BreakOut West music festival a hit
Aspiring artists and musicians will split almost $900,000 in government grants, it was announced during a Kelowna music festival.
Seventy-five B.C. performers will get money to pay for things like recordings, music videos, and marketing initiatives.
The so-called Amplify BC career development grants, a new program launched by the NDP government, were announced at the BreatkOut West festival held in Kelowna.
“Amplify BC provides much-needed funding to our talented musicians and music sector,” tourism minister Lisa Beare said in a release.
“With nearly 300 music companies in our province, our music industry is thriving. And we want to keep it growing.”
BreakOut West was four-day industry conference and three-day music festival with more than 60 bands performing at 10 downtown Kelowna venues.
The festival was a sell-out with all available $15 wristbands, which provided access to the venues, sold out by Saturday morning, spokeswoman Amanda McCauley said.
The economic impact of the festival is estimated to be $3 million by the City of Kelowna.
“It’s not just the money that’s spent on admission and other purchases by festival-goers,” city event development supervisor Chris Babcock said.
“It’s also the attention Kelowna gets from the whole Western Canada music industry and, in some cases, the music industry from across Canada and internationally.”
The provincial government also contributed almost $260,000 to help stage the festival in Kelowna.