advertisement
FYI

SOCAN Cancels March 30 Awards

SOCAN has made the decision to cancel the 2020 Awards amid COVID-19 concerns.

The following is a statement released Friday afternoon:

SOCAN Cancels March 30 Awards

By External Source

SOCAN has made the decision to cancel the 2020 Awards amid COVID-19 concerns.


The following is a statement released Friday afternoon:

Due to Ontario's chief medical officer issuing instructions to "avoid all non-essential travel outside of Canada" and the "immediate suspension" of all gatherings of more than 250 people because of the COVID-19 pandemic, SOCAN has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 SOCAN Awards, which had been scheduled to be held on March 30th in Toronto.

"We made this decision with great sadness, following guidelines recently set out and thinking first and foremost about what is best for our staff, our members, the Canadian music community and the public at large," said SOCAN CEO Eric Baptiste. "We look forward to celebrating the incredible achievements of Canada's most successful songwriters, composers and music publishers in an alternative way."

advertisement

The SOCAN Awards are a private celebration, but travel to and from the event and holding a gathering of several hundred people are clearly not advisable.

advertisement
Tyler Shaw at Eurovision Announcement at CBC in Toronto on Oct. 27, 2026.
Courtesy of CBC/Radio-Canada, photo taken by Shawn Goldberg

Tyler Shaw at Eurovision Announcement at CBC in Toronto on Oct. 27, 2026.

Music News

CBC Addresses Criticism Over Lack of Black and Indigenous Representation Amongst Eurovision Finalists

After the national broadcaster revealed Canada's five Eurovision finalists, artists including singer-songwriter Shawnee Kish criticized the selections for lack of diversity.

CBC is responding to criticism about the lack of diversity in Canada’s five Eurovision finalists.

Earlier this week, the Canadian broadcasting company announced the five artists who would be vying to represent the country in its first-ever Eurovision appearance: Quebecois pop artist William Cloutier, singer-songwriter Josiane, dance-pop act Rêve, vocal powerhouse TALK and singer-songwriter Tyler Shaw. They were selected from over 300 entries.

keep readingShow less
advertisement