A Fond Farewell To Music Biz Superstar Amy Terrill

By FYI Staff

Music Canada Executive Vice President Amy Terrill will be leaving the organization on January 29 to return to her roots as the new executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Kawartha Lakes.

Since joining the music trade org in January of 2010, she has overseen the development of Music Canada’s communications, research and policy portfolio, contributed to the execution of successful government relations activities at all three levels, and recently oversaw the establishment of Music Canada Cares and The Three Rs Music Program. 

Key to her success was spearheading the globally acclaimed The Mastering of a Music City, and two subsequent reports related to Music Cities.  These earned her a reputation as one of the leading global thinkers in this field.  Since 2015 she has provided advice and support to cities and regions in Canada and abroad to help them chart a course toward developing a music strategy.

She has also been active on numerous boards of directors and committees including Music Canada Live, Polaris Music Prize, Unison Benevolent Fund, Music Policy Forum, Toronto Music Advisory Council, Ontario Creates Industry Advisory Committee, Amplify BC Advisory Committee and Vancouver Music City Task Force.

In announcing her departure, Music Canada CEO Graham Henderson offered “sincere gratitude to Amy for the ingenuity, expertise, and commitment she brought to our organization for the better part of a decade,” adding that she is "a brilliant strategist and advocate."

Effective February 4, Terrill will be the new Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kawartha Lakes.  

Holding a BA in political science from Queen's U, she has 25 years of experience in the private sector as the former GM of the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce, from 2002 to 2006, and a reporter, producer and anchor on CHEX-TV from 1994 to 2002.

Last week Amy took a phone call between her hectic schedule of meetings and conference calls to speak to FYI and answer a few questions.

How many air miles have you logged since joining Music Canada?

AT: That’s a tough one. I’ve been back and forth a few times to Australia and down to Bogota, up to Denmark – to Europe a couple of times, and across the U.S. and Canada multiple times. A lot, I'd say.

Is there any crowning achievement or moment that stands out in your career at Music Canada?

AT: There are a few things I would point to. One has to be the Music Cities piece because it’s so humbling and gratifying when something that you have put your heart and soul into catches fire the way it has. The fact that cities across Canada have adopted the strategies and around the world, cities like Melbourne and Bogota and Aarhus, Denmark. Even IFPI, our international counterpart, has taken on Music Cities as an area of focus, and several of our peers such as Recorded Music New Zealand and FINI in Italy. It’s pretty amazing really.

And the workbook for this. Is it entirely gratis?

AT: We’ve never asked for any revenue from it.

Do you have an idea of how much revenue the program has generated?

AT: I haven’t, but I’ve never counted it that way. Lots of cities have invested in people, in offices, but also in how to stimulate their local music economy, so that comes in different ways as well. I suppose if you tried to add it up that way and put a dollar figure on it, you’d be in the millions when you look worldwide. It’s incredible really, how much that kind of way of thinking now is accepted.

What else stands out in your time at Music Canada?

AT: Music Cities has to be a big one, but there are other things over the eight-and-a-half years that mean a lot to me.

One is how I was welcomed with open arms by the music community. I didn’t realize before joining, but a lot of people have been in this industry their entire careers and lives.

I was a newcomer in every aspect of that word but always felt 100 percent welcomed. People appreciated a fresh perspective and one of my - I don’t like to talk about legacy, but one of the impacts I’ve had is to strengthen the partnerships with other organizations and other individuals in our musical community across Canada. I have incredible friends and colleagues from coast to coast, and it’s hard to walk away from that.

So, what’s leading you to this quieter, gentler life?

AT: It’s for both professional and personal reasons. Professionally it’s an opportunity to lead an organization and to bring to life the vision that has been set out. In this case, there are two boards of directors because there are the clubs and a foundation and my role is to bring to life that vision in my leadership. That’s the professional side.

And personally, it’s going to have an impact on the balance between work and my personal life. Because I’ve always lived in the Kawartha Lakes, I’ve been commuting two hours each way. There's the fact too that it’s a great opportunity for me to move to.