The Christopher-J.-Reed Prize is awarded to someone who is engaged in his/her professional community, who respects creators and copyright and whose contribution to the music publishing world is known and appreciated.
Meet our award recipients:
2026 – Jean-François Denis
2025 – Diane Pinet
2024 – Rosaire Archambault
2023 – France Lafleur
2022 – Lucie Bourgouin
2021 – Nicole Beausoleil
2020 – Patrick Curley
2019 – Me Serge Provençal
2018 – Le prix a été retiré au récipiendaire
2017 – Me Claude Brunet
2016 – Carol Ryan
2015 – David Murphy
2014 – Jehan V. Valiquet
2013 – Daniel Lafrance
Jean-François Denis (2026)
Jean-François Denis discovered electroacoustics during a summer course taught by Kevin Austin in 1981 at Concordia University in Montreal. Captivated, he pursued musical studies at Mills College in Oakland (California, USA) under David Rosenboom (master’s degree, 1984). From 1982 to the mid-1990s, he practiced live electroacoustics—both solo and in ensembles—as well as fixed-medium music for dance and interdisciplinary projects. He is the director of Diffusion i média (1989), which produces and distributes the record labels empreintes DIGITALes (1990), SONARt (1992-95), and No Type (2002-08). In 1994, for his exceptional commitment to Canadian composers, he received the Friends of Canadian Music Award, presented by the Canadian Music Centre (CMC) and the Canadian League of Composers (CLC). In 1995, he was awarded the Jean A. Chalmers National Music Award — Presenters category for his contribution to the dissemination of new Canadian (electroacoustic) works. In 2011, he received the Prix Opus 2009-10: Artistic Director of the Year, honoring his 20 years of work as a record publisher.
Jean-François Denis is one of the three co-founders and co-artistic directors (1991-2008), as well as the first president (1991-2009), of the concert organization Réseaux des arts médiatiques (now known as Akousma). He is a founding member (1986) and the first president of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community (CEC) (1986-87; 1987-90) and founded and edited the CEC publication Contact! (1988-90). He edited the GUIDE Diffusion! (1988) and the GUIDE >convergence< (1989) for the CEC Electroacoustic Days. He is also an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre (CMC) (1989) and a member of the Canadian League of Composers (CLC) (1990). He taught electroacoustics at Concordia University (1985-89) in Montreal, where he organized the concert series for the Groupe électroacoustique de Concordia (GÉC). He edited the tape library catalogs of the GÉC: Q/Résonance (1988) and Q/Résonance Addendum (1989). Jean-François Denis was a member of the organizing committee for the 2001 (-14) festival / conference (Montreal, May 1987).
He has received grants from the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec (1988), the Canada Council for the Arts (1988; 1989-90, 1993), and the French government (1990), and was an artist-in-residence at the Grame studio (Lyon, France, 1988), the media arts program at the Banff Centre for the Arts (Banff, Alberta, 1989), and the Collectif & Cie studio (Annecy, France, 1990). He has also served on several boards of directors: Conseil québécois de la musique (CQM) (several years, up to September 1998; 2009-10), Canadian Music Centre — Quebec Region (2001-08), Canadian Music Centre — National (2002-08), Et Marianne et Simon (founder, 2001-08), Les Filles électriques (founder, 2001-07), SOCAN Foundation (2003-09; vice-president, 2009-12; president, 2012-15; past president, 2015-18; 2025-), SODRAC (2009-18), Association des professionnels de l’édition musicale (APEM) (president, 2014-20), and SOCAN (2024-).
