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The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport unveils Ontario’s Tourism Action Plan

Posted June 14, 2016 by Corey Poole

A crowd enjoying The Roots at Toronto’s Luminato Festival, via Ontario’s Tourism Action Plan

One of the final announcements made by Michael Coteau as Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport was the release of Ontario’s Tourism Action Plan. Since the release, Eleanor McMahon has been appointed Minister of Tourism Culture and Sport, and Michael Coteau is now Minister of Children and Youth Services. In the Plan, the province’s tourism industry is said to generate over $28.5 billion annually, which represents 4% of the GDP.

According to the press release, sector wide engagement across the diverse tourism industry produced an agreement amongst leaders – the need for immediate action. The Plan identifies five priority areas the Government will focus on: Indigenous-led tourism, Francophone tourism, the sharing economy, culture and sport linkages, and events and celebrations.

Music Canada has found that live music events and celebrations contribute significantly to Ontario’s economy. In our report, Live Music Measures Up: An Economic Impact Analysis of Live Music in Ontario, we determined that in 2013, the total impact of music tourism in Ontario was 9,530 jobs, $405.1 million in labour income, and $609.1 million in gross domestic product.

The Action Plan’s five priority areas are further broken down into twelve action items. Several of them provide clear opportunities for the live music, and music tourism sectors:

An Investment Approach for Economic Growth recognizes that investment from the private sector is critical to increasing visitation and creating jobs.

A New Approach to Data Collection to Improve Data Quality and Availability could allow for data relating to music events, whether it’s live or recorded music, to be collected in its own independent category.

Working Together to Improve the Business Climate for Tourism – Reduce Regulatory Burdens. The Government has expressed a commitment to improving the regulatory environment for the tourism industry, and plans to hold discussions with industry partners to prioritize regulatory challenges faced by the sector. In Live Music Measures Up, Music Canada found that the legal and regulatory environment was the only factor live music companies in Ontario identified as having a net negative impact on their success.

We encourage our partners involved in live music and events to continue to engage in discussions, and provide feedback to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport as more detailed plans are developed.

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Ben Purkiss Design wins Gold at 2016 Muse Creative Awards for ‘Mastering of a Music City’ report

Posted May 18, 2016 by Quentin Burgess

Congratulations to Ben Purkiss Design, who won Gold in the Muse Creative Awards’ Annual Report category for his design of Music Canada & IFPI’s The Mastering of a Music City report. The announcement was made this past weekend by the Muse Creative Awards, which is an international competition for creative professionals who “inspire through concept, writing or design, whether through traditional or electronic media.” The 2016 Awards featured more than 1,200 submissions from 33 countries around the world.

Purkiss designed the cover art, layout, and infographics for The Mastering of a Music City from scratch, creating a cohesive look for the 100+ page report. The report presents a roadmap to help local authorities, businesses, community groups, and the creative sector capitalize on the potential of music to build, grow and strengthen their cities.

“I had the incredible opportunity to work with IFPI and Music Canada on their publication Mastering of a Music City: Key Elements, Effective Strategies and Why It’s Worth Pursuing,” said Purkiss. “IFPI and Music Canada are those clients every designer dreams about; they EXPECT you to push your creative boundaries. It’s a very challenging, yet incredible experience that I am very grateful to have had.

“When I started the initial research ‘phase’ of this project, I looked for inspiration wherever I could find it; from movie intros, online ads and the far reaching depths of online portfolios,” he continued. “I wanted to create a visual masterpiece that challenged who I was as a designer and my abilities to use the software I work with every day. It certainly did not disappoint.

“I quickly discovered what was to be my main source of inspiration – clouds. Clouds are ever changing and evolving – they can hide something beautiful, or in this case, elements within a design. I took that idea to create layer upon layer of design elements – mixing colours and objects to create the overall visual cues. This was unbelievably challenging yet incredibly rewarding.”

The stunning design is a big part of the reason that the report has been so well received around the world, said Amy Terrill, Music Canada’s Executive Vice President, and lead author of the report. Since its release in June 2015, The Mastering of a Music City has been cited by an array of cities around the globe, including Sheffield, United Kingdom, Sydney, Australia, and Bogota, Columbia. To date, more than 800 printed reports have been distributed at more than thirty presentations to conferences and business association meetings in locations such as Pemberton, British Columbia, Columbus, Ohio, Aarhus, Denmark, and Brighton, United Kingdom.

