Supporting Ontario Artists – Ontario Music Fund Q&A
With the Juno Awards taking place this Sunday in Vancouver all eyes are on Canadian artists from coast-to-coast. And with a bevy of talent and nominations, Ontario is well represented and positioned to have a big night at Rogers Arena.
Most notably, Ontarians will be focused on the Fan Choice Award where seven of the nine 2018 nominees are Ontario made with Alessia Cara, Arkells, Justin Bieber, Jessie Reyez, Shawn Mendes, The Weeknd, and Walk Off The Earth all up for the award.
As we get ready to watch the awards and cheer on all of our favourites, we caught up with Marina Adam of the Ontario Media Development Corporation to talk about the Ontario Music Fund, supporting homegrown artists, and more.
Check it out, and don’t miss the 2018 Juno Awards, Sunday, March 25 at 8pm EST on CBC and streaming live at cbcmusic.ca/junos!
Q. With the music industry becoming a more global community, how does the OMDC continue to put a focus on Ontario artists in the industry?
A. One of the main objectives of the Ontario Music Fund (OMF) is to increase the Ontario music industry’s economic and cultural footprint both domestically and internationally. The OMF supports activities like touring, marketing and promotion, so Ontario music companies can send their artists to international markets, and market and promote them abroad to raise their profile all over the world. The OMF also provides Ontario music organizations with funding to organize trade missions to key international markets to create business opportunities for music companies and the artists they support.
Q. This year’s Junos are in Vancouver, but have a decidedly Ontario feel with all of the artists that have been nominated for major awards. What does that attention and spotlight do for the overall music community in the province?
A. It’s inspiring for the music community in Ontario to see the province so well-represented at the Junos. It further demonstrates that Ontario is Canada’s music hub and is a terrific place to do business, develop talent and produce world-class music that resonates at home and on the international stage.
Q. What support and programs does the OMDC offer to support Ontario musicians and music industry professionals?
A. The OMF is designed to support Ontario companies and organizations through four different “streams” across Ontario’s diverse music ecosystem; from small, emerging but high potential companies to established multi-nationals with a wide market share. Musicians typically benefit through the music companies that support them, but the OMF does accept applications from musicians if they qualify as “artist-entrepreneurs”. This applicant category must demonstrate that they take the primary financial risk for their business, and own and control the majority of their own work and career.
Q. How are the decisions made about funding artists, companies, and projects?
A. Applicants to the OMF must submit comprehensive applications, including business plans, strategic plans and extensive detail about how they intend to use the funding to enhance their company’s competitive position, create jobs, grow revenues and bring a return on investment to their company and the province. Applications are evaluated by the Ontario Music Office team (made up of staff who have extensive music industry experience), who make recommendations. Decisions are made jointly by senior level officials from the OMDC and the Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport.
Q. We know that the Ontario Music Fund provides upwards of 14 million dollars each year in funding, where does that money come from?
A. The Government of Ontario created the OMF in 2013 to grow and strengthen Ontario’s music industry. This is an investment provided by the provincial government.
Q. What goals does the OMDC have for the Ontario music industry?
A. The OMDC and the Government of Ontario want Ontario to be a leading music jurisdiction in Canada and internationally, and a premier destination for live music experiences. Through the OMF, we seek to grow strong companies, create jobs, increase revenues and create opportunities for Ontario companies and the artists they support, in both domestic and international marketplaces.
Thanks again to Marina for taking the time to catch up. We can’t wait for more great artists from Ontario to make their mark.
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