Describe your background and industry experience, and explain how it will help you contribute to the SOCAN Board of Directors?
Jarrett Evan Samson is a musician and artist from Vancouver, BC and the lead singer and songwriter of the band Tough Age. In his over twenty years in music, he has also served as the founding director of the Safe Amplification Site Society, worked as an organizer of the Music Waste Festival, run his own record labels Geographing and Student Loan Records, booked thousands of shows, served as the venue organizer at multiple DIY venues in both Vancouver and Toronto and much much more. Samson has also toured over the world including Canada, the United States, Japan and throughout Europe. With Tough Age, Samson has released five LPs, four with stalwart Canadian independent label Mint Records. He has also played festivals such as SXSW, Sappyfest, Sled Island, NXNE and countless more.
In addition, Samson has worked as an organizer in the arts alongside his musical career. This includes time as the Events Manager at Toronto’s lengendary comic shop The Beguiling and on the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, and currently as the Executive and Artistic Director of the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival.
As a professional musician who also works as a professional in the arts outside of music, I can bring the overlaps seen between these two disparate yet overlapping communities. It’s important to develop protections for musicians including minimum payments such as organizations such as CARFAC provide for visual artists. Additionally, I believe that boards often overlook the significant and important work being done in local and DIY communities which I have worked in and served throughout my life to this day. With my insight into both sides of music as well as my professional artistic experience I think I can provide a viewpoint and side of music in Canada that is too often overlooked.
In your opinion, what issues will be most important to SOCAN members over the next three years?
Streaming, AI and touring barriers are all significant and important issues for musicians. As the canary in the coalmine for the devaluation of the arts, musicians have seen streaming dry up revenue streams at the same time as the cost of touring has skyrocketed, including the added barriers of the Covid pandemic and the P2 visa price increase serving as a direct impediment to many developing their career in North America. With AI threatening all artistic corners, musicians are at an important tipping point where we can see the issues threatening the development and nurturing of emerging voices.