LIVE MUSIC INITIATIVE LOOKS TO HELP EDMONTON VENUES
Performers, politicians, professionals brainstorm to strengthen music scene
Musicians, venue owners and politicians are banding together to strengthen Edmonton’s live music scene.
More than 40 performers, industry professionals, city bureaucrats and politicians met during a closed brainstorming session Tuesday as part of the Edmonton Live Music Initiative.
Coun. Scott McKeen said looser zoning and licensing regulations — which would allow more venues to open in certain neighbourhoods — and better marketing efforts were some of the most common suggestions.
“We’re all bombarded by information and messages nowadays, so how do you pierce that in a way that lets people know there are fabulous local artists who are worth paying $10, $20 to see?” he asked.
McKeen said he’d like to see an annual showcase of local talent, such as the Edmonton Music Awards, at the Winspear Centre — and, down the road, he wants the city to become a music destination much like Austin, Texas, which is known for its street of venues. “If we were able to create a geographic zone (of live music venues), we could blow the lid off this place,” he said.
Thom Bennett, a local drummer, initially pitched the ELM Initiative to McKeen and the Edmonton Arts Council, a notfor-profit organization, as a way to stem the tide of venue closures in Edmonton.
Since January, the city has lost four arts and live music venues, including The Artery on 95th Street and Jasper Avenue. The 149-person room closed in March after the City of Edmonton bought its building to raze for impending LRT construction.
The Pawn Shop on Whyte Avenue shut its doors in June because owners could no longer afford its rent. Another Old Strathcona venue, Wunderbar, almost closed when it couldn’t pay its rent, but an online crowdsourcing campaign raised more than $9,000 in a few hours — double the venue’s goal.
As part of the ELM Initiative, Bennett said three venues will receive grants to cover half of their musicians’ fees for six months. “These grassroots-level clubs are a super important part of the ecosystem,” he explained. “It’s a feeder system — like Little League in baseball. It’s important to have something like that because future players come from that.”
The ELM Initiative also wants to lobby for a change in provincial liquor regulations. Bennett said if live music venues were allowed to serve alcohol until 3 a.m. — instead of 2 a.m. — they might be able to make more money, and therefore, become financially viable.
He came up with the idea with the help of jazz legend and former senator Tommy Banks.
“In the ’60s, if you wanted to sell liquor after midnight, all you had to do was hire a live band and pay them a living wage,” said Bennett. “Tommy told me it took (bars) about three weeks to figure out they could make more money selling booze to 2 a.m. if they just had a band. In the ’80s, (Alberta) got rid of the regulation and then, slowly but surely, things have gone downhill in live music venues.
“So, (this new proposal) is about giving a break to people who add so much to our communities and culture.”
Concert promoter Steve Derpack, who attended Tuesday’s meeting, was cautiously optimistic about the ELM Initiative. “I think the intent is long overdue and very well timed,” he said. “The key is to figure out what kind of solutions are most effective and how we get there.”