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Tag archive: Music Cities (51)

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New Noise Bylaw illustrates City of Toronto’s commitment to supporting a vibrant music ecosystem through clear, objective standards

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New bylaw procedures have been implemented by the City of Toronto to provide clearer standards regarding noise in the city. Bylaw amendments include a number of changes relating to ‘amplified sound’ that have positive implications for the live music ecosystem, and provide clearer communication from the City to venue owners. These substantial amendments flow from an extensive research and consultation process led by the City of Toronto’s Municipal Licensing and Standards (MLS).

Music Canada applauds the City’s amendments to the bylaw, which signify a positive step forward, and demonstrate that the music community was a meaningful stakeholder in the deliberation process. As described in our groundbreaking report The Mastering of a Music City, it is critical for cities to implement measures that support the growth of a robust music economy. 

These amendments better recognize the crucial role the live music sector plays in making Toronto a vibrant and inclusive Music City. They also demonstrate the value the City sees in the live music industry, its impact on our local economy, and what it means for the improved quality of life for those living in Toronto and the surrounding area. In addition to the elimination of the old Noise Bylaw’s ‘general prohibition’ (which stated that “no one shall produce noise that disturbs anyone else, day or night”), the updated policies contain new musician-friendly standards including:

  • Quantitative decibel limits for amplified sound, giving venues a clear, objective standard against which to measure and manage their operations
  • An adjustment to point of measurement for decimal levels, which will now be measured from the point of reception (where the noise is heard) instead of the property line of the sound source (music venue, festival site, etc.). 

Policy-makers heard from a wide range of groups, including venue owners, festival operators, artists, residents’ associations, businesses, public health authorities, and other interested stakeholders. The Toronto Music Advisory Council (TMAC) – of which Music Canada was a core member – also played an important role in the process, providing critical input and recommendations regarding the reform of various noise-related regulations. 

“These changes signal the City’s growing recognition of our businesses and organizations – who add significantly to the heart beat of Toronto,” said Erin Benjamin, President & CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association. “Live music venues and events are significant economic and cultural assets. They animate neighbourhoods, enhance benefit to local businesses, create jobs and attract tourists. We expect the new noise bylaw to be clearer in terms of interpretation and application.”

These bylaw amendments were first approved by City Council in April, but the policy changes came into effect on October 1. To learn more about the City of Toronto’s new Noise Bylaw, visit https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/public-notices-bylaws/bylaw-enforcement/noise/.

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The ‘Mastering of a Music City Summit’: Saturday, May 11th 2019

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Music Canada’s fourth annual The Mastering of a Music City Summit is returning to Canadian Music Week. This exciting full-day event is being held on Saturday, May 11th 2019 at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in Toronto.

The summit this year is being hosted in partnership with the Music Policy Forum. The event will feature a plethora of local and international speakers, and will bring together policy-makers, industry executives, City staff and music community members to explore issues around the value of music and its relationship to creative city-planning.

Some of the themes and topics of the day include:

  • Inclusivity, equity and diversity in the context of a music city
  • The intersection between the night-time economy and developing music strategies
  • Underground music venues, and their relationship to the city
  • The value of music tourism to a city
  • Exploring co-working spaces/incubators, and how they level the playing field for artists
  • Building successful coalitions in the music community

Register for this exciting event, and check out the full program agenda to learn more about the full conference.

Click here to see full recaps of last year’s summit.

 

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JUNO Awards 2019: How Music Canada is working to strengthen Canada’s music ecosystem

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JUNO Awards week is here and Music Canada is gearing up for another spectacular few days celebrating Canadian music with our friends and partners in the music community.

Last year at the JUNOS we showcased how our advocacy work benefits artists at every stage of their career with our #EveryStage campaign. This year, we aim to highlight the ways we’re working to improve the music ecosystem in Canada. With the support of our members, Sony, Universal and Warner, we’re committed to building a framework where music businesses can thrive, and artists can have sustainable and prosperous careers.

