News

The Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) has launched a new national campaign in support of Canada's live music industry in the present-day world. Please see below for campaign details as outlined by the CLMA.

"#CanadaIsLiveMusic is a simple, clear statement amplifying live music’s intrinsic relationship with Canada and Canadian (as well as International) fans. It underscores our unique ability to create significant economic impact, while bringing people and communities together through music made by our incredible artists.

The campaign is being framed by the economic data found in the recently released “Hear and Now” study, and is a call to action for industry, fans, and governments to consider more deeply leveraging the power and potential of live music activity in the face of uncertainty and disruption. 

The goals of the campaign include:

• Position Canada’s live music industry as a strong, resilient, reliable, economic partner;
• Create more awareness of Canadian live music events;
• Encourage fans to support more Canadian artists and musicians;
• Promote Canadian live music companies and organizations;
• Encourage more music tourism by incentivizing tourists to choose Canada (or for Canadians, to stay in Canada) for the best live music in the world;
• Reinforce the number of Canadian jobs created, and Canadian goods and services involved, as a result of live music activity;
• Reinforce the direct and indirect cross-sectoral economic impacts live music activity creates.

Key findings from Hear and Now

Hear and Now generated the following numbers regarding the combined impact of live music company operations and tourism spending related to live music:

• Total GDP contribution of $10.92B.
• It generated a total of 101,604 full-time equivalent jobs.
• Resulted in a total labour income of $5.84B.
• Contributed $3.73B in taxes (including income, property, and consumption taxes).
• Additional quick bytes
• Survey results indicate that Canadian concert bookers and promoters booked an estimated 18,945 live music shows in Canada in 2023 – which, conservatively translates to approximately 50 shows per day across the country. 
• Canada is home to more than 3,750 (and counting) venues, music festivals and events, promoters, rehearsal spaces, managers and agents, live music production companies, equipment rental companies, support organizations, cultural festivals, showcases, and award shows.
• The study estimated that live music companies (including for-profit and nonprofit) in Canada earned a total of $1.88 billion of revenue in 2023.  
• Visitor spending associated with live music tourism is estimated to be $9.90 billion in 2023, or approximately 10.8% of total tourism expenditures in Canada in 2023.

Calls to action

• Protect existing venues as the lifeline of the industry.
• Support risk-taking among venues & promoters with strategic initiatives.
• Engage the private sector through sponsorships, partnerships, and collaborations.
• Address and assess systemic barriers faced by IBPOC individuals and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
• Attract, nurture, and retain talent in Canada’s live music industry.
• Improve fair compensation and working conditions to attract and retain talent across the industry.
• Foster national connection and collaboration to tackle industry-wide challenges.
• Encourage innovative business models, including new revenue strategies and more robust contingency planning.
• Integrate live music more deeply into Canada’s tourism initiatives, capitalizing on its potential to drive tourism and cultural engagement.

Want to help spread the word? Check out CLMA's digital toolkit to help you do just that.