advertisement
FYI

New Canada Music Fund $s Expected In Budget

The annual $24-million budget is expected to be topped up with fresh funds that will target the realities Canada's music industry in the digital age.

New Canada Music Fund $s Expected In Budget

By FYI Staff

The federal government is expected to make long-sought changes next year to the $24-million Canada Music Fund (CMF) that hasn’t seen a funding boost in over a decade.


The Liberal government has been telling music biz insiders that it will enrich the fund, although by how much isn't clear, according to a news report widely circulated by Canadian Press reporter Jordan Press.  The same story suggests the government also plans to change how the money is distributed, in light of fading sales and the growth of streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music.

Industry officials, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss private conversations, told Press that changes to CMF will be part of next year's budget–the last before the 2019 general election.

advertisement

A spokeswoman for the department said in an emailed statement that the government was working with industry experts to ensure the overhaul is "done with diligence and will provide Canadian musicians with the support they need to thrive in the current environment."

The statement goes on to say that officials are still developing recommendations for specific changes to the fund.

Money through the fund is aimed at helping Canadian companies involved in recording, promoting, and distributing music at home and abroad, and helps mitigate a critical financial issue in the industry: access to capital.

Read the complete story here.

advertisement
Coldplay at Toronto's Rogers Stadium on July 8, 2025.
Anna Lee

Coldplay at Toronto's Rogers Stadium on July 8, 2025.

Concerts

Coldplay Calls Rogers Stadium 'A Very Bizarre Stadium a Million Miles From Earth' at Second Toronto Concert

In their second of four shows on Tuesday night (July 8), the British band said "we are testing the premise, 'if you build it they will come.' But their majestic Music of the Spheres show also showed off the new venue's unique strengths.

Coldplay took the stage for the second of four concerts at Rogers Stadium in Toronto on Tuesday night (July 8), which also held the distinction of being the third overall show at the brand new 50,000-capacity Downsview venue.

If you ask Live Nation Canada's President of Music, Erik Hoffman, they are also one of the major reasons it was built. In their first two shows, though, Chris Martin hasn't exactly had flattering things to say about it. On night one, he called it a "weird stadium in the middle of nowhere," and he went even further on the second night calling the venue a "very bizarre stadium a million miles from Earth."

keep readingShow less
advertisement