The Music Cities Toolkit has been designed to provide Canadian chambers of commerce with a roadmap and guide to activate the power of music in their city.
Building on the success of Music Canada’s report The Mastering of a Music City, the toolkit was custom built for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s network of over 450 chambers of commerce and boards of trade, in all regions of the country.
As the voice of business in their communities, chambers have the opportunity to carve out a leadership role in leveraging music as a driver of employment and economic growth, beyond its long-acknowledged cultural and social benefits.
The toolkit describes potential roles for the chamber as follows:
- Catalyst – as the leading voice of business, acting to enhance economic prosperity and quality of life, the chamber can act as a catalyst to stimulate the Music City discussion
- Advocate – convene a music policy task force to identify municipal policies and regulations that are hampering the creation, production and promotion of music
- Operator – develop a proposal for the chamber to act as a music office/officer
- Trainer – provide training to entrepreneurs within the music community
- Promoter – host and amplify music events, celebrate the music history in your community
Quotes
“We are so pleased that Music Canada has partnered with us and shared their excellent work in this space with the chamber network as a tried and tested economic development tool.” – Perrin Beatty, President and CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
“We are extremely pleased to be able to work with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce whose pan-Canadian network makes it an ideal partner to spread the thinking behind and the benefits of adopting the Music Cities model for your community.” – Graham Henderson, President & CEO, Music Canada
“The cities of Kitchener and Waterloo have long recognized that a comprehensive and coordinated approach for live music allows us to not only expand our existing events such as the Kitchener Blues Festival but also attract new business and retain talent. As this document confirms, Music Canada is a tremendous resource for all stakeholders in formulating a local strategy, particularly in bridging municipal, business and cultural sector interests. Through national and international experience they know what works for the benefit of the entire community.” – Ian McLean, President & Chief Executive Officer, Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce
“Music isn’t just another business in London – it’s BIG business in London and it’s getting bigger every year.”- Gerry Macartney, Chief Executive Officer, London Chamber of Commerce
“Growing our music industry is key to driving economic growth, job creation and investment. A city’s passion for music is important in attracting talented people to visit and to stay.” – John Tory, Mayor of Toronto
Music Canada