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BC announces new music Innovation Program

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Last week, the province of British Columbia and Creative BC announced the new $300,000 Innovation Program as part of the BC Music Fund. The new program will support cross-sector collaboration between technology and music, the launch of businesses to fill gaps in the industry, and foster diversity and cultural engagement within the music industry.

“British Columbia is home to an abundant wealth of musical talent. This funding from the BC Music Fund will provide assistance to companies that think outside the box, allowing them to further develop innovative ideas. I look forward to seeing the unique projects that come from this new program,” said Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour.

“The Innovation Program encourages new collaborations, creative courage and fresh thinking. Through the BC Music Fund, innovators across the province can intersect with the music industry,” added Prem Gill, chief executive officer of Creative BC.

British Columbia is the third largest centre for sound recording in Canada and the music industry contributes over $400 million in revenue to the provincial economy every year. According to Creative BC, the province’s music industry includes 80 independent record labels, 123 sound recording studios, and hundreds of music industry professionals such as publishers, managers, talent agencies, and other businesses that support the development and delivery of music.

Premier Christy Clark announced the creation of the $15-million BC Music Fund in February 2016, following the recommendations of Music Canada’s report BC’s Music Sector: From Adversity to Opportunity. The fund is administered by Creative BC and is designed to support the growth of BC’s music industry through direct investment, job creation, music tourism, increased regional activity, and the export of BC music.

The new Innovation Program will support music related projects, including “cross-sector and multimedia projects related to music, experimental or experiential projects that increase visibility, access, or awareness for British Columbian music, projects that develop new technology, software, or programs, and projects or initiatives related to British Columbia’s music industry that are innovative or experimental in nature.”

Applications for the Innovation Program will be accepted beginning May 1, 2017.

You can read more about the new program and the announcement on Creative BC’s website.

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Anthology: Defining Moments in Canadian Music

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Tonight at the opening reception to the 46th Annual JUNO Awards in Ottawa, Music Canada unveiled Anthology: Defining Moments in Canadian Music. The installation is a timeline that chronicles the events that helped shape Canadian music, including artistic and award-based milestones, industry and regulatory developments, as well as media and technological changes that have been part of our industry’s evolution.

With facts compiled by renowned music journalist Larry LeBlanc, and designed by Ben Purkiss, Anthology is made up of five large prints containing more than 180 moments. When aligned side-by-side, the prints create a continuous timeline from 1969 to 2017.

Music fans can test their Canadian music knowledge with our quiz card, which is being distributed to attendees at the opening reception. An answer key is available on the back of the card, which highlights the Focus On Creators initiative.

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City of Ottawa to develop Music Strategy

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Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson announced today that the City of Ottawa will develop a Music Strategy, designed to strengthen and grow the city’s music industry.

The city will work with the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition (OMIC) and a newly created task force—composed of stakeholders from the music industry and connected sectors like film and tourism—to develop a plan to make Ottawa a Music City, help grow the city’s talent base, and provide opportunities for local artists.

“Live music is a growth industry in Ottawa. It shapes our identity and who we are as a city. In addition to the cultural benefits, a thriving music industry helps to level the playing field for our homegrown companies who are competing to attract talent from around the world,” said Mayor Jim Watson. “This music strategy will be part of the legacy of the 2017 JUNOs happening in Ottawa.”

The announcement included a $30,000 funding commitment, a sign that the mayor truly recognizes the economic and social power of music, that will allow OMIC to conduct the research and consultation required to develop a world-class Music City strategy.

“Music is one of Ottawa’s great assets,” said Andrew Vincent, Executive Director of OMIC. “We have incredible music talent, dedicated music entrepreneurs, and vibrant music scenes. Developing a municipal music strategy is about bringing together industry and government to create an environment that nurtures music’s transformative potential. As a representative of Ottawa’s music industry, OMIC is excited and proud to have the opportunity to work with the City and business leaders from connected sectors on this important step for the growth of our music industry and for the growth of our city.”

The announcement was made during the mayor’s address at the “Ottawa as a Music City” panel discussion at the Innovation Centre, organized by the Ottawa 2017 Juno Host Committee. Watson was joined by City Councillor Jeff Leiper, Member of Parliament (Ottawa Centre) Catherine McKenna, and Member of Provincial Parliament (Ottawa South) John Fraser, each of whom also spoke at the event.

The panel discussion following the announcement focused on the many opportunities for the city to leverage its music community to attract business, professional talent, create enviable quality of life, and generate economic activity. The event featured speakers Amy Terrill, Executive Vice President of Music Canada, Scott May of Bar Robo, Kelly Symes (General Manager – Festival of Small Halls Ontario), artist/entrepreneur Kathleen Edwards (Quitters Coffee) and Lixar’s Shelley Fraser.

