UK rock trio Muse were in Toronto over the weekend kicking off a Canadian leg of their world tour in support of their 2015 album Drones. Prior to their Air Canada Centre concert on January 16, the band were presented with Platinum award plaques for Drones by Warner Music Canada. It is the fourth Canadian Platinum album certification for the band, joining 2006’s Black Holes And Revelations, 2009’s The Resistance and 2012’s The 2nd Law.
Muse will play Quebec City tonight, followed by 2 nights at the Bell Centre in Montreal January 20-21. Judging by their Instagram posted below, the band is certainly making the best of the winter months in Canada!
2016 is now, officially, the Year of Music in Calgary. Mayor Naheed Nenshi issued a proclamation outlining the multitude of music events taking place in Calgary this year, as well as recognizing the talents of Calgary musicians and the economic benefits of the music sector, at an event in the observation deck of the Calgary Tower yesterday.
“Calgary is home to a vibrant music scene. Each year our city produces hundreds of festivals, events, concerts, shows and performances in venues ranging from elegant concert halls to local parks to vintage clubs filled with character,” the proclamation reads. “This year we celebrate the extraordinary talents of musicians who make their living here, the burgeoning music economy and all those whose efforts contribute to the musical vitality of our community.”
Cited among the reasons that 2016 will be such a remarkable year for music in Calgary are:
The 45th annual JUNO Awards, taking place April 3rd at the Scotiabank Saddledome
The launch of Studio Bell, home of Canada’s National Music Centre, opening in East Village this summer
The 60th Anniversary of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
The 50th Anniversary of the Alberta Ballet
The 30-plus musical festivals that take place in Calgary annually and enrich the city’s cultural environment
The announcement coincided with the launch of this year’s One Yellow Rabbit High Performance Rodeo, Calgary’s International Festival of the Arts, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2016. The event runs from January 7th through 31st, at 14 venues across Calgary.
The event also revealed the songs that make up the Calgary Songs Project, which compiles 30 songs released by Calgary artists over the past 30 years, in celebration of the High Performance Rodeo’s 30th anniversary. The list, compiled by the High Performance Rodeo, songwriter Kenna Burima, and the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society, can be heard in a variety of ways during the Rodeo:
As part of the Year of Music celebrations, Tourism Calgary has launched a new website, www.pushplaycalgary.com, which features live music listings and markets Calgary as a destination for music tourists. The Year of Music could bring an economic boost to Calgary’s tourism economy, said Tourism Calgary’s Jeff Hessel in MetroNews.
“What makes next year special is that we have the Junos, and the opening of the National Music Centre definitely makes it a very special year,” said Hessel. “We’re here to increase the economic impact of tourism for Calgary. If we can do anything that increases incremental visitation and spending for Calgary, then we’ll do that.”
Mayor Nenshi also touted the economic and city-branding benefits of music in an address at the Calgary City of Commerce last month.
“At a time when the Canadian dollar is low, it’s an opportunity to attract tourism right now. I love music, but it’s also a marketing opportunity to rebrand ourselves to a national and international audience about the culture, the vitality and the life here in the city,” the mayor is quoted as saying in MetroNews.
In the same article, the National Music Centre’s Andrew Mosker backs up the mayor’s statements on music’s economic impact, pointing to the Alberta Music Cities Initiative’s Fertile Ground report, which outlines a strategy for a stronger provincial music sector. Music Canada authored the report in 2014 after being commissioned by the NMC to take a critical look at Alberta’s music landscape.
The Year of Music celebrations continue tonight, with the launch of Music Mile, which recognizes the stretch of Calgary’s 9th Avenue from the Blues Can in Inglewood to Studio Bell in East Village as a music mecca. Home to live music venues such as Ironwood Stage & Grill, The Lantern Church, Festival Hall, and Vagabond Calgary, Music Mile brands the area as a formal music district where fans can find live music any day of the week.
Invoking the success of music districts such as Nashville’s Broadway and New Orleans’ French Quarter, Music Mile organizers spoke of the value of branding the location of Calgary’s music scene in an interview with Global Calgary.
“All over the world there’s this notion of a place where you go for music, not just a venue,” said Bob Chartier.
