Latest news with #CanadianLiveMusicAssociation
CBC
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Regina Folk Festival done permanently due to financial struggles
Social Sharing The Regina Folk Festival (RFF) is permanently shutting down after decades of bringing music to the city's downtown. Despite efforts to restructure and rebuild, festival organizers announced Tuesday that financial constraints and operational challenges have forced them to cancel the event and dissolve the organization. "This news is difficult, however, we are filled with gratitude for everyone involved with the festival," the RFF board of directors said in a statement. In June 2023, organizers warned the festival was facing a "serious financial crisis" and appealed to the community for donations and support. The festival then announced a hiatus in 2024 to rework its format, citing ongoing financial struggles. "We are taking a fallow year; a year away from summer festival programming to rebuild our resources and vision in a reality that's still in flux for presenting arts organizations across Canada after the economic challenges resulting from the pandemic," the festival said in a news release on March 6, 2024. Instead of a full-scale event in 2024, organizers launched a concert series while planning for the festival's return in 2025. The 53rd edition was scheduled to run from Aug. 8 to Aug. 10. The statement Tuesday said that by early this year, the organization realized the financial and staffing challenges were too great to overcome. The festival has now begun the process of refunding all purchased tickets. The RFF's closure is the latest blow to Canada's live music industry, which has struggled to recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising costs, stagnant funding and declining ticket sales have put additional pressure on organizers. The RFF board says it now costs 30 to 40 per cent more than it did in 2019 to organize a comparable event. "According to the Canadian Live Music Association, the industry experienced a staggering 60% revenue decline during the pandemic," the statement said. End of an era Since its founding in 1969, the Regina Folk Festival has been a fixture of the city's summer music scene, attracting audiences to Victoria Park for a weekend of live music and entertainment. "For 55 years, the Regina Folk Festival has been more than just a celebration of live music; it's been a highly anticipated weekend of community building where lasting memories were made," the board said. "We are heartbroken that it is time to say goodbye."
CBC
02-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Artists say live music venues in B.C. must be protected — but it'll require help from municipal governments
Social Sharing Musician Jody Glenham worries about the future of live music in Vancouver, a city brimming with talent but where the cost of rent for both musicians and music venues is making it difficult to have a full-time career in music. "People are leaving the city because they have no other choice," she said. Glenham balances work as a musician, a DJ and a talent booker to make ends meet. She said the situation for musicians — in many cases, those hoping to one day earn a Juno nomination for their work — is "dire." As the cost of living continues to skyrocket and spaces for musicians to perform become fewer, some say municipal music strategies are becoming increasingly important. A municipal music strategy is a set of policies created by municipal governments to help bolster local musicians. Vancouver and Victoria, for example, both have music strategies. "One of the big impetuses for the music strategy was the affordability crisis was hitting arts and culture," said Matt Dell, a Victoria city councillor and local musician. "As properties became more valuable, commercial spaces downtown became more valuable, arts and culture was just sort of getting priced out of the market." Having read the Vancouver strategy and being a working musician in the city, Glenham wonders whether it's really being implemented. Protecting live music venues The Canadian Live Music Association recently released the results of a study on the impact live music has on the Canadian economy. It found that in 2023 alone, live music contributed $10.9 billion to the country's GDP and supported more than 100,000 full-time equivalent jobs. "Live music is a really big deal, and not just because it's awesome … but it's also a super important economic driver in the country," said association board chair Tarun Nayar. But when venues like the non-profit-run Victoria Events Centre and nightclubs on Granville Street are closing, it's tough for musicians to keep playing and thus contributing to the country's economy. Nayar, who says he helped create the Vancouver and Victoria music strategies, said protecting existing venues is the number one thing local governments can be doing to help bolster the live music scene. Victoria's strategy resulted in the city purchasing the building that houses local music venue Hermann's Jazz Club, in order to preserve and protect a valuable live music space. Saadi D'hoore, music officer for the City of Vancouver is, like many of the people working with municipalities on music, also a musician. His job, which is part of the city's music strategy, involves working with musicians, businesses and audiences to help address some of the challenges the music community faces. D'hoore said there's an argument to be made for some sort of community-owned venue or cultural land trust. "We should work towards community ownership of these assets," he said. Glenham wonders if rent control should be introduced for music venues. Alternatively, she suggests financial relief for live music spaces. D'hoore said that would be complex and perhaps outside his purview; however, he said part of his job is talking to artists and venues about these types of solutions. "I think there's a lot to explore," he said.
CBC
30-01-2025
- Business
- CBC
Canada's live music industry grew economy by more than $10B in 2023: report
Canada's live music industry generated $10.92 billion for the economy in 2023, according to a new report released Thursday. The industry also supported more than 101,640 full-time equivalent jobs, according to the report by the Canadian Live Music Association (CMLA). The organization says the report is the first-ever to assess the economic impact of live music in the country. "The report makes it clearer than ever that protecting and growing Canada's live music infrastructure … drives major economic impact for cities and towns, and creates more opportunities for Canadian artists," CMLA president Erin Benjamin said at a launch event in Toronto on Tuesday. Benjamin added the industry's economic contributions were made "largely in the absence of any dedicated policy frameworks aimed at incentivizing innovation and growth in live music." Visitor spending related to live music tourism in 2023 was estimated at $9.9 billion — representing just over 10 per cent of total tourism spending in Canada that year, the report says. The report used a public survey with 651 responses collected last summer as the primary financial data collection tool. This survey was promoted through the CMLA social and email channels, and through community partners with networks in the music industry. CMLA also conducted a series of regional roundtables to gather qualitative findings about the industry. The report incorporated secondary research from sources including Statistics Canada and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. 'It's really hard to get people to leave their homes' Canada's live music industry is facing difficulty due to operational costs, with many festivals and events still recovering from financial losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the report says. Declining support from corporate sponsorships and government, as well as inflation, are making recovery from the pandemic challenging, it adds. While Toronto is one of the major live music markets in the country — along with Vancouver and Montreal — the report found the rising cost of living in these cities is making it difficult for music professionals to maintain their careers. "As a result, many artists are struggling to afford to live in the very cities that are central to Canada's music industry," the report said. In a statement, the city said it's supporting live music through several initiatives, including by giving eligible venues a 50 per cent reduction in property tax each year. The city is also exploring how to protect existing venues and encourage new spaces, such as through more tax incentives and cultural heritage designations, spokesperson Imane Boussaid said. "Much of this work is ongoing, and the continued support of live music remains a priority for the city," she said. In Toronto, live music venues create a total economic impact of $850 million annually, while providing the equivalent of 10,500 full-time jobs, according to the city's website. About 80 per cent of recording industry expenditure in the country is in the Toronto region, the city said. But affording rent in the city can be difficult for some live music venues, said Billy Wild, owner of Division 88. The venue, located near Dufferin Street and Geary Avenue is also a production studio, record label and event space. Wild said declining alcohol sales have hit music venues, including Division 88, hard — an issue noted in the CLMA report. Promotion is also challenging, unless a notable artist is performing, he said. "It's really hard to get people to leave their homes… It's harder to get them to spend money at a place," he said. To diversify their events, Wilder said Divison 88 livestreams performances on YouTube and also hosts other programming, such as video game tournaments.