You can read more about the Mayor’s announcement here and more about OMIC here.

And here are some highlights from the “Ottawa as a Music City” panel:

 

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Music ignites Ottawa for the 2017 JUNO Awards

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JUNO Week 2017 is officially underway in the city of Ottawa, hosting the awards and festivities for the first time since 2012. Beginning today, bars, clubs and theatres across the city will be taken over by JUNOs programming, with many events open to the public and appropriate for the whole family.

This is the third time Ottawa has hosted the JUNO Awards, and Canada’s 150th anniversary of confederation adds even more excitement to the 2017 edition. In the fourteen years the awards show has been presented in cities across Canada, the impact has be felt to the tune of $135 million, with each city showing an economic impact of around $10 million.

On Wednesday evening, Mayor Jim Watson helped officially kick off JUNO Week with the lighting of the five metre tall cauldron outside City Hall with Allan Reid, President & CEO of the Canadian Academy Of Recording Arts & Sciences (CARAS), and Ward 18 Councillor Jean Cloutier.

The 2017 JUNO Awards, hosted by Russel Peters and Bryan Adams, will broadcast live from the Canadian Tire Centre on CTV on Sunday, April 2. Performers this year include Alessia Cara, Arkells, A Tribe Called Red, Billy Talent, Dallas Smith, July Talk, Ruth B., Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Mendes, and The Strumbellas. Grammy Award-winning DJ Zedd will join Alessia Cara for her performance, and Feist will perform a special tribute to legendary songwriter and JUNO winner Leonard Cohen.

Many events have already begun across the city, like Art Is Art, which showcases JUNO nominees and Canadian recording artists’ artwork, The JUNO Photography Exhibition, and the JUNO House: R·Evolutions exhibition.

Below is a listing of events occurring across Ottawa leading up to Canadian music’s biggest night.

THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

JUNO Week 2017 will kick off with the second annual JUNO Cup Jam, featuring collaborations and covers by Jim Cuddy, Gord Bamford, Devin Cuddy Band, and members of Billy Talent, Hollerado, Monkeyjunk, The Strumbellas, Walk Off The Earth, Wintersleep and more. The JUNO Cup will take place the following night at TD Place, with rock stars hitting the ice against NHL superstars and alumni like Daniel Alfredsson, Gary Roberts, and Paul Coffey.

Earlier on Thursday evening, Music Canada’s Executive Vice President Amy Terrill will take part in a conversation with JUNO Award winning singer-songwriter Lynn Miles and interviewer Samantha Slattery, Founder and Chair of Women in Music Canada. The event takes place at Otto’s Club, located in TD Place (1015 Bank Street).

FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017

As artists, industry folk, and contest winners step aboard the JUNO Express trains leaving from Toronto and Montreal, Friday morning’s programming will feature Amy Terrill joining the Ottawa As A Music City panel hosted by the Ottawa 2017 Juno Host Committee. The panel will also feature Scott May of Bar Robo, Kelly Symes (General Manager – Festival of Small Halls Ontario), artist/entrepreneur Kathleen Edwards (Quitters Coffee) and Shelley Fraser of Lixar – advocates for the role that music industries can play in building sustainable, vibrant cities.

Later in the evening, Music Canada is proud to sponsor this year’s JUNO Welcome Reception, a private event welcoming industry VIPs to the festivities. Music Canada is thrilled to be a sponsor of Welcome Reception, and we look forward to sharing our activity from the event through Twitter and our blog.

Following the reception, JUNOfest will be put in full gear, with over 100 artists performing across the two-night schedule. This year’s lineup features more than 35 JUNO nominees, including The Strumbellas, Silla + Rise, The Dirty Nil, Whitehorse, Tasha The Amazon, Holy Fuck, Bit Funk, Cold Creek County, Exco Levi, and more. Wristbands ($30) are still available and provide priority access to all venues participating in JUNOfest for both nights.

SATURDAY APRIL 1, 2017

Saturday’s programming gets underway bright and early with family fun at Junior JUNOs at KIDSFEST, the city’s biggest children’s show and expo. 2017 Children’s Album of the Year nominees Diana Panton, Kattam, Splash’N Boots, and Will Stroet will perform at the event, which takes place at the EY Centre (4899 Uplands Drive). Tickets are still available.

From noon to 3pm on Saturday, fans will gather at CF Rideau Centre for the sold-out JUNO Fan Fare, featuring live performances, giveaways, artist interviews, and the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the 2017 JUNO Award nominees. Artists confirmed include Aaron Pritchett, Arkells, Chad Brownlee, Cold Creek County, Coleman Hell, Dallas Smith, Gord Bamford, Jess Moskaluke, July Talk, Marianas Trench, Ruth B, The Strumbellas and Tyler Shaw.

