Some of Canada’s best songwriters and musicians (and SOCAN members) played showcase sets to music supervisors and other film industry personnel from around the world at the fifth annual Canadian Music Café, presented by the Radio Starmaker Fund and co-produced by SOCAN and four other partners, during the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival ®.

Afternoon performances took place Sept. 15-17 at the Hard Rock Café, located next to Yonge-Dundas Square in the heart of downtown Toronto. The atmosphere was intimate and relaxed as SOCAN members Emma-Lee, Saukrates, Terri Clark, The Duhks, Hawksley Workman and Amy Millan, among others, played for enthusiastic crowds well in excess of 100 people.

Among the music supervisors and film industry personnel attending the café were John Bissell (The Hurt Locker, Ugly Betty, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys); Tony Scudellari of Sony Pictures Television (Damages, Rescue Me, Rules of Engagement); Tony Von Pervieux of ABC/Disney (Lost, Samurai Girl); NBC vice-president of creative resources Alicen Schneider (Heroes, Lipstick Jungle, My Own Worst Enemy); and Howard Paar (Dogtown and Z-Boys, The L Word). By all accounts, the visiting film industry personnel -- who turned out in force, doubling last year's attendance -- were thoroughly impressed by the performances, sometimes approaching the showcasing artists or their management as soon as their sets finished.

Ruby Jean, of Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees, also caught the attention of the attending music supervisors at the Canadian Music Café 2009. (Photo: Duncan McKie)

The first four annual editions of the Canadian Music Café generated film and television placements for Thunderheist, City and Colour, Jill Barber, Royal Wood, Molly Johnson, Jorane and Chantal Kreviazuk, to name a few, and put Canadian music squarely on the radar of the music supervisors who attended the showcase. This year’s edition has once again strengthened that place for Canadian music.

In addition to the aforementioned performers, other artists showcasing at the Café included Stef Lang, Spiral Beach, Winter Gloves, Jets Overhead, Jason Bajada, Arkells, The Mountains and The Trees, Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees, and USS.

Aside from showcasing for the music industry, SOCAN members also gained valuable exposure through a simulcast of the event on CBC Radio 3 and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 86 on the Thursday (now available as a podcast on Radio 3), as well as stories about the music café in various media, including a half-page feature in The Toronto Star.

The Canadian Music Café was presented by the Radio Starmaker Fund, and co-produced by SOCAN, the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) and the Canadian Music Publishers Association (CMPA), in partnership with the Toronto International Film Festival ® Group and in association with the Government of Canada.