About Our Panelists:
Suzie McNeil - Acclaimed Singer/Songwriter
Brian Thompson - Digital Marketing, Thorny Bleeder
Bobby Gale - Radio Tracker
Ayah - Acclaimed Singer/Songwriter
Day At A Glance
9:15am - Registration
10am - Anatomy of a Hit*
11:45am - Creative Digital Marketing*
2:15pm - Pitching to Radio*: What it takes to get on the radio
3:45pm - Demo Evaluations: Get your song critiqued by PROs!
Anatomy of a Hit
Suzie McNeil is
a seasoned performer who was introduced to the world stage as the last
woman standing in the 2005 CBS hit reality series Rockstar:INXS. Suzie
has since released 3 albums in Canada which included her inspirational
top ten hit ‘Believe’ and the #3 smash hit ‘Supergirl’. She was awarded
the 2008 Canadian Indie Award for “Best New Pop Artist” in addition to
her nominations for a JUNO for “Best New Artist” and 2 Canadian Radio
Music Awards. In 2011, Suzie’ debut single ‘Drama Queen’ from her
upcoming CD is climbing the charts and she is also looking forward to a
4th season as a judge on YTV‘s ‘The Next Star’.
Creative Digital Marketing for Songwriters
Brian Thompson,
better known as the guy behind Thorny Bleeder (Records) is a Vancouver
based music industry entrepreneur, record label owner, artist manager,
marketing consultant, digital strategist, brand architect, web designer,
blogger, podcaster and industry speaker. He's been in the music biz for
twenty years. Formerly the corporate head of music buying and marketing
for a large national music retail chain, Brian has since moved on to
become a well respected voice on the convergence of artist development,
music marketing, social media and technology.
Pitching to Radio
Bobby Gale
is a veteran of the music industry. He started off as a radio
personality at stations such as Chum in Winnipeg, L’Espirit in Montreal
and Q107 in Toronto. He went on to work in promotions and publicity at
Polygram for over a decade after which he launched his own company plug
(Music) Inc., specializing in radio, video and tour promotions. For the
past 20 years, his company has promoted the talents of artists such as
54-40, Bruce Cockburn, Matthew Good Band, City and Colour, Luke Doucet,
Emm Gryner, Andy Kim, Melissa McClelland, Danny Michel and a slew of
other staples of the Canadian Music scene.
Local Artist: Ayah
At the age of 26, Ayah has already garnered a grass roots fan base with the release of her last three projects, “Problem Woman”, “4:15”, and most recently "Back For More", produced by the legendary, Dj Jazzy Jeff. Ayah has appeared on projects with artists like Freeway, Kardinal Offishall, Elzhi, Skyzoo, Mac Miller, Slakah the Beatchild, Tona, etc. She has also received front page coverage on the likes of SoulTrain.com, Complex, The Source, Al Jazeera, Vibe, etc., and her video “Forgive Me Love” recently debuted on VH1Soul.? Ayah is currently working with Dj Jazzy Jeff & James Poyser (The Roots) on their second collaboration album, "This Way", set for release in 2012.
The Songwriters Association of Canada with Manitoba Music and Music Nova Scotia embarks on the annual Songposium tour. Presented in Toronto, Winnipeg, and Halifax this intensiveone-day seminar
for aspiring and emerging songwriters is not to be missed. If you are
interested in learning more about the art, craft and business of
songwriting, come and hear from some of the foremost international
talent in the music industry as they share their experience and
knowledge in helping you get your songs heard. Take advantage of this
great opportunity to network with songwriters in your area.
Demo Submissions**:
Please email an MP3 and a word document of your lyrics to events@songwriters.ca by January 25th and please answer the following:
1. Song Title
2. Songwriters Name and City
3. I write songs for: Self interest or hobby, To perform them myself, To have other artists perform them, For Film/TV
4. Please comment on: Songwriting, Performance, Demo Quality
**Submissions are selected at random and depending on time not all submissions will be played.
For more information about the Songwriters Association of Canada,
visit our website:
www.songwriters.ca
Note: If you would prefer an alternative payment method, please call our office at: (416) 961-1588 Tickets are NOT refundable.
*These sessions are streamed from Toronto to Halifax and Winnipeg.
***Limited tickets may be available at the door but there is no guarantee.