Saturday’s festivities come to a close with the JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards presented by SOCAN, and hosted by Tom Power of CBC’s Q. 34 awards will be handed out during the dinner, which will feature performances by 2017 JUNO Award-nominees Daniel Caesar (R&B/Soul Recording of the Year), Jess Moskaluke (Country Album of the Year), Koriass (Francophone Album of the Year), and William Prince (Contemporary Roots Album of the Year sponsored by National Arts Centre and Indigenous Music Album of the Year sponsored by Aboriginal Peoples Television Network). The event will also feature a special performance by one of the three 2017 Allan Slaight JUNO Master Class winners, Neon Dreams. The JUNOs Gala will be live-streamed at junotv.ca.

SUNDAY, APRIL 2, 2017

Prior to the big show, Sunday will kick off at noon with the JUNO Songwriters Circle co-presented by SOCAN & Yamaha Canada Music in association with CMPA. 2017 JUNO nominees Chantal Kreviazuk, Colin Linden, Daniel Caesar, Donovan Woods, Lisa Leblanc, and Paul Murphy (Wintersleep) join host Bruce Cockburn in sharing the stories behind their songs. Previously sold out, the event has moved to Southam Hall at the National Arts Centre, with limited tickets still available.

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Bebe Rexha presented with Gold plaque for “I Got You” in Toronto

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Bebe Rexha with staff from Warner Music Canada in Toronto

Bebe Rexha may have first appeared on your radar with G-Eazy’s breakout track “Me, Myself, & I,” a song the Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter co-wrote and featured on. The track was certified Triple Platinum in Canada, and she’s appeared on several other Canadian certified tracks including Martin Garrix’s “In The Name Of Love,” David Guetta’s “Hey Mama,” and Cash Cash’s “Take Me Home.”

Last Thursday, Rexha appeared at Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre amidst her North American tour for her acclaimed EP All Your Fault Pt. 1. Prior to the show, Rexha was surprised with a Gold plaque for the lead single “I Got You” by staff from Warner Music Canada, which she shared with her Rexhars through her Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Fans won’t have to wait long for new music from the singer. Rexha confirmed via Twitter she will release the EP All Your Fault Pt. 2 in mid-April.

Watch the video for “I Got You” below.

 

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Music Canada reacts to 2017 Federal Budget

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Music Canada is pleased to see that the 2017 federal budget, which was tabled yesterday in the House of Commons, contains encouraging language for Canada’s music sector.

Intellectual Property Strategy 2017

The budget announced that the Government will develop a new intellectual property strategy over the coming year. The budget notes that “intellectual property rights incentivize creativity and the development of new ideas and technologies by helping companies, academics and inventors recoup their investment once new products reach the marketplace.” This is especially true in the music business, as music is intellectual property, and musicians are innovators.

Recorded music is an investment intensive business, and a strong intellectual property regime gives labels the confidence to invest in new artists and recordings, which helps all parties in the recording ecosystem. Record labels are the primary investors in music, investing 27% of global revenues into discovering, developing, and marketing artists. A & R (artists and repertoire) is record companies’ defining skill, and the equivalent of R & D (research and development) in other sectors. We welcome the Government’s IP Strategy, which the budget states will “help ensure that Canada’s intellectual property regime is modern and robust and supports Canadian innovations in the 21st century.”

Canada’s Digital Future

In this budget, the Government has placed a priority on supporting Canada’s digital innovation, with a section on Canada’s Digital Future. Recognizing that Canada’s creative entrepreneurs and cultural leaders are essential to building an inclusive and innovative Canada, the budget acknowledges that Canada’s creative industries are facing rapid and disruptive change, which includes both risks and opportunities. The budget states that the Government will outline a new approach to growing Canada’s creative sector – “one that is focused on the future, and bringing the best of Canada to the world.”

The music industry has extensive experience in adapting to digital disruption. In many ways, the music sector was “the canary in the coal mine” in this regard: with the launch of Napster in 1999, the music industry was the first media sector to feel the full impact of the Internet. But, after almost two decades of nearly uninterrupted declining revenues, the global music sector reached a key milestone in 2015, with a return to positive revenue growth and digital revenues surpassing income from physical formats for the first time. This achievement was made possible by the transformation of record companies to meet changes in consumer behavior, the proactive licensing of new digital services, and continued investment in talent and innovation in bringing artists to a global audience. We have some perfect examples of the last point; last year, Drake topped IFPI’s Top Ten Global Recording Artist chart, while fellow Ontarians Justin Bieber and The Weeknd reached #5 and #10, respectively.

However, despite these encouraging results, the music industry’s transformation is not complete. There is a weakness in the foundation, known as the “Value Gap.” While music is now being consumed at record levels around the world, the surge in consumption has not been matched by coinciding remuneration to artists and producers. Addressing this market distortion is crucial to ensuring creators are fairly compensated. We look forward to working with the Government of Canada to address the Value Gap as part of the plan for Canada’s digital future.