Five major areas in which we are working to create a better Canadian music ecosystem are:

  • Improving Policy Frameworks,
  • Addressing the Value Gap,
  • Diversity and Inclusion,
  • Music Cities, and
  • Celebrating Success.

 

IMPROVING POLICY FRAMEWORKS

Music Canada President and CEO Graham Henderson testifies before the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology

A major pillar of Music Canada’s mandate is advocating for a functioning marketplace where music creators are paid fairly every time their work is used.

Copyright is the bedrock of remuneration for the creators of recorded music. It enables them to receive payment when their recordings are copied or played in public, including on the Internet. In the age of streaming, it’s vital that copyright legislation and institutions be adaptive and responsive so musicians and labels are paid whenever their work is commercialized by others. 

Some of the ways that we’re working to strengthen copyright and boost investment in music are: successfully championing reforms to the Copyright Board of Canada that will make the Board’s processes faster, more efficient, and more predictable; calling for the elimination of copyright exemptions that syphon value away from music, and; encouraging provincial government investment in regional music economies, such as the BC Music Fund and Ontario Music Fund.

 

ADDRESSING THE VALUE GAP

Music Canada has been a global leader in researching the Value Gap – its origins, the economic toll, and practical solutions the Government of Canada can implement to help fix the problem. Throughout the government’s current review of the Copyright Act, numerous music community representatives testifying before government committees referenced our report, The Value Gap: Its Origins, Impacts and a Made-in-Canada Approach, and presented the same four recommendations to government. It was abundantly clear that the Value Gap is a real phenomenon that is hurting creators and that it needs to be addressed. Its harm is felt across the music community – everyone from publishers and composers, to labels, and especially artists, are at a disadvantage because of outdated copyright legislation.

Because artists are the motor that drives the music industry, and the storytellers that music fans fall in love with, they are best equipped to communicate the serious and erosive effects the Value Gap is having on their careers, their economic livelihoods, and the wider music community.

Music Canada is committed to supporting artist advocacy, because their stories truly resonate with the public and political decision-makers. We do this through support for discussions at music conferences, economic forums, and spreading the voices of artist advocates at our events and in our reports.

 

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Dr Stacy L. Smith at the 2018 Global Forum

In 2017, Music Canada embarked on an exhaustive organizational review to provide recommendations on ways we could demonstrate leadership in inclusion and good governance. At our annual Playback event in October 2018, we announced preliminary results of this review, including the addition of two new independent member positions on our Board of Directors to bring representation of women on our Board to 40%. We look forward to announcing further details on ways we’re working to reflect the exquisite mosaic that is our Canadian music community in the coming days.

Bringing measurable inclusivity and accountability for the music industry was the topic of one of our major annual events in 2018 called the Global Forum at Canadian Music Week. We were proud to host Dr. Stacy L. Smith of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the leading think tank in the world studying issues of diversity and inequality in entertainment. Dr. Smith pioneered the now popular “Inclusion Rider,” and at the Global Forum, spoke to her organization’s research into inclusion in the music industry.

During JUNOS Weekend 2019, we’re pleased to be supporting CARAS’ Allies in Action event, focusing on action undertaken or underway in the Canadian music community to create safer and more inclusive workplaces and environments for industry members, artists and music fans.

 

MUSIC CITIES

The 2018 Music Cities Summit at CMW

Since the publication of our 2012 report Accelerating Toronto’s Music Industry Growth, Leveraging Best Practices from Austin, Texas, Music Canada has become an internationally renowned source for research into policies municipalities can implement, and actions they can take to activate the full potential of their music economies. Our leadership in Music Cities was further cemented with the publication of our groundbreaking The Mastering of a Music City report in 2015.

Since the release of these reports, we’ve seen phenomenal traction in Canadian cities like Smithers, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and 2019 JUNO Awards host city London. These cities have all formulated an official music strategy, and some have established a music office, or officer position, within their municipality.

In addition to presenting our research at Music Cities events across the globe , Music Canada will host its third annual Music Cities Summit at Canadian Music Week in May of 2019. Look out for details on the 2019 Music Cities Summit, including featured speakers and other program elements in the coming weeks.

