The province of Ontario has set aside $45 million CAD (~$43M USD) for a new Ontario Music Fund.
The new fund was launched by Michael Chan, Ontario’s minister of tourism, culture, and sport, yesterday in Toronto. Chan said
“Ontario is the heartland for music in Canada, generating over $420 million in revenue, representing more than 80 percent of the national total”.
The music fund will provide support for a variety of industry sectors through four different revenue streams:
- Music Company Development: Will support record labels with headquarters in Ontario and music managers, music publishers, and entrepreneurs with revenue of $100,000+. Local companies can use the funding to expand business activity. Foreign record labels can use the funding to
“produce and market the recordings of local musicians, and to attract established foreign international artists to record in Ontario”.
- Music Futures: Available for industry associations, non-profits, consortiums, and music business trade organizations. Funds will be used to create long terms plans, including music training, awards shows, and digital innovation.
- Live Music: Provides funds for music promoters, music presenters, and booking agents to use on music events and booking local artists.
- Music Industry Development: Will assist small record labels, publishers, managers, promoters, presenters, booking agents, and artist entrepreneurs with annual revenue between $35,000 and $100,000. This stream will provide business mentoring, skills development, and capital.
Applications for company development and futures are now open. Applications for live music and industry development will open on November 7th. These applications will close between December and January.
Image by Kevin Krejci, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
The “city” of Ontario? It should be the Province of Ontario.
Corporate welfare
The bar of a music related business of $35,000 means that many of the creative song writers and performers won’t qualify for the funds. Not to mention the 45 million doesn’t buy what it formerly did.
if your not making at least $3500 then your probably not full time..
its a good line that separates out the part timer wannabe’s
This is a huge step for Canada to recognize it’s music industry potential and how this will bring even more to the future of music and the Canadian economy.
Canada, like many civilized countries, has a cabinet-level ministry for arts and culture (The Minister of Canadian Heritage). The UK also funds the arts at the cabinet level and it’s been extremely proactive in promoting British music. It makes good economic sense. Music, like other arts, isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity, and it’s one that pays economic dividends for the country as a whole. As for who gets funded and who doesn’t, is that process any more capricious than the old A&R shuffle?
It sure feels better funding then spending tons of money on buying stuff to blow up brown people, I’ll give you that much.
Brown people? And that’s important to music…. How?