Diane Pinet (2025)
It all began in high school for Diane when she was president of the Board of Directors of the Polyvalente de Pierrefonds and was already producing concerts. Afterwards, Diane started working as a booking agent at A.P.A. for tours by Harmonium, Octobre, Beau Dommage, Maneige, and several others. She then continued her career at the PRO — which has since become SOCAN — where she was responsible for singer-songwriters and publishers in Quebec, as well as those in the Canadian Francophonie outside of Quebec. In 1987, despite doubts expressed by those around her, Diane founded her own publishing company, Bloc-Notes Musique. She dedicated herself to developing her singer-songwriters on both a local and international scale. One of her first international contracts was with Les Rita Mitsouko, as well as with the catalog of the group Clouseau (Virgin France) for the Canadian territory. Today, Bloc-Notes Musique represents the prestigious Warner Chappell Music France catalog in Canada as well as other international repertoires.
Voted by her peers, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award – Publishing Company Legacy Award from Music Publishers Canada in 2021, a recognition highlighting the achievements and contributions of leading figures in the Canadian music publishing industry. Bloc-Notes Musique has won the Félix Award for Publisher of the Year awarded by ADISQ multiple times, most recently in 2024, as well as several SOCAN awards, including the SOCAN No. 1 Award and Publisher of the Year in 2021 and 2023. Bloc-Notes Musique has also received numerous gold and platinum plaques. Diane Pinet currently sits on the boards of directors of SOCAN, the SOCAN Foundation, MPC/EMC (Music Publishers Canada), the Studio Bell National Music Centre, PAN M 360, CARAS-JUNO committees, as well as numerous other committees. She continues her work with passion, notably organizing co-writing camps and sessions twice a year that yield tangible results.
Rosaire Archambault (2024)
Rosaire Archambault began his career at Archambault Musique. He is above all recognized for his dedication to the Quebec independent distribution market, and he significantly drove the expansion of the retail sector by creating the Archambault chain of stores that still exists today. He is also among those who shaped the music publishing sector as we know it today. As a pillar of the industry, he is behind numerous successes and participated in the development of companies such as Disques Audiogram, Distribution Sélect, and Éditorial Avenue. Throughout his career, he has served on several boards of directors, including ADISQ—serving as president for one term—Musicaction, SODEC, and FIDEC. He also served on the board of SOCAN as a representative for Quebec publishers from 1997 to 2021.
France Lafleur (2023)
A law graduate from the Université de Sherbrooke, France Lafleur worked at SOCAN and its predecessor society, CAPAC, from May 1980 to September 2013, spanning over 33 years. Throughout this career, France Lafleur always achieved great success across several roles, particularly within the Licensing and Member Services departments. She held the positions of Vice President of Licensing and Member Services at SOCAN, as well as Director General of the Quebec and Atlantic division. She ensured the national and international representation of SOCAN members from Quebec and the Atlantic region before various authorities, roundtables, international committees, and SOCAN licensing committees.
France Lafleur also acted as a lobbyist for the defense of copyright and acquired an enviable reputation worldwide in the field of copyright. As a jurist, France Lafleur was active, recognized, and respected within the legal community: during her career, she was a member of the Barreau du Québec, Secretary of the Regional Board of the Canadian Music Centre, a member of the International Literary and Artistic Association (ALAI), a board member of ALAI Canada, and a board member of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The impact of her work in defending and protecting the rights of creators and publishers is far-reaching. Furthermore, in 2023, she received the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec’s Medal for her outstanding volunteer commitment within her community.
Lucie Bourgouin (2022)
Lucie Bourgouin obtained a bachelor’s degree in Musicology from the Faculty of Music at the Université de Montréal in 1981. After working for a year at the Librairie Bertrand in Place Ville-Marie, she was offered a position at SDE (Procan), a performing rights society. It was at this moment that her interest in music copyright began.
She later worked at SODRAC (a reproduction rights society) for two years, and was then offered a position managing merchandising rights at Entreprises Radio-Canada. When Les Entreprises closed, the Radio-Canada headquarters in Ottawa asked her to set up a merchandising management department to allow interested parties outside of Radio-Canada to market products derived from its shows (books, records, toys, etc.). For 6 years, she worked in collaboration with Radio-Canada’s French- and English-language radio and television networks across the country to establish a management system for merchandising derived from programs produced throughout the entire Radio-Canada network.
