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SOCAN Foundation Launches Incubator Program

The 20 initial recipients of the TD Creative Entrepreneurial Incubator Program each receives $3K to start a business.

SOCAN Foundation Launches Incubator Program

By Nick Krewen

Twenty people have been selected for the inaugural SOCAN Foundation program called the TD Creative Entrepreneurial Incubator.


The brainchild of SOCAN Foundation Executive Director Charlie Wall-Andrews,  the program - sponsored by TD Bank - enables  20 music creators as far east as Nova Scotia and as far west as British Columbia  to receive $3000 cash grants, mentorship by a music industry professional and access to a webinar series designed to foster the creators’ entrepreneurial spirit. Webinar topics include financial literacy, digital media, management, publishing and more. 

The top five that demonstrate the most significant potential will receive a three-day residency which includes studio time at Slaight Music, a showcase and mentorship from a songwriter chosen by the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame.

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The residency is sponsored by the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, the SOCAN Foundation, Slaight Music and Newcap Radio.

Aspiring artists must be 29 and under, demonstrate their artistic merit through original works and their dedication to establishing a long-term career, be unsigned and unpublished and be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to qualify.

These 20 who met the criteria and more in  2018 are:

Julie Austin, Ontario

Laura Babin Rioux, Quebec

James Bailey, Ontario

Justin Boissonault, Ontario

Marvin Chan, Saskatchewan

Kassandra Clack, British Columbia

Desiree Dawson, British Columbia

Domanique Grant, Ontario

Aliah Guerra, Quebec

Madmoud Ismail, Ontario

Bella Krys, Ontario

Dante Leon, Ontario

Madeline Ritter, Ontario

Jon Saldanha, British Columbia

Dave Sampson, Nova Scotia

Connor Seidel, Quebec

Linnea Siggelkow, Ontario

Annie Sumi, Ontario

Vincent Turcotte, Quebec

Joanna Worthington, Ontario:

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Ed Sheeran performs onstage at iHeartRadio Z100's Jingle Ball 2025 Presented by Capital One held at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2025 in New York, New York.
John Nacion/Billboard

Ed Sheeran performs onstage at iHeartRadio Z100's Jingle Ball 2025 Presented by Capital One held at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2025 in New York, New York.

Music News

Ed Sheeran Addresses Controversy at First Show Since Openers, Backing Band Dropped Off Tour, Calls It ‘The Best Show of My Life’

Before his show in Philadelphia, Sheeran read a statement acknowledging the issue of Israel and Palestine, but still tried to keep things neutral.

Ed Sheeran needed to address the situation before he could start playing guitar. It wasn’t how he wanted to start his show, and he’s made it abundantly clear that the last thing he wants around him is controversy or, in his words, to be an “activist musician.”

But here he was, at the first show after his opener and friend Macklemore was kicked off the tour, following pressure by a group of venue owners led by Robert Kraft who took issue with Macklemore’s statement of support toward Palestine. That led to the rest of the tour’s openers and even Sheeran’s backing band for the tour dropping off the tour in solidarity with Macklemore — all of which became a huge news story and PR nightmare for the usually very un-controversial Sheeran. And though he had already made one highly scrutinized statement online while the news story was at its most potent, Sheeran felt the need to address the crowd at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday night (Sept. 19) in person, before the show really started.

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.

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