”Everybody sees this as a place-making project – having a district, rather than just a club to go to,” added Meg Van Rosendaal.
With all of the action happening in Calgary in 2016, it’s clear that Year of Music is more than a slogan. It’s a reflection of Calgary’s rise as a cultural hotspot and live music destination. For more on all the events happening in Calgary this year, see the video below, and visit www.pushplaycalgary.com.
2015 was a landmark year for Canadian artists dominating the international pop music spotlight. Within Canada, Canadian artists saw an increase in Gold/Platinum certifications over 2014, with many of the 2015 releases expecting further certification milestones in 2016.
70 albums were certified Gold in Canada this year, 30 of which were released by Canadian artists (up from 20 in 2014). 31 albums were certified Platinum, 11 of which were by Canadian artists (up from 9 in 2014).
Justin Bieber had the highest certified Canadian album released in 2015 with his album Purpose earning a Double Platinum certification, as well as it’s accompanying singles “Sorry,” “What Do You Mean?” and “Where Are U Now?”
Canadian tracks released in 2015 also certified Double Platinum include The Weeknd‘s tracks “The Hills” and “Earned It,” as well as Shawn Mendes‘ “Life Of The Party.”
Bruce Cockburn‘s classic 1993 holiday album Christmas is the highest certified Canadian album in 2015, joining Taylor Swift‘s 1989 and Josh Groban‘s Noel as the year’s highest certified albums at 6X Platinum.
117 tracks were certified Gold in Canada this year, with 42 being Canadian artists (up from 21 in 2014). 19 Canadian tracks were among the 76 Platinum certifications, up from 10 in 2014.
The highest certification for a song in 2015 was Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” at 9x Platinum, while OneRepublic‘s “Counting Stars” was the second highest certified track at 8X Platinum. Ellie Goulding “Love Me Like You Do,” X Ambassadors “Renegades” and Wiz Khalifa “See You Again” (ft. Charlie Puth) hold the highest certifications for songs released in 2015 at Triple Platinum.
Some of 2015’s Canadian Gold/Platinum certified artists were presented with awards plaques and a collection of photos of these artists can be viewed below:
What is music’s place in our heritage? How important is its preservation? In Making Music History Work For The Present, Music Canada’s first article published on Huffington Post Canada, Amy Terrill (VP Public Affairs) discusses music’s importance in honouring a city’s cultural heritage as well as ensuring a healthy and vibrant future, citing specific examples from Music Cities around the world like London, Nashville, New Orleans, and Toronto.
For further information on the topic of Music Cities, you can download Music Canada and IFPI’s 2015 report The Mastering Of A Music City.
The submission highlights the benefits of a vibrant music economy to Ontario communities, including job creation, talent retention, economic growth and diversification, tourism development, brand building and artistic growth, as well as music’s role in connecting communities and building a bridge across cultures, languages, and income levels.
Drawing from the results of our research, the submission identifies opportunities to strengthen the cultural sector, including:
Provincial and municipal coordination
Music tourism promotion
Preservation of cultural heritage
Investment in music education
We look forward to seeing the Ontario Cultural Strategy build on the creation of the Ontario Music Fund and the Ontario Music Tourism Strategy which were both launched in 2013.
This year, the UNESCO City of Music designations have more than doubled the list of cities to be recognized by the organization. 10 cities around the world have received new designations as cities of music under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. These include:
Adelaide, Australia
Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal
Katowice, Poland
Kingston, Jamaica
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Liverpool, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Medellín, Colombia
Salvador, Brazil
Tongyeong, Republic of Korea
Varanasi, India
UNESCO’s Creative Cities program was started in 2004 as an initiative to unite cities from across the globe through creative industries. This policy-driven initiative involves stakeholders at all levels of government. The larger network currently includes 116 cities, covering seven creative fields — crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, music, and media arts. Cities apply for their specific field, and cannot hold a designation in more than one category.
According to UNESCO, this network aims to “stimulate and enhance initiatives led by member cities to make creativity an essential component of urban development, notably through partnerships involving the public and private sectors and civil society.” This can be done through sharing best practices and knowledge, pilot projects, artistic exchanges, or research, among other things.
