We need your help to raise the voice of the music community and get the federal government’s attention. You can do that in seconds by using the Canadian Independent Music Association’s action page to email Liberal MP’s and Canada’s Ministers of Heritage and Finance. Call on them to be Music Champions and remind them to keep their promise to increase the budget of the Canada Music Fund. Additionally, PLEASE tell your networks about the #canadamusicfund and use these images to share on social media!
Here’s why: The Liberal government, which has been a strong supporter of Canada’s music sector throughout the pandemic, promised in the last federal election to increase the annual contribution to the Canada Music Fund to $50 million by 2024-2025.
That’s huge because the Canada Music Fund (CMF) is a key part of what funds FACTOR’s ground-breaking investments in Canadian artists and music companies – including songwriters and music publishers. Last year alone FACTOR invested $21 million in the music sector. 6,500 artists have had support through FACTOR in the last five years.
But FACTOR’s budget can’t keep up with the growing demands for its programming. The other part of FACTOR’s annual budget comes from contributions from private radio broadcasters and those contributions are falling fast. For example, in 2020, FACTOR received $16 million in radio contributions. In 2024-25 those contributions could be as low as $2 million. This is why the CMF increase is so crucial. But look, that $50 million would only ensure that existing programming continues and is insufficient to create new programming for the live sector. That’s why most music associations across the country have called for an increase to $60 million.
So if the government does not make good even on their $50 million promise to our sector, FACTOR’s budget could be cut in half over the next couple of years. If that happens companies will close, jobs will be lost, artists won’t get the investments they need to record or tour which will harm an already precarious local live music scene.
We don’t want that. So, let’s remind them to keep their promise.
Let’s do this!
Thank you,
Eric
