S.A.C. Songwriters Survey 2009 Summary

In 2009 the Songwriters Association of Canada (S.A.C.) undertook a study to look at where we are, how we are doing, and where we should be heading. Below are some highlights from our study. We thank all the people who took time to take part. You have truly helped us towards shaping a better organization.

Who We Are

We are a talented bunch! 77.7 percent of members self-identified as Singer/Songwriters22.7 percent of members self-identified as Producers

Career Stage

S.A.C. membership represents a broad spectrum of songwriters at various stages of their career. We’re very happy about this because it means there is a diverse range of experiences and inspiration that can be shared. Most of our members (38.8%) described themselves as working towards being a full-time songwriter or musician, while 24.2 percent described themselves as “On My Way” who co-write with a pro, self-released a record, write 1-2 songs per week and have made over $1000 in publishing royalties. We’ve also got 19.7 percent of members who write songs as a hobby. We are grateful for the 17.3 percent of our members who are Professional Songwriters for the creativity and experience they bring to the table.

Participation in Other Organizations

A majority of our members are also members of SOCAN. Other organizations our members take part in include:

• Canadian Country Music Association• Nashville Songwriters Association International• Canadian Independent Recording Artists Association (CIRAA)• Music BC• Alberta Music Industry Association• Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA)• Music Nova Scotia• Sask Music• Manitoba Music• Songwriters Guild of America (SGA)• Guild of Canadian Film Composers (GCFC)• Music Newfoundland & Labrado• Music PEI• Urban Music Association of Canada (UMAC)

Why You’re a Member

We asked members to give us one word to convince fellow songwriters to join the S.A.C.. Community, Networking, Protection, and Support were the top 4 answers.

Services that are Important to You

A is for Advocacy! A resounding majority (90.7%) found our advocacy work to be important (and extremely important).

The rest of our services were important to a majority of our members including:• Connecting with fellow songwriters through Regional Writers Groups or

through online Members Community (68%)• Assessments of your songs through Date with a Demo and Song

Assessments (55%)• Exposure through performing at local, regional, and/or national song

stages and networking events and workshops (67%)• Saving money through member discounts (55%)• Protecting your work through Song Vault (66%)

Website Services

Songwriters Want It All! The survey was taken before the launch of the new S.A.C. website. We asked members to rank the importance for the following features on the website and in all cases a majority of respondents chose “important” or “extremely important.”• Membership Community (91%)• Classifieds (90%)• Discussion Boards (82%)• Online Song Assessment (76%)• Audio/Video content (from S.A.C. seminars/workshops) (87%)• Networking (93%)• “How To” Articles (92%)• Success Stories (81%)• News (91%)• Having your music featured as a “Featured Songwriters” (90%)

Interesting Facts:

• We’ve got a wealth of experience: 50% of members have been songwriting over 10 years

• Some of our members are busy getting out there: 5% of members attend open mics once/week or more, 13% attend an open mic twice a month

• A majority of our members are eager to grow: 62% of members attend songwriting workshops once/year, 29.1% attend workshops 2-5/year