“Winning a Muse Award was completely unexpected for me,” said Purkiss. “I don’t think it has fully sunk in yet, but it’s a gratifying experience knowing my work is truly recognized and rewarded. I’ve never given myself much credit (let’s face it, most people are their own worst critics) but this is really showing that hard work can, and does, pay off – especially when you are given creative liberties from clients like IFPI and Music Canada who value the work of all artists.”

The Muse Creative Awards is administered by International Awards Associate Inc., and judged by a panel of internationally-recognized creative professionals. The panelists identified “the most innovative and creative concepts, the strongest executions, and the highest quality in messaging,” said an MCA release.

Photos of Ben’s design are available on his Behance page, and the full report is available for download in our Resources section.

Categories: Music Cities, News Release
Tags: Ben Purkiss, IFPI, Mastering of a Music City

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Canada Outpaces Global Music Revenue Growth in 2015 but Outlook Remains Cautious

Posted April 12, 2016 by Quentin Burgess

The global music community celebrates a return to revenue positive in 2015 with a 3.2% growth of industry revenues to US$ 15 billion, while Canada more than doubles this upswing with an 8.3% increase, helping to make up for a double digit loss in 2014.

Driven by a strong release schedule and explosive growth in premium subscription services, largely the result of new entrants in the Canadian market, 2015 finished as an exceptional year for the Canadian music industry. In fact, three of the top ten global recording artists in 2015 were Canadian: Justin Bieber at number four, Drake at number nine and The Weeknd rounding out the top ten.

Despite these positive results however, it is too early to confidently declare a reversal in trends, given that losses in 2012 (-2.9%), 2013 (-5.4%) and 2014 (-11.0%) followed immediately after the positive 2011 figures (+3.1%), which marked the first revenue growth in this century in Canada.

Complete global figures and analysis were released today in IFPI’s Global Music Report 2016.

Highlights of Canada’s 2015 Music Revenues:

Digital revenues surge to 52% of total revenues (US$173.5 million), somewhat higher than the global share of 45%
Premium streaming revenues explode in Canada, with a 151% increase (US$29.4m in 2015 v. US$11.85m in 2014), overtaking ad-supported streaming revenue, which only grew 32% (US$19.49m in 2015 v. US$14.76m in 2014)
Physical revenues in Canada make up 35% of the market (US$ 118.9million), slightly lower than the global share of 39%
Performance rights revenues are 11% in Canada compared to 14% globally
Synchronization rights are 2% compared to 2% globally

In Canada, as in other countries around the world, a record volume of music is being consumed, yet artists and producers are not enjoying fair compensation, primarily because upload services like YouTube are not paying normal music licensing rates due to the misapplication of a legislative framework called “safe harbours”. This has created what is known as the “value gap”. Furthermore, the “value gap” has resulted in a distorted market, where premium services are forced to compete unfairly with other services that use copyrighted content to build their businesses, but do not pay fair rates.

“In Canada, where premium streaming has had such a significant positive effect on our market in 2015, the “value gap”, where ad-supported services benefit from lower-than-normal licensing rates, causes immense concerns,” says Graham Henderson, President & CEO of Music Canada. “We hope that legislators will work with the music community to address this market distortion and reduce the gap so that rights holders are compensated fairly for their work.”

Complete market information for Canada and all other national markets will be released on Thursday, April 14, 2016 by IFPI.

Categories: Industry News, News Release
Tags: Global Music Report, Graham Henderson, IFPI

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Music Canada Proud to Support 45th Annual JUNO Awards

Posted April 1, 2016 by Siobhan Özege

Music Canada is proud to return as the sponsor of the Album of the Year Award at the 45th Annual JUNO Awards.

“Music Canada is proud to work alongside record labels who invest in great Canadian talent by helping them create an album, develop as artists, and build a passionate fan base. This kind of support gives Canadian artists what it takes to not only break into the international market – but as we saw in 2015 – rule it,” says Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada.

“A strong music industry positions us well on the global stage, builds our brand, and draws the world to our borders through music tourism. A vibrant music sector contributes economically, socially and culturally to local communities and the country at large. There is an incredible depth and diversity for music in Canada – it’s one of our greatest exports.”

