Local music scenes

Strengthening opportunities for live music businesses and performing artists

Live music events are staged in communities large and small in every region of Ontario. They range from local music festivals to those with an out-of province and international draw, and include concerts in a wide range of venues, from small clubs to stadiums. Toronto is the single largest market, but Ontario’s live music sector is made up of a series of music scenes of varying sizes, each of which are vital to the overall health and growth of the provincial industry. Smaller scenes often play an integral role in artist development, and have their own unique strengths and needs, yet face many of the same challenges and opportunities as larger music scenes.

Collaborating to create music-friendly policies

According to Music Canada’s The Mastering of a Music City report, released in summer 2015, music-friendly policies “encourage the growth of music creation, performance and recording, and attract and retain creative people. On the other hand, obstructive government policies make it difficult or impossible for music to be created, performed or celebrated, and can lead to an out-migration of artist entrepreneurs.”

Developing music-friendly policies and addressing issues such as noise complaints and rising property tax rates are priorities that were raised by many respondents to our consultation. These issues affect local live music scenes across the province, in big cities and small communities, and they have a direct impact on the ability of music venues and other presenters to make live music happen.

If left unresolved, these issues can lead to venues closing, prevent new ones from opening, and discourage existing venues from expanding their operations. Collaboration between venues and communities – and industry and government — can help find solutions, but live music professionals must feel empowered and inspired to take leadership on these issues.

For example, the Toronto Music Industry Advisory Council (TMAC) has been working with the City of Toronto to improve supports for live music venues, change zoning and licensing by-laws, improve access to parking for tour buses, and review rules about performances in city parks and other outdoor areas. This kind of collaboration has also occurred in other "Music Cities"^{footnote 3[3]} across Ontario, such as Ottawa and London. Municipal planning should take into account factors such as the adequacy of transportation and affordability of housing for artists.

Forums for industry professionals to come together, share information, and partner in advocacy are a core need. Respondents also expressed a strong desire for clearly stated policies that are applied consistently across different places and different genres of music, as well as more open communication with government.

Bringing live music to new audiences

For live music venues, festivals, promoters, presenters, and artists, developing new audiences is critical to commercial success.

The 2015 report Live Music Measures Up: An Economic Analysis of Live Music in Ontario, released by Music Canada with support from the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), describes how Ontario’s live music industry is struggling to build and maintain audiences in an era of increased competition. Live music events are not only competing with each other for audiences, but with popular new digital forms of leisure and entertainment.

Tapping into Ontario’s cultural diversity by expanding the range of genres on offer and promoted in the province is one way to accomplish this. The majority of live music companies in Ontario operate in the realm of popular music (75 percent), according to the Live Music Measures Up report, but some (32 percent) are also active in more than one genre.

Many consultation respondents suggested that offering a greater diversity of genres would stimulate audience demand, with hip hop cited as a notable example. Respondents suggested that addressing the gaps in certain genres may require the development of greater industry expertise among those who work in those genres, and greater representation at industry leadership levels.

Ontario is also home to a vibrant French-language music sector, which is a competitive advantage and an opportunity to find and grow audiences. This integral part of the sector is supported by organizations such as the Association des professionnels de la chanson et de la musique (APCM), which promotes francophone artists and disseminates francophone cultural products across Ontario.

Addressing gaps in the market

A key barrier to provincial music sector growth continues to be the lack of midsized live music venues. For example, the 2015 Connecting Ottawa Music report identifies the lack of venues with a capacity between 300 and 600 people as a weakness in that market. It forces local musicians, who would otherwise play for audiences of that size, to go elsewhere to perform. This lack of mid-sized venues was cited by several consultation respondents in communities across the province.

Better collaboration could improve the ability of artists to tour and perform across Ontario. For example, industry dialogue on developing more nuanced radius clauses could allow for artists to perform in smaller markets in addition to larger venues or festivals in the same region.

There is an underserved demand for all-ages music shows in Ontario. This has been identified as a priority for the industry (and will be discussed further in the “Industry Infrastructure” section). Critically, all-ages shows enrich the lives of young people, build engaged audiences for the future, and provide established artists with more performance opportunities, while also allowing emerging artists and live industry professionals to hone their skills.

Supporting grassroots music presentation

Innovation in live music presentation at the grassroots level, often in the form of Do It Yourself (DIY) shows and venues—which occur in non-traditional spaces like warehouses, art galleries, or living rooms—could represent an important growth opportunity for the sector if consensus can be found on expectations for such events.

Grassroots presenters are often able to be more innovative, nimble and flexible than traditional presenters.^{footnote 4[4]} Unlike a traditional music venue like a bar or club, grassroots venues tend to be less constrained by the need for bar and alcohol sales. Some grassroots presenters have adopted social enterprise business models and operate with a social justice mandate, often working with artists from marginalized or underrepresented communities.

While gaining recognition, DIY venues face specific challenges stemming primarily from a lack of understanding about what they are and what they do. They are spaces that were, generally, never intended to be music venues. While they don’t face all the same challenges as traditional venues, they do face similar challenges of capacity, crowd and noise control, and safety. Regulators struggle with these matters in non-traditional spaces.

For example, the Grickle Grass Festival, which takes place in the London Regional Children’s Museum, combines a day of family-friendly activities with a night of live music on stages set up throughout the museum. According to Savanah Sewell, the festival’s co-founder, "Music Cities start at the grassroots. We are activating these buildings, but there is a disconnect between what we are doing and what is traditionally considered the 'music industry'."

Several consultation respondents suggested that a more formal network of grassroots presenters, through which these entrepreneurs could share resources and expertise, could help this part of the live music community grow.