Six years ago, I wrote my first President’s Message for Words + Music. What an extraordinary change has taken place in our world since that time! The recorded-music industry has undergone a seismic shift to digital distribution, creating both new opportunities and new challenges for creators, artists, music publishers, record companies and organizations such as SOCAN. The current economic downturn, and its impact on one of SOCAN’s major income sources, broadcasters’ revenue, will present us with more challenges.

The 2009-12 board of directors, which you elected in May, is well positioned to lead the organization through these challenging times. The SOCAN board has a healthy tradition of renewing itself at every election with a 25-30 percent turnover. This brings in new voices and new ideas, always a sign of good governance. The five new directors — writers Ben Mink, Glenn Morley and Marc Ouellette and music publishers Edmund Glinert and Geneviève Côté — are experienced and knowledgeable industry leaders who already are making significant contributions to the new board.

Five dedicated 2006-09 board members did not return to the new board: writers François Cousineau, Paul Cram and Laura Smith and publishers Sébastien Nasra and Marty Simon. I would like to thank them for their contributions to SOCAN.

The biggest responsibility of any board of directors is the selection of the CEO. In 2000, the board selected André LeBel, and we have all seen how SOCAN has been transformed into one of the world’s leading music-rights organizations. André will retire in May 2010. Your board has begun the process of finding a successor. We have set up a search committee chaired by longtime board member Rosaire Archambault, developed a job profile and engaged one of the world’s leading executive-search firms to help us find the ideal candidate. We look forward to introducing you to our new CEO in early 2010.

I would like to pay tribute to Pierre-Daniel Rheault for his leadership and vision over the past three years as SOCAN president. Pierre-Daniel has represented you and your organization with passion and dedication across Canada and internationally.

Over the next three years, SOCAN will continue to build on our strengths, namely our commitment to protect your rights and ensure that you receive a fair return for the use of your music, our dedicated and efficient staff, and our leadership role in the Canadian and international music industry. I look forward to reporting to you through this column on our achievements.

Earl Rosen is president of the music label Marquis Classics and publisher De Sade Songs. he served a previous term as SOCAN president in 2003-06.

Uploaded Autumn 2009

Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Send them to Rick MacMillan, Words & Music Corporate Editor, at wordsandmusic@socan.ca.

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