring commercial success, like marketing, production, an excellent music publisher, and, of course, having a strong music rights organization that has the back of its members!

Since arriving at SOCAN, what is the most important message you have heard back from the membership?

Across all three categories of members – songwriters, AV (film and television composers), and music publishers, I see in their eyes, and hear in their voices, the same two things about the disruptive technology wave: excitement and frustration. They are excited about the freedom to create music in new ways and connect directly with the audience. They can see that in theory, we should be entering the most exciting time ever for creators, rights owners, and consumers of music. At the same time, they are tired of waiting for their fair share of the enormous pile of money that the tech, telecom and ISP industries have been making from their music. Napster was released in late 1999, and here we are, 15 years later, still waiting for the long promised digital economic ship to come in.  

What is the most important message you would like to impart to members?

More than ever before, you will survive, thrive, and succeed based on making or publishing great music. As Steve Jobs said, 'Good is not good enough, great is not good enough, only insanely great will do.'

Can you speak to some of the new programs and international reach that you’re currently developing for SOCAN members?

SOCAN is fortunate in that our business has remained healthy despite the widespread challenges in the music business. This is partly because the legacy elements of our business – traditional radio, TV & cable and live concerts have all been holding up well, along with smart management of the business, and keeping costs in check. International revenue hit an all-time high last year due to the growing international success of our members. However, with a rapidly changing industry landscape, we see that more than ever, SOCAN can play a larger role in helping our members develop their craft, careers and businesses. We have a number of ideas on how to accomplish this and we are taking the first step by introducing A & R skills into our membership department. Although the U.S. PROs have played a valuable role in this area for many years, we are the first PRO to call it what it is – A & R.

Our A & R people will utilize their industry contacts, as well as their talent assessment, career development and people connecting skills to add value on behalf of all members – songwriters, composers, and music publishers  - to connect them with each other, and the industry at large, to create new opportunities for their careers and businesses.

Rodney Murphy was just promoted to Manager of A & R, we are hiring a great A & R executive in Vancouver, and at the beginning of the year we named former songwriter/composer/artist/publisher Chad Richardson as our new General Manager, Los Angeles Division. He hit the ground running and has been using his skills and contacts to help our members 'put more pucks in the net' in that market. This includes AV composers and music publishers, not just songwriters. Soon there will be A & R people in Quebec as well, helping to connect our members with each other, and the domestic and international marketplace. The bottom line is, by various means and programs, we will be creating more value for our members by helping them engage the marketplace even more.

SOCAN is often lauded as one of the most comprehensive/best PROs when it comes to collection. How do you feel SOCAN can most improve its overall service to members going forward?

Transparency and innovation – these are two of our biggest strengths. We hear from international publishers and PROs that SOCAN is considered to be one of the most transparent and innovative PROs in the world.

One of our key responsibilities is to get the most money possible into our members’ hands as quickly as possible at a reasonable cost. To that end we are putting a great deal of effort into imagining and implementing new ways of managing music rights and royalties. The PRO model is a great one, but, like everyone else, we need to change with the times and stay ahead of the curve. As a world leader in our business, SOCAN is well positioned to survive and thrive for generations to come.

'Keeping the innovation pedal to the metal' is how we can best serve our members in the future.