 

CELEBRATING SUCCESS

Jessie Reyez receives a Double Platinum plaque with the Universal Music Canada team

Music Canada is proud to return as a sponsor of the Album of the Year category, as well as the Presenting Sponsor of the Chair’s and Welcome Reception on Friday, March 15. With our sponsorship of the category and continued partnership with the JUNO Awards, we join music fans across the country in celebrating the works from this year’s nominees – Hubert Lenoir, Jann Arden, Shawn Mendes, The Weeknd, and Three Days Grace – and congratulate the dedicated label and production teams involved with each release.

Throughout the year, we also join fans in celebrating their favourite artists’ first certification milestones to a lifetime’s worth of achievements with our historic Gold/Platinum program, which was launched in 1975 to celebrate milestone sales of music in Canada. Today, artists can receive new certifications for the combined sales and stream equivalents of their singles and albums, and are often surprised with a tangible recognition of national success by their labels’ devoted teams. Certifications are shared on our Gold/Platinum Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts, and the latest Gold certifications are added to our #GoldinCanada playlist every Thursday.

Music Canada also presents two awards, our President’s Award and Artist Advocate Award, during Playback, our annual industry dialogue and celebration. So far, artists Miranda Mulholland (2017) and Loreena McKennitt (2018) have been honoured with the Artist Advocate Award in recognition of their outstanding advocacy efforts to improve the livelihoods of music creators. Meanwhile, the President’s Award, which is presented to an individual working outside the music community who displays a deep passion for music and the people who make it, has been received by Music Cities champions including former Toronto City Councillor Josh Colle (2018), and co-recipients Cory Crossman, London Music Industry Development Officer, and Chris Campbell, Director of Culture and Entertainment Tourism at Tourism London, who were instrumental in bringing the JUNOS to London this weekend for the very first time.

 

A full rundown of JUNOS Week events is available on the JUNO Awards website. Tickets to The 2019 JUNO Awards Broadcast are available online at budweisergardens.com, by phone at 1-866-455-2849 and in-person at the Courtesy Ford Box Office at Budweiser Gardens (Located at Gate 1).

Categories: Advocacy, Gold/Platinum, Industry News, Music Cities, Value Gap
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Amy Terrill addresses Auckland City of Music strategy launch

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Aucklanders warmly welcomed Music Canada Executive Vice President, Amy Terrill, as the keynote speaker at their recent launch of the Auckland Music Strategy, Te Rautaki Puoro o Tāmaki Makaurau. Terrill provided an international perspective to the event, commenting on the growth of the Music Cities movement, Toronto’s experience, and providing some considerations for Auckland as it implements its three year strategy.

Read More: Auckland joins UNESCO creative cities network

The event, which took place at The Wintergarden, a venue within the historic Civic Theatre,  began with a Māori welcome speech and song, Miki whakatau & waiata, demonstrating the importance of music to the indigenous community,

“For Māori, music is a divine gift passed down by the gods.  It is embedded in traditional ceremony and preserves stories of the past.  These stories live on today, woven into our culture and city.”

Photo: Serene Stevenson

Other performers included Irene and Saia Folau.

Photo: Serene Stevenson

Auckland Council, one of the key partners in the initiative, was well represented with several elected councillors and key staff in the room and remarks by Mayor Phil Goff. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, unable to be there in person, expressed her support through a video message. PM Ardern recalled the first time she was “pitched” on the idea of Auckland as a UNESCO City of Music, and congratulated the industry and civic leaders who worked on the effort over the last two years.

Photo: Serene Stevenson

Photo: Serene Stevenson

The leading proponents of the initiative, Recorded Music NZ and APRA AMCOS, were represented in remarks by Anthony Healey.  The strategy cites Music Canada’s groundbreaking report, The Mastering of a Music City, and Healey noted the importance of this research in the steering committee’s efforts.