This year’s nominees for Album of the Year are:

Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
Jean Leloup – A Paradis City
Justin Bieber – Purpose
Shawn Mendes – Handwritten
The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness

The Album of the Year Award will be presented at The 2016 JUNO Awards Broadcast on CTV at The Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Sunday, April 3.

Categories: Industry News, News Release
Tags: Album of the Year, Drake., Jean Leloup, Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, The Juno Awards, The Weeknd

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Premier Clark announces new $15M BC Music Fund

Posted February 11, 2016 by Siobhan Özege

Today we thank Premier Clark and the Government of British Columbia on their announcement to dedicate a $15 million grant to support the creation of a BC Music Fund as part of a comprehensive strategy to protect and promote the province’s music industry.

“This is an historic day for the province,” says Graham Henderson, President & CEO of Music Canada. “The creation of a BC Music Fund as part of a fulsome strategy to strengthen the province’s music industry, will enhance BC’s competitiveness as a location for the production and presentation of music. The BC Music Fund will help music businesses produce, distribute, promote, and stage the province’s emerging and well-known artists. It will allow the province to retain its deep inventory of talented music professionals, and create new opportunities for jobs and investment, contributing to a more diversified economy.”

Premier Christy Clark announced the $15 million grant as part of the launch of Music Canada’s report, BC’s Music Sector: From Adversity to Opportunity, at Vancouver’s Warehouse Studios. The event also included remarks by Michael Bublé, Jon Garson, President & CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce and Scott Johnson, Chair of Music BC.

“B.C. is one of Canada’s leading centres for music with talented musicians in every corner of the province,” says Premier Clark. “Our record labels, recording studios, concert venues and music festivals draw people from all over the province, the country and the world. Music develops culture, promotes talent and diversifies our strong and growing economy.”

BC’s Music Sector: From Adversity to Opportunity was prepared by Music Canada after interviews and consultations with more than 100 individuals in BC’s music sector, the broader business community, municipal and provincial governments, provincial agencies, and community leaders.

The report highlights British Columbia’s wealth of music talent and the factors that have put these assets at risk. The report encourages decisive action on the part of the provincial government, municipalities, and music stakeholders to put BC’s music sector firmly back on the map and secure the benefits it can generate.

“The landscape and culture in BC has always been a huge catalyst in my creative process,” says Ryan Guldemond of Mother Mother who performed at the event. “It’s where we came together as a band, and where we’ve cultivated our creative community. There is an incredible wealth of talent here, and until now, the resources and infrastructure haven’t been able to properly support and elevate the art that is constantly being created. It’s incredibly heartening to see the powers that be sit up and take notice of the cultural and economic benefit the BC music industry provides for our province. Dedicating more resources to this sector will have a lasting positive impact on our cultural landscape.”

BC’s Music Sector: From Adversity to Opportunity is available at https://musiccanada.com/resources/research/bcs-music-sector-from-adversity-to-opportunity.

Categories: Industry News, News Release
Tags: BC Chamber of Commerce, BC’s Music Sector: From Adversity to Opportunity, Christy Clark, Graham Henderson, Jon Garson, Michael Buble, Music BC, Scott Johnson

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First-ever study of live music in Ontario is released

Posted December 8, 2015 by Siobhan Özege

Today, Music Canada releases the first comprehensive study of the live music industry in Ontario. Live Music Measures Up: An Economic Impact Analysis of Live Music in Ontario provides critical data and information that will help guide decision-making within the sector, in government and other allied stakeholders.

“This report provides a comprehensive picture of the benefits live music brings to Ontario. In fact, it only enhances our understanding of data collected in our 2012 economic impact study, and cements what we know about Ontario as a powerhouse for the music industry. It shows that a vibrant music scene drives value in many important ways, including job creation, tourism development, brand building and artistic growth. With the new data from this study, we now have the necessary benchmarks to measure and support its growth. Live Music Measures Up allows us to look at live music through a new lens, and to better understand how critical it is to the entire music ecosystem.” says Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada.

Erin Benjamin, Executive Director of Music Canada Live, participated in today’s launch. “Measuring Live Music represents an historic, timely and monumental opportunity; one which will enable us to entrench the true value of the live music economy in the minds of our stakeholders, government and audiences alike. It’s inspiring to see the sector organize, work together and build on the momentum we can all feel – here in the Province and around the world – the kind that will help guarantee live music takes its rightful place as one of Ontario’s greatest natural resources,” says Benjamin.