Following position cuts at Radio-Canada, the opportunity arose and Permission was born on February 1, 1995.
Nicole Beausoleil (2021)
Nicole Beausoleil is the president and founder of Productions Nicole Beausoleil, a music publishing rights management company, in addition to being a singer-songwriter.
Nicole has over thirty years of experience in the music and copyright sector. From 1988 to 1996, she worked for SOCAN as an information officer. In 1996, she founded Les Productions Nicole Beausoleil, which offer the audiovisual community services in music publishing rights management, retransmission rights, and music rights clearance with confidentiality, integrity, and diligence. The repertoire she administers includes more than 600 audiovisual works broadcast around the world. Her clientele includes the largest production houses in Quebec.
In addition to Productions Nicole Beausoleil, she served as the executive director of the Association des professionnels de l’édition musicale (APEM) from 2005 to 2006. Highly involved in the music sector, Nicole sat on the board of directors of SODRAC for 11 years and has been a director on the board of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame since 2018.
Patrick Curley (2020)
Patrick Curley is a singer-songwriter and lawyer, in addition to being the president and founder of Third Side Music, a Montreal-based music publishing company with offices in Los Angeles.
Since its creation in 2005, Third Side Music has become one of the most active and respected publishing companies in North America, representing more than 55,000 titles by Canadian and international artists, and also acting as a North American sub-publisher for numerous partners. The company is particularly recognized for its activity in the audiovisual sector, issuing several hundred licenses for films, television series, commercials, video games, and more. Patrick has been invited to participate in numerous international events such as MIDEM, CMJ, ALAI, Canadian Music Week (CMW), North by North East (NXNE), and the Paris Sync Summit, in addition to being invited to share his expertise with McGill University, the Trebas Institute, the Association des professionnels de l’édition musicale (APEM), and SOCAN. Originally from Jonquière, Patrick is a committee member of the Mechanical Licensing Collective in the United States, a member of the SOCAN board of directors since 2014, and has been a member as a creator since 1990.
Me Serge Provençal (2019)
Serge Provençal, Attorney at Law, practiced entertainment law for some thirty years across all cultural industries, with a particular focus on the music and television sectors. He is well-acquainted with the radio industry, having worked as a host in Montreal, and with the performing arts world through his experience managing the careers of several artists.
He also served as the executive director of the Conseil Francophone de la Chanson, and acted as legal counsel and director of the rights department at the Société du droit de reproduction des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs au Canada (SODRAC) before joining the firm Joli-Cœur-Lacasse. Mr. Provençal subsequently practiced within his own firm and alongside Mr. Jean-Philippe Rocheleau.
Mr. Provençal played a significant role in the establishment and development of APEM, notably by generously sharing his knowledge for the benefit of our association.
Mr. Provençal is the co-author, with Daniel Lafrance, of the book L’édition musicale : de la partition à la musique virtuelle (Music Publishing: From Sheet Music to Virtual Music), published by Éditions Berger, with its second edition released in 2018. He was also a lecturer at the Université de Montréal, where he taught entertainment law to third-year bachelor’s degree students, in addition to teaching within APEM’s training program.
Me Claude Brunet (2017)
Mr. Brunet first practiced his profession as legal counsel at SOCAN. In 1976, he was registrar of copyrights and advisor on international affairs to Consumer and Corporate Affairs Canada. In 1985, he served as legal counsel to the Sub-Committee on Copyright at the House of Commons. He was part of several Canadian delegations to UNESCO and the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Over the years, Mr. Brunet received several awards and distinctions, including the Beaumarchais Medal, presented by the SACD (Société des auteurs et compositeurs dramatiques), and was named best entertainment and intellectual property lawyer multiple times by various authorities.
Claude Brunet was head of the Canadian Copyright and Entertainment Law team at Norton Rose Fulbright before retiring in 2017.