Promoting STEM to Young Canadians

The budget also includes a laudable section on promoting STEM to young Canadians, noting that they are “curious, talented, entrepreneurial and well-educated”, making them “well-positioned to deliver the next great breakthrough in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).” This is very true, though we note the equal importance of studying the humanities, and encourage the Government to consider a broader outlook, by including the arts in this strategy.

An arts education does more than prepare students for careers in the culture sectors. Arts educations instill the importance of creativity, and teach students to apply creative thinking and design skills to STEM projects. By expanding the outlook from STEM to STEAM, the Government can help students develop the full skillset required for careers in tomorrow’s labour market.

 

Budget 2017 rightly states that changes in the economy presents incredible opportunities for middle class Canadians, and that Canadians’ future success “will be determined by our ability to prepare for and adapt to change.” As we strengthen Canadian content creation and prepare for the future, Music Canada is committed to working with government to ensure music is properly valued & creators are fairly compensated.

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March in support of music therapy this Sunday in Toronto

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On Sunday March 26, 2017, join Music Canada in celebrating Music Therapy Month by marching through the streets of Toronto to generate funds and awareness for the music therapy initiatives.

The annual March For Music Therapy, hosted by the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund, will kick off at 11am outside Toronto City Hall (100 Queen West), with the march scheduled to begin at noon.

Participants can register beginning at 11am in the Committee Room 2, and will wrap up around 1pm at Grace O’Malley’s (14 Duncan St.) for food, drinks, and a performance by music therapy group SUPERFIRE.

If you’re not able to make the Toronto event, you can support the cause by contributing to the $40,000 fundraising goal. Over $25,000 was raised in 2016, with proceeds supporting programming for patients in palliative care and for seniors in long-term care facilities

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Nominees revealed for 2017 Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards

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The nominees have been announced for the 2017 Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards at Canadian Music Week. The awards will be handed out at the MBIA Gala happening Thursday, April 20, 2017, at the Grand Ballroom, Sheraton Centre in Toronto.

Eligible voters will have the opportunity to cast their ballots in dozens of categories for venues, labels, retail outlets, streaming services, and many more areas within Canada’s music industry. Several honourary award recipients have already been announced including legendary rock trio Rush for the 2017 Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award, Jann Arden and Live Nation’s Arthur Fogel for their Canadian Music Industry Hall Of Fame inductions, and media personality Marilyn Denis, who will become the first woman to accept the Allan Waters Broadcast Lifetime Achievement Award.

The full list of nominees can be viewed here. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased here.

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Music Canada Newsletter: Mid-March 2017

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The mid-March 2017 edition of our bi-weekly newsletter is now in your inbox! Not subscribed? Sign up here to get Music Canada’s industry updates straight to your inbox every second Thursday.

This week’s edition begins with a 2017 JUNO Awards update, followed by coverage of the music winners at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards, and a statement from Focus On Creators. We have a Music Cities update from New York City, along with information on the upcoming Music Cities Summit at Canadian Music Week. This will lead into our events section, which features upcoming dates and deadlines for events like the Ottawa Music Summit, Music March For Music Therapy, Live Music Industry Awards, JUNO Cup, and the Canada House at SXSW. We have a selection of music related job opportunities, and as always, will finish our update with the latest Gold/Platinum award presentations and certifications.

Click here to access the March 16, 2017 edition of our newsletter.

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2017 JUNO Awards adds second wave of performers

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Multi-Platinum rockers Billy Talent will perform at the 2017 JUNO Awards

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has announced the next group of performers for the 2017 JUNO Awards, broadcasting in 4K from Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre April 2, 2017, on CTV.

JUNO-winners Billy Talent, Dallas Smith, and July Talk have been confirmed as performers for the broadcast, joining the previously announced artists Arkells, A Tribe Called Red, Alessia Cara, Ruth B, Shawn Mendes, and The Sturmbellas. Diamond-certified Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Sarah McLachlan rounds out the list of confirmed performers for this year’s broadcast.

CARAS has also revealed that in light of its superstar roster, the 2017 JUNO Awards, hosted by Bryan Adams and Russel Peters, will expand to two-and-a-half hours for the first time in five years. This announcement also comes on the heels of the 2016 JUNO Awards winning the Canadian Screen Award for Best Music Program or Series last week.

Tickets for the 2017 JUNO Awards, starting at $59, are available through Ticketmaster or by phone at 1-877-788-3267. $1 from every ticket is donated to MusiCounts through the JUNOs’ partnership with Plus 1, a non-profit that partners with touring artists to facilitate a $1 add-on from every concert ticket to go to a cause the artist believes in. The donation will help ensure that children and youth across Canada have access to musical instruments.

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