Prior to this study, there existed no comprehensive data set on Ontario’s live music industry. Music Canada engaged Nordicity to complete the profile, which they did after conducting interviews and surveys of artist managers, promoters, agents, music venues, and festivals in the province. The study was completed in partnership with Ontario’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and with the financial support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation through the Ontario Music Fund.

In 2012, Music Canada studied the economic impact of the sound recording industry in Canada utilizing 2010 Statistics Canada data. The new data collected for Live Music Measures Up provides a more fulsome and detailed look at the live music sector in Ontario. A more comprehensive data set is necessary to understanding where the live music sector is, has been, and will be in the future. This report will provide necessary benchmarks to understand and support the sector’s future growth.

The economic profile is organized into four key areas: revenue, audience, economic impact, and future outlook. The key takeaways are as follows:

Revenue: Live music companies in Ontario generated $628 million in revenue from live music activities in 2013 as well as profits of $144 million. Artist management revenue from Canadian artists totalled $34 million in 2013, 54 percent of all artist management revenue, and Canadian artists generated $75 million in ticket sales.

Audience: In 2013, 558 festivals across Ontario sold a total of 15.7 million tickets, representing 7 million unique visitors. Ontario’s 616 venues have a combined capacity of 3.6 million. The 775 promoters operating in the province in 2013 promoted 81,600 shows, which sold a combined total of 5.4 million tickets.

Economic Impact: The total economic impact of live music in Ontario’s economy is $1.2 billion. Live music companies in Ontario were responsible for $484 million in total expenditure in 2013 and contributed $432.4 million in taxes to all levels of government combined. The economic impact of live music companies includes 10,500 full-time equivalent jobs, and tourism activity accounts for an additional 9,520.

Future Outlook: Survey respondents reported that access to tax credits and other forms of government funding, along with the availability of local Canadian talent, were the factors that most positively impacted their company growth. And 83 percent of live music companies in the province expect revenue growth within the next two years.

“Live music is a powerful force, and we thank Music Canada for their leadership in helping to quantify the extraordinary work of the sector,” adds Benjamin.

Download the full report here.

Categories: News Release
Tags: Economic Impact, Erin Benjamin, Graham Henderson, live music, Live Music Measures Up, Music Canada Live, Nordicity, OMDC, Ontario Music Fund

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Music Canada Applauds Supreme Court of Canada’s Decision in CBC v. SODRAC

Posted November 26, 2015 by Amy Terrill

Music Canada welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision today in the CBC v. SODRAC case which reaffirms that a copy of a recording has value for which creators must be fairly compensated.

The Supreme Court has determined that broadcasters must pay royalties on reproductions of audiovisual works – in this case known as incidental or ephemeral copies, which are used in the preparation of broadcasts – because they add value to the final product. The decision also ensures that Canada meets its international treaty obligations in this area. The Court further determined that rights holders are free to license their rights as they see fit, in this case, separately licensing television producers and broadcasters. And the Court noted that the principle of “technological neutrality” entitles copyright holders to larger royalties where the use of technology enables greater value to be obtained from use of a copyrighted work.

“Today’s decision by our highest Court is an affirmation for Canada’s creative middle class,” says Graham Henderson, President & CEO of Music Canada. “The creative community should have access to a fair and functioning market that rewards them based on demand for their work. This is critical for Canadian artists whose livelihoods depend on earning fair compensation from their profession and for the companies that invest in them and their careers.”

Today’s Supreme Court decision confirms years of precedents that support the growth and development of the music industry. The ruling rejects the argument that when a rights holder exercises one right, all other rights disappear. While the Supreme Court has decided to remit the matter to the Copyright Board to revalue SODRAC’s tariff, the Supreme Court has made it very clear that the judicial system will not be used to subvert clear statutory rights.

Categories: News Release

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The first economic impact analysis of live music in Ontario to be released in November

Posted October 22, 2015 by Siobhan Özege

The live music industry in Ontario is thriving, and continues to position itself as a growing industry relative to the wider music industry. It has wide reaching economic benefits, and is a major source of income for artists at all stages of their careers. At a time of increased investment and international success, the industry is seeking to take the next steps to develop its capacity, increase growth, and effectively harness its strengths. It is in this spirit, that we’re excited to announce the forthcoming economic profile of live music companies operating in Ontario.

