advertisement
FYI

Music Canada Symposium Offers Hope and Honours

On Wednesday, at The Great Hall in Toronto, the trade org honoured a round of notable music advocates, announced a new scholarship honouring Deane Cameron, and reaffirmed its goal of having tech industries better compensate creators.

Music Canada Symposium Offers Hope and Honours

By Siddhant

On Wednesday, October 23, Music Canada hosted the 2019 Symposium. Everyone from label executives to music advocates from allied industries to up-and-coming musicians graced the event. The theme of the Symposium was “Amplifying the Music Ecosystem,” and the afternoon was peppered with positive and impactful initiatives to realize that theme.


Graham Henderson, President & CEO, Music Canada, welcomed the audience and reiterated his strong stand against the existing ‘Value Gap’ in the music ecosystem. He denounced the tech giants for continuing to use ‘safe harbours’ as an excuse not to pay the creators fairly. Henderson was optimistic that the momentum is now on the side of the creators, and they have the moral high ground. “We are not fighting the tech industry; we are fighting the rate at which policy keeps up with the tech industry because it directly impacts the livelihood of the music community,” said Henderson.

advertisement

The ‘Value Gap’ is comprehensively discussed in Music Canada’s Closing the Value Gap report. Henderson announced that an Economic Impact Report is in the works as well to highlight the contributions of music in today’s society; this report is expected to come out by the end of this year. The two reports together seemed to capture the essence of this gathering, which is to bridge the gap between the power of music and it’s value in the marketplace. While the power of music is undisputed, there’s still some work to do to establish its fair value.

There was also a strong emphasis on improving mental health within the music community.

Music Canada’s VP for Strategic Initiatives, Sarah Hashem, discussed Music Canada’s partnership with Unison Benevolent Fund, the registered charity that provides counseling and emergency relief services to the Canadian music community.

Gil Moore, the founding member of the band Triumph, was presented the Artist Advocate Award followed by a passionate speech. Susan Marjetti was then presented the President’s Award for her contributions as the Executive Director of CBC Radio and Audio towards nurturing the music community.

advertisement

Also, Farah Mohamed, SVP, Strategic Initiatives, Policy & Public Affairs, Toronto Region Board of Trade, was appointed to the board of Artist Advocate Development Program.

Finally, to honour the legacy of former EMI Music Canada president Deane Cameron, Music Canada, in partnership with MusiCounts, announced the ‘MusiCounts Scholarship’. Reflecting his support for Indigenous communities and cultures, $15,000 has been pledged to the MusiCounts Scholarship Program for 2020.

advertisement
Céline Dion performing at the 1996 Olympics
Olympics
Céline Dion performing at the 1996 Olympics
Music News

Céline Dion Releases Triumphant Paris Olympics Performance of 'Hymne à l'amour' as New Single

The Quebec superstar made a powerful return to the stage this summer to perform Edith Piaf's classic, and her version is now available to stream and download.

Céline Dion's comeback performance is now available to stream and download.

The Quebec superstar made a triumphant return to live music with a powerhouse rendition of Edith Piaf's "Hymne à l'amour" this summer. Closing out the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, Dion performed alongside a pianist from the Eiffel Tower, belting Piaf's ode to love across the Paris skyline.

keep readingShow less
advertisement