In her keynote remarks, Terrill congratulated Auckland on joining “the growing number of cities who are deliberately looking at ways to grow their music economy – many, like Auckland, recognizing a strong music community that has already been built organically.”

Photo: Serene Stevenson

She pointed to the value of the “network of cities, of music industry professionals, artists and academics – all who are sharing experience and wisdom to support these intentional efforts to grow the local music economy.”  

Throughout her remarks, Terrill provided concrete examples of strategies and tactics that have been deployed successfully in other parts of the world, some of which might be helpful for Auckland.  However, she was careful to point out that there is no “cookie cutter approach” and that the way the Auckland strategy is “rooted in what makes your city unique – the diversity of voices and sounds – your unique cultural identity, heritage and position in Australasia,” is very important.

“I see that the City of Auckland values the integration of arts and culture in everyday lives and is working to stimulate the participation of Aucklanders in the arts and employment in the creative sector.  I understand you aspire to be a city where “talent wants to live.” The development of this strategy and inclusion in the UNESCO Creative Cities network is a great first step,” Terrill said in closing. “Ngā mihi nui,” meaning I wish you well.

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Toronto’s musical history recognized in Heritage Toronto Awards’ 2018 Historical Writing: Book nominees

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Heritage Toronto has announced 18 nominees for its 2018 Historical Writing prize, recognizing English language non-fiction books or e-books. The Heritage Toronto Awards “showcase extraordinary contributions to the conservation and promotion of Toronto’s heritage, honouring individuals, groups and organizations for their efforts.”

Three of this year’s nominees for the Historical Writing: Book category pay homage to Toronto’s legendary musicians and music history:

Peter Goddard: The Great Gould

“The Great Gould, with the support of the Glenn Gould Estate, draws on interviews with Glenn Gould to present a freshly revealing portrait of the musician’s unsettled life, his radical decision to stop playing concerts, his career as a radio innovator, and his deep response to the Canadian environment. “

Goddard is an accomplished Canadian music journalist and historian who won the 1973 JUNO Award for Music Journalist of the Year. He has also written books on Ronnie Hawkins, Triumph, David Bowie, and many more musicians, as well as his 1989 book Shakin’ All Over: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Years in Canada.

 

 

David McPherson: The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern

“From country and rockabilly to rock ‘n’ roll, punk, and more, the live music venue has evolved with the times and trends—always keeping pace with the music.  This book celebrates the legacy of the Horseshoe Tavern, and its importance to Toronto music culture today.”

David McPherson is an author specializing in music and golf. His most recent book, The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern explores the 70-year legacy of the storied Queen Street West venue. In an interview with NOW Magazine, McPherson said “When it comes to live music in North America, there are few places that can match the storied building at 370 Queen West. The Horseshoe is a beacon for music lovers, a pilgrimage place for those who love and understand its significance as part of Toronto’s rich musical landscape.”

 

Nicholas Jennings: Lightfoot

“Lightfoot chronicles the life and career of Gordon Lightfoot, unquestionably one of Canada’s greatest songwriters. No matter how much his fame grew abroad, Lightfoot has always come home to Toronto.”

Nicholas Jennings is a renowned music journalist and historian who has written on music for Maclean’s, Billboard, the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail, among many others. His books on Canadian music include Before the Gold Rush: Flashbacks to the Dawn of the Canadian Sound (Penguin) and Fifty Years of Music: The Story of EMI Music Canada (Macmillan). He is passionate about the preservation of Toronto’s music history and in addition to his writing, he also leads walking tours on the musical history of Yorkville and the Yonge Street strip, and he was instrumental in the preservation of the historic “Sam the Record Man” sign which now hangs above Yonge Dundas Square.

 

In Music Canada’s globe-spanning research, music history was found to be an important element of building a Music City, and many Music Cities, including Liverpool, New Orleans and Nashville are steeped in music history. As Music Canada President and CEO Graham Henderson notes in The Mastering of a Music City, “A great Music City knows its music history – you need to know your own story.”

