Today, the Downtown Yonge BIA announced a second Music Mural will be added to Yonge Street in Toronto, which will pay tribute to the music legends that played the area in the 1970s & ‘80s. The 22-storey fresco mural will cover the entire south wall of the Toronto Community Housing building at 432 Yonge St.
The mural, which is being developed by artist and musician Adrian Hayles, celebrates artists The Band, David Clayton-Thomas, Rush, GODDO, Carole Pope, Kim Mitchell, Salome Bey and Lonnie Johnson, as well as the landmark venues from the era, including Brown Derby Tavern, Gasworks, Piccadilly Tube and A&A Records. The 70-metre-tall piece is expected to take two to three months to complete.
“These murals are dazzling sights to celebrate amazing sounds,” said Downtown Yonge BIA’s Mark Garner in a release “They are a stunning visual reminder of the long, vibrant history of music in Downtown Yonge, which continues today.”
#YongeMural couldn’t happen w/o the hard work+dedication of all the fantastic artists who will grace this mural! Full list revealed soon! pic.twitter.com/qZb2KXh0wD
This mural compliments the first Music Mural on the north side of the same building, which was unveiled last year, and features luminaries from the 1950s & 60s, including Glenn Gould, Diane Brooks, Jackie Shane, Muddy Waters, Shirley Matthews, B.B. King, and Oscar Peterson. That mural was also created by Hayles, as was the mural on Reggae Lane, located at 1529 Eglinton St. West, Toronto, which honours the history and origins of Toronto’s reggae music scene.
“Great cities all over the world have murals as part of their public realm,” said Garner. “We think the music mural fits perfectly with the vision for a vibrant Yonge Street – combining visual and musical artistry.”
The mural is part of the Downtown Yonge BIA’s Music Strategy, the BIA’s multi-pronged vision to re-establish Yonge Street as a ‘Music Mecca.’ The three core components of the strategy, broadly, are:
Homage to Toronto’s Music Legacy
Activating Live Music
Paving the Way to Toronto’s Music Future
The mural is supported by StreetARToronto, a division of the City of Toronto’s Transportation Services Division, whose mission is to revitalize and engage communities through street art.
An artist rendering of the final version of the mural is available now on the Downtown Yonge website.
Ottawa-based music organization MEGAPHONO has posted a video of their In Search Of The Music City: What Does Local Business Have To Gain? panel, which it co-presented in February 2016 alongside the Ontario Music Industry Coalition (OMIC).
The discussion was moderated by Music Canada Live‘s Erin Benjamin and featured panelists Mark Garner (Downtown Yonge BIA), Councillor Jeff Leiper (City of Ottawa), Amy Terrill (Music Canada) and Tim Potocic (Sonic Unyon / Supercrawl). The panelists shared how music has changed their communities, and how they are working businesses to foster a better environment for artists and artist entrepreneurs.
From February 2-5, 2016, Ottawa will host the 2nd annual MEGAPHONO music festival, showcasing the nation’s capital’s burgeoning music scene to fans and industry professionals alike. The festival will feature a packed schedule of club gigs, free shows in the Centretown & Hintonburg neighbourhoods, and daily panel discussions beginning February 3.
On Thursday February 4, the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition (OMIC) presents the panel In Search Of The Music City: What Does Local Business Have To Gain? at Live On Elgin (230 Elgin, 2nd Floor). The discussion will be moderated by Music Canada Live‘s Erin Benjamin and will feature panelists Mark Garner (Downtown Yonge BIA), Councillor Jeff Leiper (City of Ottawa), Amy Terrill (Music Canada) and Tim Potocic (Sonic Unyon / Supercrawl).
The discussion comes at a crucial point in Ottawa’s push towards growing its thriving music scene, an effort panelist Councillor Jeff Leiper has shown favourable support for. At MEGAPHONO 2015, festival director and Kelp Records’ Jon Bartlett revealed the Ottawa music reportConnecting Ottawa Music: A Profile of Ottawa’s Music Industries.
“It’s an exciting time to be working in music in Ottawa,” said Jon Bartlett at the report’s launch. “It’s like nothing I’ve felt in 15 years of living here. We are in the middle of a musical boom here in Ottawa.”
Panel attendance is open to delegate pass holders and MEGAPHONO artists. Delegate badges are still available for $100, as well as general festival passes for $50.
Music Canada was thrilled to welcome many of our members, friends, and industry partners to our 2015 Annual General Meeting, held on September 24, 2015, at the Lula Lounge in Toronto.
Among the program highlights, the AGM featured a conversation with Toronto Mayor John Tory and Music Canada President & CEO Graham Henderson. Entitled ‘Toronto’s Music City – View from the Top’, the discussion centred on Toronto’s role and reputation as a Music City, and how the City, community, and local music industry can continue to foster this reputation.
Video: Toronto’s Music City – View from the Top: in conversation with Mayor John Tory
Next, Henderson delivered the Year-In-Review, which underlined the importance of collaboration and partnership within our industry.