Carol Ryan (2016)
Carol began her career in the music industry in the late 1970s working for a major record label. At the beginning of the 1980s, she moved to SDE Canada, which later became SOCAN, where she held a position in Member Services. For about ten years, Carol had the opportunity to work closely with and support singer-songwriters and composers of all kinds.
Carol left SOCAN in 1991 and, after a brief return to the record industry, accepted a position at Cirque du Soleil in 1995 to take charge of managing its music publishing catalog. Carol has now been with Cirque for over 20 years. She set up the team and the infrastructure that manage the music rights of one of the most active cultural enterprises in Quebec and Canada. The international reach and the variety of Cirque du Soleil’s activities have allowed her to continue deepening her knowledge of copyright and to familiarize herself with the inner workings of several foreign collective management organizations, both in Europe and Asia. Her team manages around one hundred publishing contracts and a music repertoire of nearly 2,000 active titles, delivering high-volume and complex royalty distributions.
Carol is proud to be a founding member of APEM (Association des professionnels de l’édition musicale), where she served on the board of directors for several years, and she also represented Quebec publishers on the boards of directors of SOCAN and the SOCAN Foundation for several years.
David Murphy (2015)
David Murphy is the founder of David Murphy et cie. Founded in 1997, the company specializes in copyright management within the music and audiovisual sectors. David Murphy et cie manages multiple major repertoires of musical works by singer-songwriters, music publishers, and audiovisual producers. The company ensures that the rights holders it represents—be they film or audiovisual producers, publishers, or singer-songwriters—receive their copyright royalties and exploitation revenues related to the broadcast of their musical and audiovisual works as quickly as possible.
David Murphy benefits from some twenty years of experience in copyright management. From 2000 to 2004, he also served as assistant director of SOPROQ. Today, within David Murphy et cie, his role consists of representing and defending the interests of his clients in order to maximize the value of their assets. He is the lead negotiator for all contracts and licenses issued, and guides his clients’ strategic thinking by serving as an advisor in their business decisions. Over the years, he has developed a specific expertise in rights management methods and commercial practices related to the exploitation of musical works and synchronization requests.
Parallel to the development of his business, David Murphy acts as a trainer for APEM and ADISQ, delivering several training sessions per year. He is the author of La musique dans les productions audiovisuelles: guide pratique (Music in Audiovisual Productions: A Practical Guide). David Murphy has been a member of the APEM board of directors since 2008 and served as its president from 2010 to 2014. As president of APEM, he vigorously defended the interests of music publishers and advanced numerous projects and demands for the Association. Since September 2012, he has also been a member of the board of directors of Musicaction. From 2008 to 2009, he was a member of the board of directors of SODRAC.
Jehan V. Valiquet (2014)
Jehan V. Valiquet has held a prominent place in the Francophone music landscape since 1982. The passion he cultivates for artists—whether they are performers, songwriters, or composers—has made him one of the most eminent and respected publishers both in Quebec and Canada, as well as across the Atlantic. It is through perseverance, determination, and love for his craft that he has, over the years, brought true distinction to the specialized music publishing company he founded in 1982, Groupe Éditorial Musinfo Inc.
Daniel Lafrance (2013)
A nine-time recipient of the Félix Award for Music Publisher of the Year, Daniel Lafrance studied anthropology, administration, and music. He began his career as a guitarist, but was already composing and teaching music; he would also work as an artist manager, tour manager, and record producer.
Since 1990, he has dedicated himself exclusively to music publishing and looks after the works of many well-known artists within the company Éditorial Avenue.
A co-founder of APEM, Daniel served as its vice-president until 2017, in addition to being a member of the CMRRA board of directors. In 2017, he was the recipient of the “Publisher of the Year” award presented by SOCAN at its annual gala.
Daniel is also the co-author of the book L’édition musicale : de la partition à la musique virtuelle (Music Publishing: From Sheet Music to Virtual Music).