As some of our long-time readers may remember, in 2014, Music Canada – with the support of the Government of Ontario’s Ontario Music Fund – asked Nordicity to develop a profile and conduct an economic impact analysis of the live music industry in Ontario. This study is the first of its kind in the province. Through this survey, we have been able to create a profile that identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing this community, while also providing it with a critical tool that will assist individual and cooperative efforts to grow the industry.

We asked the music community to stand up and be counted. Nordicity conducted research and interviews with artist managers, promoters, agents, music venues, and festivals from across the province to explore and better understand the revenue, audience, and economic impact of the sector. It is with this research that the study hopes to identify new lines of business, new jurisdictions, factors to facilitate growth, and potential or existing barriers to growth.

“We can’t wait to share – for the first time – data that attests to the growing success of Ontario’s live music industry. Live music contributes to the livelihoods of so many Ontarians – from promoters, to artist managers, to hotels and restaurants. Venues and festivals of all sizes and in all contexts, in communities large and small, provide critical opportunities for artists to develop and benefit from live performance. And in turn, the depth of our live music offering fuels tourism in Ontario Our soon-to-be-released report will put numbers behind these statements while also identifying opportunities for further growth,” said Music Canada’s VP Public Affairs Amy Terrill.

Stay tuned for a release of the full report in November.

Categories: News Release, Resources
Tags: Economic Impact, Measuring Live Music, Ontario live music

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Music Canada Welcomes New Federal Government

Posted October 20, 2015 by Music Canada

Yesterday Canadians voted for change and elected a new federal government. Music Canada congratulates Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau, and we look forward to working with him and the newly elected government to rebalance the copyright regime and ensure the business needs of the music sector are met.

We are pleased that the Liberal government has committed to taking a leadership role to initiate preliminary consultations for the 2017 Copyright Review. The Liberal government’s Copyright Review promises to give full consideration to the views of artists and creators. This is an opportunity to ensure that copyright legislation works for the 21^st century.

Importantly, the Liberal government recognizes the significant challenges that creators face with the current Copyright Board structure. They have said that the current 2-3 year wait time for decisions is unacceptable due to its negative impact on people’s ability to earn a living. Music Canada has been a strong advocate for Copyright Board reform, and we look forward to partnering with our new government to find some real solutions to the problems that creators in Canada continue to face.

We look forward to speaking with the new government further on these issues, and about the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage study of the Music Industry. You can read more about the Liberal government’s plan for Canadian arts & culture on their website.

Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that represents the major record companies in Canada. We also partner with a diverse cross-section of the music industry to promote and develop the business framework for music right across Canada. These partners include some of Canada’s leading independent record labels and distributors, recording studios, live music venues, concert promoters, managers and artists. Music Canada has undertaken groundbreaking research on the music sector and is a trusted source, a passionate advocate and we provide a respected forum for discussion of issues relating to music.

Categories: Industry News, News Release
Tags: Copyright Review, Federal election, Justin Trudeau

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Canada’s Walk Of Fame Announces 2015 Inductees

Posted September 29, 2015 by Bram Gonshor

Diamond-certified recording artist Michael Bublé was among the list of 2015 Canada’s Walk Of Fame inductees announced today at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, ON. Along with Bublé, the 2015 inductees include actors Wendy Crewson and Lorne Greene, author Lawrence Hill, athlete Silken Laumann and Hockey Night In Canada broadcasters Don Cherry and Ron MacLean.

Also honoured at this year’s ceremony will be 17-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-platinum recording artist Shawn Mendes, who will receive this year’s Allan Slaight Honour, which recognizes young, inspirational Canadians who have achieved international success in the music industry.

“Our mission at Canada’s Walk of Fame is simple – to celebrate Canadian excellence, and to inspire the next generation,” said Melanie Hurley, CEO of Canada’s Walk of Fame. “This year’s inductees truly represent this mission, and the legacy they are creating for Canada is something we should all be proud of.”

Tickets for inductees ceremony on November 7, 2015 at Toronto’s Sony Centre are on-sale now. The televised special will air nationally on Global December 17 at 8pm ET/PT.

Categories: News Release
Tags: Canada's Walk Of Fame, CWOF2015, Michael Buble, Shawn Mendes, Slaight Music

Music Canada

Gold & Platinum

Music Canada

Gold & Platinum

News Release (150)