A new editorial in Maclean’s, Summertime, and the music is easy, highlights the value of music festivals in Canada, citing the economic benefits, artist development opportunities, use of historic and unique locations, and community building aspects of festivals.

Music tourism is one of five areas identified as a critical area for development in Music Canada’s Next Big Bang report. Noting that music tourism and marketing offer rewarding opportunities for economic growth and brand development at the provincial, regional and city levels, the report considers how we can harness the power of live music as an economic asset by developing a comprehensive music tourism strategy. The full report is available online, with the music tourism section beginning on pg. 42 of the PDF.