New studio in the Hub
Terry Halifax
Northern News Services
Hay River (Oct 30/00) - A new recording studio in the Hub city hopes to help the stars of the South Slave shine a little brighter with a full-service studio and what hungry musicians love almost as much as music -- money.
Sundance Studios engineer Randy Randall recently become the NWT rep for The Societies of Composers and Music Publishers (SOCAN) -- the home of music copyright in Canada.
Randall's been a SOCAN member for 20 years and says he'd like to help artists get started in the industry that has been good to him.
Every nine months, Randall and other members receive royalty cheques each time their song receives radio airplay or when they perform publicly.
"It's free to register a song with SOCAN, it's registered nationally across Canada and the States.
"It holds your copyright and it tracks radio stations from coast to coast," Randall said.
"If your song is played they'll know about it, but it's up to the individual artist to log his own performances."
Randall says SOCAN is funded half by the federal government and the other half comes from a licensing fee that's paid by all radio stations and businesses using recorded music.
Membership is free, but with one hook.
"Original music is the only requirement," he said. "Preferably one or two songs in any format. It doesn't have to be a major production, it could be recorded on a ghetto blaster."
"The two songs are just to reserve funding and to make sure the funding goes to those who need it, they like you to have a song or two submitted just to show the artist's integrity," he said.
SOCAN members are also eligible for grants through Funding to Assist Canadian Talent on Record (FACTOR) which offer direct funding for recording.
"They'll fund you up to about 40 grand, depending on what level of your career you're at," he said.
"They distribute twice a year, but there's only been one artist up here who's ever taken advantage of it and that was Susan (Aglukark)."
Another grant available is through Video Fact, which can pay up to $50,000 per year to artists.
Until now, SOCAN has not had a rep in the territories, but when Randall pitched the idea to execs Dorothy Allen and Terry O'Brien, they set him up.
"They weren't really looking for a new rep until I told them my story," he said. "They kinda built the position for me. They've given me the tools and now it's up to me what I'm gonna do with it."
"All we're really doing is passing along free information," he added.
Future projects
Randall has set up shop in Sundance Studios with producer Dana Cross. The two also play together in the top 40 band The Lost Boys and Vanishing Breed with Stanley Beaulieu, who is currently recording his first CD.
"He's just a monster fiddler," Randall smiled.
Sundance has recently finished a disc with Shannon Ireland and is working on a compilation CD with blues singer Jim Constable, classical guitarist Tyler Hawkins, singer Marion Cross, some country from Dean McGowan, Robin Trevors and the Comfy Slippers, songs by Mike Gerrard and one from the woman some are calling, 'the best damned teacher/bartender/singer in Hay River,' Sharon Gauthier.
Sundance also has a compilation CD in the works with many of the same artists for release early next year.
Their shop features a 24-track digital recording studio, eight track and a 16 track mobile work stations, in-house musicians, writing and graphic layout. They also have plans to start their own record label and a talent agency. Randall said the business affords them the ability to put back some of what they've taken out of the industry and they hope to help music out in the Hub.
"Half of it is a business and half of it trying to give something back to the community. To put Hay River on the map musically," he said.
"Fort Smith is gaining a reputation as a hotbed and there's no reason we can't do that either."