The network is designed to encourage cooperation among cities that value investing in creativity. Applicants prepare detailed proposals that commit their municipalities to sustained programs that assist in developing these creative industries both within their home territories, and through international cooperation. Some factors that are included in applying for a designation include: historical importance of the city, potential contribution of the cultural and creative assets of the city, and expertise of the city in organizing events and initiatives at the local, national, and international level.
As this list has grown, it is noticeable that there are currently no North American cities holding a music city designation. In the wider network of creative cities, no Canadian cities have been designated, and only three US cities have qualified in other sectors: Austin for Media Arts, Detroit for Design and Tucson for Gastronomy. As a result, the field is wide open in North America to claim this UNESCO designation.
“Undoubtedly one of the hottest artists in music right now, Alessia embodies why Canadian music is dominating the charts internationally,” said Randy Lennox, President, Entertainment Production and Broadcasting, Bell Media. “With more performers to be announced in the coming weeks, this talented, young artist is setting the stage for what is guaranteed to be a spectacular show.”
“With a soulful voice heard around the world, Alessia Cara is one of Canada’s brightest young artists,” said Allan Reid, President & CEO, CARAS/The JUNO Awards & MusiCounts. “We’re extremely proud of her global chart topping success and we can’t wait for her JUNO stage debut.”
In 2015, the Brampton, ON natived released her debut album Know-It-All (Def Jam/Universal Music Canada) and has made appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Ellen, and The Streamy Awards performing her Gold-certified viral hit “Here”.
A limited batch of tickets will go on-sale for the 2016 broadcast Friday December 11 at 10 AM MST.
On Tuesday afternoon, Music Canada hosted the launch of our new reportLive Music Measures Up: An Economic Impact Analysis of Live Music in Ontario, which is the first comprehensive study of Ontario’s live music industry completed with the assistance of Nordicity and funding from the Ontario Media Development Corporation. The report provides critical data and information that will help guide decision-making within the sector, in all levels of government, and with other allied stakeholders.
Music Canada President Graham Henderson providing opening remarks at the intimate event, proclaiming, “Today marks the result of what turned out to be a herculean effort and the first-ever true measurement of live music’s impact on Ontario.”
Henderson continued to provide facts gained from the report, adding that in 2013, live music companies and the tourism activity generated by music festivals alone contributed just under $1.2 billion to Ontario’s GDP and just over $430 million dollars in combined tax revenue for all levels of government.
“In total the live music industry accounted for approximately 20,000 full time equivalent jobs in Ontario’s economy that year,” Henderson added, “almost three times what Stats Canada reported in 2010 for the entire country.”
Henderson concluded his remarks stating, “Live Music Measures Up is just a starting point. For the first time we have actual benchmarks for the industry in Ontario against which, future studies can measure. For the first time, we have a model that can be used to accurately measure live music’s impacts across the country.”
Music Canada Live Executive Director Erin Benjamin also spoke at the event, relating this day to the excitement of Christmas morning.
“30% of the known universe of Ontario’s live music industry contributed to this report,” Benjamin revealed. “83% of those say they project their revenues to increase over the next 2 years. That spells progress, growth and opportunity.”
“This report will position the live music industry as critical to every economic, social and cultural policy discussion at every level of government in the country,” Benjamin concluded, “and it paves the way for new conversations, and opportunity, for all of us.”
Toronto and Whitehorse-based singer/songwriter Sarah MacDougall performed at the event, mesmerizing the attendees with her personal song lyrics and unique acoustic guitar playing. MacDougall’s performance was a reminder that Ontario’s live music industry cannot continue to grow without our underlying commitment to the artists and their creative output.
For full details of the new report, check out our Resources section.
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.
Prior to their sold out show at Toronto’s Pheonix Concert Theatre Wednesday night, soulful rock group Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats were presented with a Canadian Gold award plaque for their breakthrough hit “S.O.B.” by Universal Music Canada.
This is the first award plaque for the band, as Canada is the first territory to certify the track. The band shared their appreciation for their Canadian support with a photo on their Twitter account.
The band will return to Canada in mid-January for shows in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. You can watch the video for “S.O.B.” off their 2015 self-titled album below:
Music Canada