Please note that the Music BC team will be out of the office as of Monday, December 18th, and will be back in action on Tuesday, January 2nd (2024!). Wishing you a wonderful holiday, and we’ll see you all next year!
– Lindsay, Nicolle, Emily & Kentya
APPLY FOR BREAKOUT WEST 2024
Western Canadian musicians, it’s go time!!Festival submissions are now open for BreakOut West 2024.
Each year 50+ bands from across western Canada are selected to showcase for our international and Canadian delegates…. and of course, music fans! Are you an emerging artist ready to take the next step and grow your business? Apply to showcase for artist managers, booking agents, festival buyers, label reps and more at this year’s BreakOut West taking place September 25 – 29, 2024 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
As always, Music BC Members get a discount on submission fees when applying to BreakOut West. Not sure how to become a member? Visit our website for more information.
Early Bird Deadline: January 14th, 2024 Application Deadline: January 28th, 2024
Have you had a recent tour or business travel initiative? Or perhaps you have one coming up? Music BC’s travel grant deadlines are open for Artists and Businesses – including showcase, touring and business travel.
Artist and Business Travel
Application Deadline: January 12th, 2024 at 5:00 PM (PST)
This deadline will be accepting applications to support initiatives that take place between October 1st, 2023, to March 31st, 2024. Please refer to the following deadline if your activities take place outside of this window.
As always, please ensure that you read our program guidelines in advance of applying, as we are constantly updating them to improve our programs. If you have any questions, please reach out to info@musicbc.org.
Music BC Travel Grants are made possible through the ongoing support of Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia.
Yesterday, Creative BC launched a new program that will invest $200,000 in Amplify BC funding to support growing music and sound recording businesses in British Columbia owned by people from systemically excluded groups.
The Business Foundations Program invests in growing businesses owned by people from systemically excluded groups in B.C.’s music ecosystem, to expand and develop networks, capacity, and infrastructure. Entrepreneurs and companies can apply for $2,000 – $10,000 to support business operations, funding up to 100% of eligible expenses.
Additionally, the Demo Recording Programis now open for applications! This program supports new and emerging artists from systemically excluded groups living in B.C. to create demo recordings and engage in mentorship with local music producers. Artists and producers can apply together for a $2,000 grant to cover 100% of recording expenses for one to two songs.
Deadline for both Applications: February 15th, 2024
Foundations is Music BC’s free, on-demand library of accessible “101” level educational modules that aim to provide essential learning for new and emerging artists and creative industry professionals. It is your on-demand music industry professional development program.
Check out some of our latest modules!
Register for your free Jumpstart Foundations account at the link below, and view our growing library of modules anytime!
Jumpstart Foundations is made possible through the ongoing support of Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia.
APPLY FOR CANADIAN CREATIVE ACCELERATOR Calling all self-identifying Black Canadian Music Managers! The Canadian Creative Accelerator (CCA) is your gateway to the American music scene. The CCA has collaborated with Breaking Down Racial Barriers (BDRB) Initiative to identify and elevate Black Canadian Music Managers. Application Deadline: December 15th, 2023 LEARN MORE
JOIN CIMA’S BUSINESS MISSION TO EUROSONIC 2024 CIMA will be organizing a business mission to Eurosonic in Groningen, Netherlands from January 17th – 20th, 2024. Are you interested in having your artist showcase at events like The Great Escape, Reeperbahn, New Skool Rules, or planning a European tour? Want to establish connections with buyers spanning across Europe? Join CIMA’s Eurosonic business mission next month! Application Deadline: December 19th, 2023 APPLY HERE
APPLY FOR THE OHSOTO’KINO RECORDING BURSARY PROGRAM The OHSOTO’KINO Recording Bursary program is open to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists. NMC will provide access to its world-class recording studios and “living collection” of musical instruments, which spans 450 years of technical innovation. Two submissions — one for contemporary music, one for traditional genres — will be awarded a one-week recording session at Studio Bell to produce a commercial release. Application Deadline: January 7th, 2024 APPLY HERE
INDUSTRY NEWS
Canadian Music Stakeholders Debate “Once-in-a-Generation” Update to CanCon Regulations Organizations like Spotify, Music Canada and CIMA have been speaking at hearings around Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, which will update Canada’s media policy for the first time in decades.–READ MORE
A Woman Will Lead the National Youth Orchestra of Canada for the First Time in 64-Year History The National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYO Canada) has announced Naomi Woo as its music director for 2024 and 2025. She’s the first woman to lead the orchestra since it was founded in 1960. – READ MORE
Why Spotify’s New Payment Model Falls Short for Emerging Artists After much speculation on what Spotify’s updated payment modelwould actually look like, the streaming giant finally released a comprehensive breakdown in a blog post late last month.– READ MORE
How the Giddha Folk Dance and Boliyan Songs Are Helping Punjabi-Canadian Women Connect With Their Roots Jasmine Kaur Sidhu, a coach at the club, is leading a group practising giddha — the folk dance of Punjabi women from India and Pakistan — and sing boliyan, its accompanying songs and poems. – READ MORE
Latin Artists Have Been Paving the Way for Deals that Offer More Control, Transparency, and Better Economics Spanish artist Iñigo Quintero’s Si No Estás rose to the top of Spotify‘s Global Top 50 in late October – and has stubbornly refused to leave the upper reaches of digital charts ever since. – READ MORE
These Were the Most Popular Songs and Artists On TikTok in Canada in 2023 The most popular TikTok song in Canada this year belonged to PARTYNEXTDOOR – no doubt a major Canadian hip-hop and R&B artist. But the version of his song “Her Way” that tops their list is not the original one, but a sped-up version attached to a dance challenge. – READ MORE
SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK
Vancouver based alt-rock artist Taylor Curtis released his debut EP, Neurotica, in March of 2021. Engineered by platinum certified producer Nygel Asselin (Half Moon Run, Shred Kelly, Lights), Neurotica has garnered airplay on college radio across North America and the United Kingdom, and even charted in the top 30 on select campus radio stations in Canada.
After needing lung surgery in 2007 due to a spontaneous lung collapse, Taylor began to take vocal lessons with the hope of strengthening his voice along with his recovering lung. He later went on to earn a B.A. in English and Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. His guitar-driven narratives are an investigation into the unknown and often unanswerable, with a musical backdrop that borrows tones from early-00s rock and the neo-psychedelica of today.
In late 2021, Taylor received a FACTOR Artist Development Grant to record his debut LP, Transient. The lead single, “The Stranger,” was released on December 14, 2023. To celebrate the release of the new single, Taylor and his band will be performing at The Fox Cabaret in Vancouver on December 21, 2023.
Reach out to info@musicbc.org if you would like to include an upcoming application or funding deadline.
ROLLING DEADLINES
FACTOR:Live Performance, Industry Events, Collective Initiatives – Showcase Production for Artists from Official Language Minority, Collective Initiatives – Showcase Production for Export-Ready Artists, Comprehensive Artist, Comprehensive Music Company, Business Travel, Marketing & Promo for Non-FACTOR Funded Sound Recordings, Songwriter Development, Sponsorship, Video
SOCAN:Travel Assistance, Professional Development Assistance, SOCAN Foundation Relief Fund
Canada Council:Travel, Residencies, Professional Development for Artists, Research and Creation, Creating, Knowing and Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples
This project is funded in part by FACTOR, the Government of Canada and Canada’s private radio broadcasters. Ce projet est financé en partie par FACTOR, le gouvernement du Canada et les radiodiffuseurs privés du Canada.