Congratulations to these outstanding Heritage Toronto Awards Historical Writing: Book nominees, and thank you for your work to preserve Toronto’s rich musical history. Congratulations are also due to all other nominees for the 2018 Historical Writing: Book Award – Bruce Newton, John Lorinc, Jane Farrow, Stephanie Chambers, Maureen Fitzgerald, Ed Jackson, Tim McCaskell, Rebecka Sheffield, Rahim Thawer, Tatum Taylor, Tim Morawetz, Scott Kennedy, Shawn Micallef, Robert C. Vipond, Roberto Perin, Phillip Gordon Mackintosh, Karolyn Smardz Frost, Lance Hornby, Adam Bunch, Timothy J. Stewart, Pedro Mendes, Terry Beauchamp, Trevor Cole and Gare Joyce.

The Heritage Toronto Awards ceremony takes place on Monday, October 29 at the Carlu (444 Yonge Street). Tickets can be purchased on the Heritage Toronto website.

 

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City of Vancouver approves measures to help boost music industry and creative sectors

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On July 10th, Vancouver’s City Council voted to take steps towards implementing measures that better support the city’s music ecosystem. Council came to a unanimous decision to approve a grant of $400,000 to help provide funding for “Vancouver-based music-focused projects,” as well as to enhance the growth of accessible, vibrant cultural spaces within the city.

The approved recommendations arose from two reports presented to Council that provided policy suggestions for additional support for the city’s music community and industry: the Vancouver Music Strategy Interim Report and Making Space for Arts and Culture: 2018 Cultural Infrastructure Plan.

“Vancouver’s vibrant, diverse arts and culture community puts us on the map as a city with a thriving creative scene,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson in a media release. “These actions will crank up support for our growing arts and culture community, create and preserve important spaces, and focus the city on ensuring that creative people are able to stay and build a future in Vancouver.”

One of the report’s key recommendations that was approved is the establishment of a temporary full-time staff position within the City that will act as a resource and advocate for the music community, and be responsible for facilitating the completion of the final Vancouver Music Strategy report. Of the total $400,000 grant amount, $100,00 will be allocated towards supporting this staff position.

Other proposed future measures include the development of a Music Office and the creation of a Music Advisory Council. These policy measures echo those recommended in Music Canada’s groundbreaking 2015 report, The Mastering of a Music City.

Also included in the Music Strategy interim report were the findings of the recently released Vancouver Music Ecosystem Study, facilitated by the Music BC Industry Association, Creative BC, Sound Diplomacy, and other key partners.

Some of the study’s key findings include:

  • Economic Impact: the economic impact of music in Vancouver is over $690 million (per year).
  • Employment: the music ecosystem supports a total of 14,540 jobs, including 7,945 direct music jobs in Vancouver for musicians, venues, festivals, music publishers, music teachers, studios & sound engineers, managers and labels, and music press and marketing.
  • Income/Wages: the employment impact of Vancouver’s music industry is over $520M annually.

Read the full Vancouver Music Ecosystem report here.

 

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Music Cities Summit 2018: ‘From Scratch’ Panel Recap

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On Saturday May 12th, Music Canada held its third annual international Music Cities summit The Mastering of a Music City during Canadian Music Week. City professionals, policy-makers, industry executives, and music community members all gathered to discuss topics related to the value of music, its economic impact, and its relationship to innovative city planning and creative entrepreneurship. Click here to view more recaps of panels from the summit. 

The morning featured a panel entitled From Scratch: Imagining and Implementing New Programs and Partnerships, which discussed lessons imparted by successful music industry leaders on topics including identifying the needs in their communities, strategies to persuade partners and funders, and methods of benchmarking programs for sustainability.

The discussion was moderated by Gene Meneray of the The ELLA Project, and included panelists Elizabeth Cawein, Founder/Director of Music Export Memphis; Enzo Mazza, CEO of the Federation of Italian Music Industry (FIMI); Kelly Symes, Ontario Festival of Small Halls; Madalena Salazar, IMTour, Western States Arts Federation.

