Impact measurement

Improve the impact measurement of the live music sector via better use of evidence-gathering, data collection and analysis

If every great song tells a story then research will be the industry’s 'greatest hit'. Data and statistics allow us to communicate our unique and important value proposition, making the case for the economic, social, and cultural benefits that live music provides.

Existing data sources

Currently, information from a range of sources is used to provide estimates of the importance of the live music sector. These include government statistics, market research, membership data and other information from musicians and organizations, as well as statistics about concert revenues and audiences.

For example, Statistics Canada collects industry highlights and financial data including revenues, expenses, and operating profit margins on performing arts through its Annual Survey of Service Industries: Spectator Sports, Event Promoters, Artists and Related Industries. However, this source of data has limited value to our industry, as it does not report on live music as a distinct category.

Culture Satellite Account (CSA) data provides information on the total value of the arts and cultural industries in Canada (broken down by province and territory) including data on live performance. A major limitation of the CSA is that live music has not been identified as a distinct sub-domain, which means certain aspects of live music (for example, music festivals, live music in non-music venues such as bars and multipurpose event spaces) are not captured and therefore significantly skews, downward, the size and scope of the industry.

The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) recently released a study on urban Canadians’ interest in live music. SOCAN also collects data on live performance copyright tariff revenues that could allow for analysis of the revenues generated from live music performances. No extensive analysis has taken place to date.^{footnote 6[6]}

There are also a variety of private sector publications and data sources that form another key source of intelligence on the size and impact of our industry. But this data is often expensive, or not broken down in a way that is useful to live music operators.

All these sources of data reflect different collection methodologies. Typically, they do not provide insights at the provincial or municipal scale, and therefore have not translated into effective impact measurement of our sector. Tourism, hospitality and other industries could greatly benefit from direct and indirect observations and conclusions based on these data sources.

In December, 2015, Music Canada released the report Live Music Measures Up: An Economic Impact Analysis of Live Music in Ontario, which is described as the first comprehensive study of the live music industry in Ontario, providing critical data and information that can help guide decision-making within the sector by government and allied stakeholders.

According to Scott Lund, CEO of SW Sports & Entertainment in Sudbury, statistics are a catalyst for the development of Sudbury’s live music sector. “For the Northern Ontario music market to reach its potential, it is important to have provincial and regional research. This is especially critical for smaller markets. It helps us to predict and support growth so we can leverage our local music economies in Sudbury and across the North.”

Prioritizing future research

By virtue of live music’s often adhoc nature, impact measurement is challenging for our sector. Moreover, live music creates important spill-over effects on other segments of our economy that are difficult to track. Also, since our industry can be highly competitive, encouraging the sharing of data among us poses a challenge in and of itself.

The Vision for Ontario’s Live Music Industry creates a valuable opportunity for our sector to prioritize data collection and analysis to develop long-term, big-picture recommendations based on evidence. Research will enable the sector to benchmark growth and identify further opportunities, barriers, challenges and successes. Most importantly, by improving the impact measurement of our sector, we can ensure we are better equipped to demonstrate a strong business case for live music in our dealings with public funders, private financers, and other interests.

This Vision proposes foundational recommendations that will increase the research capacity of Ontario’s live music sector and improve the quality and scope of data and evidence available for decision-making and policy-setting.