Local musicians, festivals and record labels bracing for significant cuts
Provincial government cuts $8 million from $15-million Ontario Music Fund
LOCAL MUSICIANS, record labels and festivals stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars because of the province’s plan to cut the $15 million Ontario Music Fund (OMF) by more than 50 per cent.
Individual funding announcements for the upcoming year have not yet been announced, but government officials have told the Canadian Independent Music Association the OMF would be reduced from $15 million down to $7 million.
Among the local recipients of OMF funding last year were Arkells Music Inc. ($40,000), Hidden Pony Records ($45,000), Linus Entertainment/True North Records/IDLA ($270,000), The Trews Music Inc. ($30,000), Walk off the Earth Entertainment Inc. ($50,000), Strongman Music Inc.
Steve Strongman recently applied for funding from the Ontario Music Fund but is unsure what will happen now that the provincial government has announced a cut to the fund.
Steve Strongman used his $35,000 grant primarily to help him tour the province. It also raised his profile south of the border by helping fund his participation in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn.
($35,000), Straight and Narrow Artist Management Inc. ($50,000), Burlington’s Sound of Music Fest Inc. ($130,000), Artsfest ($60,000), Sonic Unyon Records Ltd. ($150,000) and Supercrawl Productions ($150,000).
“I’m incredibly disappointed,” said Juno-winning Hamilton blues musician Steve Strongman. “The severity of the cuts is pretty serious. I’m going to feel that impact directly.”
Strongman, an independent musician without major label backing, said he used his $35,000 grant primarily to help him tour the province.
It also raised his profile south of the border by helping fund his participation in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn. Strongman won top guitarist honours in Memphis, which he believes helped him gain an upcoming four-night gig in Las Vegas.
OMF cuts to festivals such as Supercrawl, Burlington Sound of Music and Artsfest will also affect musicians’ income.
“As funding decreases for all of these festivals and musical endeavours, it’s going to be more difficult for them to pay us the kind of fees that can sustain what we do,” said Strongman, who is working on a new album in a Hamilton studio expected for release in late June.
Supercrawl founder Tim Potocic is expecting big cuts in OMF funding to both Supercrawl and Sonic Unyon Records, the independent record label he co-owns.
Potocic stressed, however, that the cuts shouldn’t affect the quality of Supercrawl.
“We’ll find another way to find the money, we’ve always done that,” Potocic said. “We’ve been very strategic with Supercrawl, weaning ourselves off government grants.
“About six years ago we were 70 per cent funded by government grants (from all three levels of government) and now I think it’s somewhere between 30 and 40 per cent.”
In announcing the OMF cut, the provincial government noted that several large companies have received money through the fund. Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music shared $1.75-million in 2017-18.
Geoff Kulawick, owner of Waterdown-based True North Records and affiliates Linus Entertainment and IDLA distribution, says he understands why the government is reluctant to fund multinational record companies.
“We haven’t seen any details yet, but what we’re hoping is that they cut out the funds for the multinationals,” Kulawick said. “They compete with us and they certainly don’t need taxpayer dollars to compete with local businesses.”
Kulawick, however, said the scope of the overall cuts means that independents like True North will still be hurt. Even if Sony, Warner and Universal were denied all funding, for example, the OMF would still have to come up with more than $5 million in additional cuts.
“It’s unfortunate that the government doesn’t see the value that music brings to the economy,” Kulawick said.
Kulawick is also executive director of Artsfest, scheduled for June in Westdale, which received $60,000 from the OMF last year. He says funding is in place for June’s festival, but future ones may be in jeopardy.
“We might not be able to have Artsfest if Ontario cuts out its funding for festivals,” Kulawick said.