After noting the growth in Canada’s digital music market, helped by the launch of new streaming entrants in the market, Henderson highlighted the Ontario Music Fund, which was made permanent in Ontario’s most recent budget bill. “Thank you Premier Wynne and Minister Coteau for seeing the economic value in Ontario’s booming music sector,” said Henderson. The success of the Ontario Music Fund has sparked interest across the country, explained Henderson, pointing to the Fertile Ground report commissioned by the National Music Centre and completed by Music Canada last fall, which provides recommendations for leveraging the potential of Alberta’s music sector. Henderson then announced that Music Canada is undertaking a study on British Columbia to make similar recommendations to their provincial government.
At the federal level, Henderson noted a major win in the budget bill with term extension for sound recordings. Noting that these recordings would otherwise fall into the public domain during the artists’ lifetime, the unprecedented success on term extension brought Canada in line with international standards.
Henderson also congratulated the Unison Benevolent Fund on reaching their $1 million fundraising target this year, making the fund operational. Music Canada is proud as an organization, along with our label members, for the role we played in investing $250,000 for the fund. Henderson then recognized our matching partner, Slaight Music.
Video: 2015 Year In Review
Continuing on the Music Cities theme, the AGM featured a panel entitled ‘Music City Strategies from the Ground Up’ with three panelists from across Canada who shared insight to the strategies and programs they are using to grow the music sector in their home regions.
Moderated by Amy Terrill, Music Canada’s VP of Public Affairs, the panel featured:
Andrew Vincent, a singer-songwriter, researcher, and creative consultant from Ottawa, ON. He is the co-author of Connecting Ottawa Music, an Ontario Music Fund-supported project profiling Ottawa’s music industries that was released in Spring 2015. He is currently serving as the interim Executive Director of the newly formed Ottawa Music Industry Coalition, a not-for-profit dedicated to promoting growth in the city’s music industries.
Mark Garner, Executive Director for the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area in downtown Toronto. Over the past decade he has increasingly focused on the revitalization and development of urban downtowns, playing an integral role in catalyzing on economics, neighbourhoods, social innovation and incubators. The DYBIA boasts a Music Strategy that looks at the deep history of music in downtown Toronto, programming His ideas and approach have been acknowledged by numerous awards and by being emulated in other communities.
Thom Bennett, a professional musician/producer/recordist/instructor based in Edmonton. He performs regularly around Western Canada and beyond with a plethora of artists including A/B trio, MIXTAPE, Ann Vriend, Jesse Peters and dozens of other artists. When not maintaining his busy gigging schedule he splits his time between producing and engineering records for local artists at Sanctuary Studios, session studio work, accompaniment work, teaching and composing music. Thom has created the ELM (Edmonton Live Music) Initiative involving with the support and help of key stakeholders in government and the music industry in Edmonton. Its aim is to reinvigorate Edmonton’s live music scene through an innovative economic stimulus plan that involves the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.
Video: ‘Music City Strategies from the Ground Up’ panel
Following the panel, Henderson introduced a new tradition at the Music Canada AGM with the creation of the President’s Award, which recognizes an organization or individual outside the music industry that has had a significant impact on the music industry. The inaugural recipient of the award was Mark Garner of the Downtown Yonge BIA, which has created an action plan to stimulate music performance, creation, education and celebration in the downtown core of the city. Their music strategy builds on the rich music history in downtown Yonge in order to create an environment where music can succeed now and in the future.
For more on the President’s Award, visit our blog.
To close out the day, Warner Music Canada President Steve Kane introduced Modern Space, a five-piece Toronto-based band that recently signed with Warner Music Canada. The band delivered a high energy performance of songs from their upcoming debut EP.
For more photos from the Annual General Meeting, visit our photo album on Facebook.
We were thrilled to welcome many of Music Canada’s members, friends, and industry partners to our 2015 Annual General…
“It is pretty obvious when someone from outside of our community has a deep passion for music and the people who make it.”
And with that, Music Canada President & CEO, Graham Henderson, awarded Mark Garner, Executive Director of the Downtown Yonge BIA the first ever Music Canada President’s Award for his outstanding contribution to Toronto’s music scene.
Inspired by a similar award bestowed on Music Canada by Tourism Toronto in 2014, the award recognizes an organization or individual outside of the music industry that has an impact on the music industry.
Under Garner’s leadership, the DYBIA has created an action plan to stimulate music performance, creation, education and celebration in the downtown core of the city. Their music strategy builds on the rich music history in downtown Yonge in order to create an environment where music can succeed now and in the future.
“I’m encouraged every day by the teams and everybody around us…we’re not experts in the music industry…there’s a lot of people to thank that are connecting the dots for us. Everybody around us that is showing us how we can be that execution agent and supporting us in our efforts,” said Garner. “So this really a thank you for all of you, to thank you for the continued support and ongoing mentorship that we get from you on a day-to-day basis as we navigate this beast to help deliver the Music City vision on behalf of Toronto.”
An integrated urban experience that allows visitors to pay homage to Yonge Street’s music legends through walking tours, historical plaques and neon sign installations;
Activation of public spaces including parks, squares and laneways with live performance events like Play the Parks, a series of concerts held in the summer; and,
A focus on education and incubation, beginning with an artist manager incubation program but building towards a multi-level, multi-disciplinary music incubator.
Video of the presentation is now available on Youtube, and is embedded below.
Music Canada