SOCAN co-hosted its annual boat cruise and co-sponsored the Canadian Blast BBQ & Showcase at the 2010 edition of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference and Festival, held March 17-21 in Austin, Texas.

The boat cruise, co-hosted by ASCAP, welcomed a record-setting 130 SOCAN members and conference delegates for a leisurely tour around Austin’s Town Lake, on Thursday, March 18. Guests included SOCAN members Jill Barber, Nickelback co-writer and producer Joey Moi, members of the bands Brasstronaut, Boats and The Coast, as well as former SOCAN board member Sébastien Nasra.

The day before, SOCAN co-sponsored the Canadian Blast BBQ & Showcase, a kickoff event of the SXSW festival, which started at 3 p.m. under the “Big Top” at Brush Square. The showcase attracted about 3,500 listeners, a record turnout for the six-year-old event. The afternoon featured captivating performances from the best in Canadian independent music: Radio Radio, Justin Rutledge and the Beauties, Hollerado, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Born Ruffians and Plants and Animals. The event, emceed by host Grant Lawrence, was webcast on CBC Radio 3 and broadcast live on Sirius Channel 86.

SOCAN's Lynn Ross is flanked by the members of Vancouver-based world music group Delhi to Dublin, who played at "Canada House" during SXSW 2010. Left to right: Tarun Nayar, Sanjay Seran, Lynn, Ravi Binning and Andrew Kim. (Photo: Bob Hunka)

SOCAN also participated in the Canada Stand at the SXSW trade show, which distributed information about the more than 100 Canadian artists and independent companies at the conference. A host of SOCAN members, including Delhi 2 Dublin, Hey Rosetta!, Lights, Jully Black, Duchess Says and The Trews played at “Canada House” – actually a local club called Paradise, which was dedicated to presenting an all-Canadian schedule, comprising two daytime parties and one evening showcase per day.

Other major Canadian showcases and daytime parties included those presented by Pop Montreal, M pour Montréal, Bande à Part, Six Shooter Records, Mint Records, Arts & Crafts, and many more. Among the standout artist showcases were those by Broken Social Scene, who debuted new material in their performances at The Parish and at Stubb's, as well as Dan Mangan and Timber Timbre, both at the Central Presbyterian Church.

SOCAN's Rodney Murphy, Ted Seto, Lynn Ross and Stéphanie Falco attended the conference, and enountered many SOCAN members, including Simon Collins, and members of La Patère Rose, Silver Starling, The Lovely Feathers and Final Flash, among others.