SOCAN sponsored a delegate reception, presented one panel and participated in another at the 22nd annual Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF) conference, held Oct. 23-26, 2008, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ottawa.

All of SOCAN’s activities will took place on Friday, Oct. 24, at the host hotel. First, SOCAN’s Dan Greenwood took part in a panel entitled “House Concerts: Do Try This at Home.” Then SOCAN presented a panel entitled “The Folk Shall Inherit the Music Industry,” hosted by SOCAN’s Rodney Murphy, and featuring panelists Ian Menzies, John Sobol, Ariel Hyatt and Larry Graves. SOCAN’s Peter Fera also attended the OCFFconfernece.

Finally, SOCAN hosted the opening delegate reception as well, which presented networking opportunities for singer-songwriters and musicians from throughout Ontario, as well as booking agents, managers, publicists, festival programmers, artistic directors, club bookers, and other folk music industry representatives from across Canada and around the world.

This year, the OCFF presented 26 artists and bands in official showcases, in styles ranging from bluegrass to pop to gypsy to children’s music. The conference is funded in part by the SOCAN Foundation.