The SOCAN Polaris Song Prize has revealed its second-ever short list.
This year’s edition features songs by Angine de Poitrine, Charlotte Cornfield, PUP, Patrick Watson & Martha Wainwright and Charlotte Day Wilson, featuring Saya Gray.
In partnership with the performing rights organization Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), the winner of the Prize will receive $10,000 split between the song’s Canadian performers and the credited Canadian songwriter(s).
The recipient will be revealed alongside the Polaris Music Prize and the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize at the concert and award ceremony at Massey Hall on Sept. 22, hosted by musician and broadcaster Odario Williams.
Here is this year’s short list:
- Angine de Poitrine – “Fabienk”
- Charlotte Cornfield – “Hurts Like Hell”
- PUP – “Hunger For Death”
- Patrick Watson & Martha Wainwright – “House on Fire”
- Charlotte Day Wilson, featuring Saya Gray – “Lean”
“Sometimes, a song is so powerful it stands on its own and demands to be heard, and the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize Short List honours five such unforgettable Canadian songs,” said Jennifer Brown, CEO of SOCAN.
The short list selections were whittled down from a 20-song long list that included tracks from Begonia, Les Louanges, Aquakultre, Rochelle Jordan and more.
Of the five short-listed artists, two have secured their spot on the Polaris Music Prize album short list: Angine de Poitrine’s Vol. II, and Charlotte Cornfield’s Hurts Like Hell.
Since its inception, both the long list and the short list have been curated and voted on by a 205-person Canada-wide Polaris Music Prize jury, spanning music critics, academics, journalists and other relevant industry members. In its inaugural edition, the prize was awarded to Mustafa’s “Gaza is Calling.”
In an interview about the Polaris organization’s recent changes, executive director Amber Still told Billboard Canada that the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize was created to acknowledge “a whole new group of artists” who weren’t necessarily releasing full albums or bodies of work.
It’s the organization’s first new award since the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize, introduced in 2015 to award albums released before the Polaris Music Prize launched in the mid 2000s. Past winners include Alanis Morrisette, Peaches and Beverly Glenn-Copeland — the latter two of whom are on this year’s Polaris Music Prize album short list, with their respective albums No Lube So Rude and Laughter In Summer.
Read more here. — Heather Taylor-Singh
SOCAN Acquires Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA)
Two Canadian music rights organizations are coming together to bring the distribution of performance and mechanical royalties under one umbrella.
SOCAN is acquiring the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA).
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The Canadian company dedicated to the administration of performance rights is set to purchase the CMRRA, which has handled the distribution of reproduction rights in Canada for over five decades. SOCAN has made an agreement for acquisition from current owner, neighbouring rights company SoundExchange. The CMRRA, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, was purchased by SoundExchange in 2017.
“Bringing CMRRA and SOCAN together is an investment in the future of Canadian music. United, we’ll strengthen rights administration for publishers, songwriters and composers.” Jennifer Brown, CEO of SOCAN, tells Billboard Canada. “We’re grateful for SoundExchange’s leadership, and we’re excited to work with CMRRA to shape the next chapter of how music rights are supported and delivered.”
Both SOCAN and the CMRRA are key players in the licensing and rights distribution fields, helping to fairly distribute hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties to their members. Last year, SOCAN reached an all-time revenue record of $587 million, distributing over $511 million to its rightsholders. Meanwhile, CMRRA distributed $94 million in royalties to its clients, celebrating its 50th anniversary while also welcoming 477 new client affiliations.
SOCAN CMO Cameron Kennedy and CMRRA president Paul Shaver both landed on the Billboard Canada Power Players 2026 list this year, earning their spot among the most powerful and influential executives in the Canadian music business.
The acquisition of CMRRA marks a major centralization of performance and reproduction rights under one umbrella, uniting two leaders in the broader rights handling sector. SOCAN has been dealing with CMRRA for nearly a decade, since acquiring the SODRAC in 2018 (Society for Reproduction Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers in Canada). SOCAN is now set to own the biggest handler of reproduction rights, adding to its own stewardship of public and performance rights.
“When SoundExchange acquired CMRRA nearly a decade ago, we saw an opportunity to strengthen its foundation, invest in its future, and enhance the services it provides to music publishers and songwriters,” says Michael Huppe, president and CEO of SoundExchange. “Together, SoundExchange and CMRRA have built a strong, innovative and thriving organization. We are proud of the progress achieved and believe SOCAN is the right organization to build on that success. This transaction benefits creators, publishers and the broader music community while allowing SoundExchange to continue advancing our core mission of delivering value to artists and rights owners around the world.”
Read more here. — Stefano Rebuli