The panel kicked off with a conversation of the importance of engaging both the music and wider community when building up the programs. Kelly Symes discussed on how for an initiative like the Ontario Festival of Small Halls, securing community buy-in was an essential component of the process.

Elizabeth Cawein similarly touched on the role of audience development for a project like Music Export Memphis, which acts as an international export office to create opportunities for Memphis musicians to showcase outside the city.

Another major topic of discussion was the role of funding for non-profit initiatives, and strategies that can be utilized to help ensure proposed funding is robust enough for the program’s needs, and consistent enough to start building towards sustainability.

Madalena Salazar described how the US-based organization IMTour worked to diversify their funding sources to not only rely on the National Endowment for the Arts, but to also utilize fundraising and other strategies.

The panelists also touched on the positive impact that fostering strategic partnerships can have on a growing organization. Enzo Mazza discussed the important role that local political support had on the organization FIMI in its early stages, and how this attracted the interests of other prominent companies. Mazza highlighted how media organizations in particular were crucial to FIMI’s success, as the support of companies like VH1 helped lead to sponsorships by other major companies.

Watch a video of the full discussion below, and stay tuned next week for a recap of another exciting panel.

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Smithers Chamber of Commerce and local arts council work to develop music strategy

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The Smithers District Chamber of Commerce and the Bulkley Valley Community Arts Council, located in British Columbia, have begun working to create the town’s first comprehensive music strategy. The group hosted a social on May 30th to bring together key stakeholders in the local music industry, and help secure their involvement in the strategy development.

The impetus to begin this project arose out of a Music Cities Toolkit that Music Canada custom-built last spring for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s network of over 450 chambers of commerce and boards of trade. The Toolkit was designed to provide Canadian chambers of commerce with a roadmap and guide to activate the power of music in their city.

“We as a group decided we need a music strategy, and we need to understand how music contributes to our economy here in the Bulkley Valley before we can start marketing ourselves as ‘Smithers: the Music City,’” Project Coordinator Liliana Dragowska told The Interior News.

The group received funding through Creative B.C’s Industry Initiatives Program. As Dragowska described, the group began working on the early stages of the strategy that was introduced to attendees at the May 30th event.

A Smithers District Chamber of Commerce release from March 2018 listed the key goals of the Smithers music strategy as:

  1. Gather information to assemble a Smithers music sector inventory that will inform a website. The website will be developed through the Northern Development Initiative Trust’s Marketing Community Development Fund.
  2. Gather preliminary economic information that will create a baseline for all things music.
  3. Conduct a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats analysis of the music sector in Smithers.
  4. Draft focused recommendations on how to strengthen and grow the music sector in the Smithers area.

According to Chamber Manager Heather Gallagher, the music strategy will include 16 total recommendations aimed at three types of stakeholders: the local government, Chamber of Commerce, and those within the local music community.

The final version of the music strategy will be presented to the Smithers town council on June 26th, 2018.

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Music Cities Summit 2018: ‘Music Officers Meet their Match’ Panel Recap

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Grant W. Martin Photography

On Saturday May 12th, Music Canada held its third annual international Music Cities Summit The Mastering of a Music City during Canadian Music Week 2018. City professionals, policy-makers, industry executives, and music community members all gathered to discuss topics related to the value of music, its economic impact, and its relationship to innovative city planning and creative entrepreneurship. Click here to view more recaps of panels from the summit. 

The morning kicked off with a panel discussion between Seattle, WA’s Kate Becker and London, ON’s Cory Crossman, two Music Officers doing exciting work to build up their Music City. The topic centered around exploring their methods of turning music strategies into concrete results, and learning about different approaches they used to address common barriers and problems.

The Music Officers began the conversation discussing the importance of developing a comprehensive music strategy that allows for flexible planning and policy-making. Cory Crossman, London’s Music Industry Development Officer, touched on the importance of branding when developing a profile as a Music City. He highlighted how the city’s path to promoting a ‘rock and roll revitalization’ in London was a key component of their approach and direction.

