Over the past decade, Simon Wilcox has always placed an emphasis on forming strong personal relationships with her professional partners. “True trust and friendship are hard to come by in the industry,” Wilcox says, “but they’re everything. You won’t give 100 percent creatively unless you absolutely love your team.”
That was the driving force behind the L.A.-based songwriter and recording artist’s decision to ink a worldwide enhanced administration deal between her publishing company, Fun Cooker, and peermusic Canada Inc. in January 2012, at the urging of longtime friend and supporter, Cheryl Link, peermusic’s Director of Synchronization and Creative.
The two first met at the North by Northeast conference in Toronto 12 years ago. Shortly thereafter, Link loaned Wilcox the money to press her first album, Mongrel of Love (1999), acted as her manager for a time and, while working at BMG Music Publishing Canada Inc. in the early 2000s, attempted to broker a deal between Wilcox and BMG. They’ve literally grown up in the industry together.
“I consider her my best friend,” Link says. “We can be completely honest with each other. But we’re also providing the deal she was looking for – ensuring her copyrights revert to her, and that she not be subject to delivery requirements.”
“Really, what was instrumental in going with peermusic was Cheryl,” says Wilcox. “I know she believes in me and if I’m going to win, or lose, I want to do it with her.”
Personal connections have always been integral to her career, Wilcox insists, particularly those developed following her 2003 signing to EMI April Music Canada Ltd., a partnership that led to collaborations with Grammy-nominated Quebec duo, Beast, The Trews, Three Days Grace and Quebec singer/cellist, Jorane on “Stay” – which garnered Wilcox her first SOCAN No. 1 Song Award in 2005. “EMI were instrumental in my career. I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Although Wilcox felt very much at home at EMI, changes at the company – including President Michael McCarty’s move to ole – left her shaken. When the deal ended in 2011, she was hesitant to sign with anyone. “I was gun-shy, so I just wrote songs for a year, but at the end of that year Cheryl was, like, ‘Okay. C’mon now. I’ve waited long enough,’” she says, laughing.
Currently, Wilcox and Shridhar Solanki (PRS) are preparing to release their first full-length independent album as Cider Sky, tentatively scheduled for release this summer. As a writer, Wilcox is experiencing truly global success with tracks such as “Northern Lights,” featured on the Twilight Saga-Breaking Dawn Pt. 1 soundtrack, and “Blackout,” from Breathe Carolina’s 2011 record, Hell Is What You Make It – both of which have achieved certified gold status (500,000 sold) in the U.S.
“[And] I’m really excited to see what new relationships I can build with peermusic internationally.”