Canadian Live Music Association Calls for Urgent Action in Federal Budget to Save Endangered Live Music Venues, Festivals, and Events

CLMA's Erin Benjamin

Amid daily reports that Canada is losing cultural institutions coast to coast to coast, and in advance of the federal Budget next month, the Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) is calling on the federal government to provide emergency support to the live music sector and save the small music venues and other festivals and events at risk of disappearing forever.

Independently operated and non-profit venues and festivals continue to endure a host of challenges, while opportunities are disappearing for artists to perform on these stages as a direct result. These stages are key to artist development and growth, and the urgency has never been greater for these small businesses and organizations as they endure ongoing impacts of the pandemic and rising inflation. Cost of goods and services have nearly tripled, and labour shortages and supply chain issues compound to threaten the ability of many to remain operational.

Without smaller spaces for artists to grow, the sustainability of Canada’s live music sector is uncertain. So too are the well-known benefits to tourism, job creation, private sector investment, and access to artistic performances that improve our mental and physical well-being, and change our lives.

Canada’s live music industry is appealing to the federal government to increase funding through the Canada Music Fund, the Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF) and the Building Communities through Arts and Heritage (BCAH) program as part of Budget 2024. There is added grave concern as Canadian Heritage actively “refocuses spending”, to “return $64M from its existing grants and contributions (and operational spending)”, while media brings us dire warnings from festivals and events on a now regular basis. Equally worrying are the rapidly declining contributions from radio broadcasters, whose allocations to FACTOR and Musication play an essential role inside the Canada Music Fund.

By taking action today, the federal government can help to ensure our sector can continue to help support artists (especially emerging artists), provide places for musicians to perform, create transformative experiences for audiences, and confidently impact all Canadians – economically, socially and culturally.

The future of live music and live performance, and the careers of artists, are at great risk. The CLMA cannot stress enough, now is the time for this government to address these three vital programs with permanent funding increases.

Increase investments to Canada’s live music sector in Budget 2024.

To read the CLMA’s budget recommendations, please visit this page.
To read the open letter signed by the #KeepYourPromise coalition and twenty-six music industry service associations calling on the government to increase the Canada Music Fund, please visit this page.
To read the open letter signed by the #FutureOfLIVE coalition and thirty-five arts service organizations calling on the government to make permanent increases to the Canada Arts Presentation Fund and the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program, please visit this page.