Crossman also discussed the growing economic and cultural impact of music tourism for a city. Events like the Jack Richardson London Music Week, Jack Richardson Music Hall Of Fame, and the upcoming 2019 JUNO Awards have greatly contributed towards elevating London’s brand as a Music City attraction.

Kate Becker, Director of Seattle’s Office of Film and Music followed up with touching on some of Seattle’s major music accomplishments. Some of the most notable milestones include an annual City of Music Career Day (now in its seventh year) and the Sea-Tac Airport “Experience the City of Music” initiative, a public-private partnership that features local musicians playing throughout the airport and exciting overhead announcements by renowned Seattle artists, such as Macklemore.

The Music Officers also discussed the importance of ensuring an adherence to safety principles and conditions at music venues or events. Becker reflected on an example in 2015 where the city was faced with a troubling spike in incidences of drug-related issues at Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festivals and clubs. To address this, she implemented an approach that incorporated the input and participation of all the important players in this issue: promoters, venue owners, medics, harm-reduction experts, and more.

In particular, the Office of Film + Music collaborated with the city to host an annual ‘Music Safety Summit’ (now in its 4th year) that serves as a crucial public forum for key actors to work together towards progressive and effective solutions. Becker highlighted how this collaborative approach serves as a model that her office tries to utilize to address different situations that arise.

Becker and Crossman also touched on the critical importance of demonstrating the economic value of music to a city. Crossman credited the London Live Music Census as a major factor in gaining city and political support for the music strategy, and mentioned taking inspiration from Becker’s approach by ensuring that economic impact was measured and incorporated into policy-making. Becker agreed, and discussed how a 2008 economic impact study on Seattle’s music scene was the driving force behind the Office of Film + Music being established.

Prior to taking questions from audience members, Becker and Crossman ended their discussion with a reflection on the importance of audience development, and ensuring that the fans and public are properly engaged and connected.

Watch a video of the full discussion below, and stay tuned next week for a recap of another exciting panel.

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Mayor Gregor Robertson shares new details on the Vancouver Music Strategy during JUNOs Week in Vancouver

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Vancouver’s Mayor, Gregor Robertson, announced this morning at the JUNO Host Committee’s Music Cities Forum that the Vancouver Music Strategy will be presented to council in summer of 2018. The strategy has been in development since mid-2016, led by the Vancouver Music City Steering Committee with input from an Advisory Committee.

“There’s no doubt we have enormous potential in music and sound, particularly given the scale of our creative industries,” Robertson told the Music Cities Forum crowd.

In a City of Vancouver release, Robertson expanded on the Strategy’s goals: “Vancouver is home to a growing number of world-class artists who are building a vibrant and diverse music scene in our city. The Vancouver Music Strategy will help our artists to thrive—not just survive—by boosting our creative economy and seizing opportunities to grow our local music industry.”

The Strategy will be informed by two concurrent studies that received support from the BC Music Fund’s Research Program: Music BC’s City of Vancouver Music Ecosystem study, also funded by FACTOR and conducted by Sound Diplomacy, and Music Canada Live’s Economic Impact Assessment of Live Music in BC, facilitated by Nordicity. Both studies are expected to be completed in spring of 2018.

“This is a pivotal time for the City of Vancouver and British Columbia as we look to safeguard the long-term viability of the music sector within the creative economy. Music BC and the [Vancouver] Music City Steering Committee are committed to ensuring that these findings are used to reach our common goals of a vibrant and sustainable industry that will allow our artists and music industry professionals to thrive on the global stage,” said Alex Grigg, Executive Director of Music BC and Co-chair of the Vancouver Music City Steering Committee, in the City release. “This will be a benchmark for Music BC to work with other cities and municipalities across the province to implement like-minded strategies.  Music BC would like to thank the City of Vancouver, the Province of BC, FACTOR and all of our stakeholders for your continued support.”

It is a thrilling day for music in Vancouver and the province of British Columbia, as the Government of BC also announced a new music fund this morning called AMPLIFY BC. The excitement over the two announcements was palpable at the Music Cites Forum.

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