A new report by the Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) reveals that live music contributes billions to the Canadian economy.
That’s over $10 billion in GDP during 2023 alone to be precise. Hear and Now: Understanding the economic power and potential of Canada’s live music industry is the first-ever economic impact assessment of Canada’s live music industry, identifying the significance of live music in Canada at the same time as it emphasizes major challenges.
The study, which is led by research firm Nordicity and commissioned by the CLMA, notes that these numbers have been achieved largely without a dedicated fiscal policy framework incentivizing live music. “$10.92B in combined impact from live music and tourism spending… without trying.”
Erin Benjamin, CLMA president & CEO, emphasizes that these numbers show the importance of supporting music venues.
“More live music activity — an increase in live music activity at every rung of the venue ladder — will mean more folks spending their income in that space. It generates the tax revenue, it generates the labour income,” she told Billboard Canada at a press launch for the study at Allied Music Centre in Toronto this week (Jan. 30). “Live music is the vehicle that stimulates that kind of economic activity.”
Though the Canadian live industry is a big part of the country’s economy, it faces serious challenges.
In Canada, venues are closing down. Toronto saw roughly 15% of venues close permanently during 2020-2021 alone. A venue shortage especially impacts emerging artists, who need a venue ladder — a scale of increasingly-large venues they can work up to — as they grow their career. “The critical shortage of small and mid-sized venues restricts access to local live music,” the report states.
Benjamin tells Billboard Canada that on a policy level, she would love to see more support for the sustainability and growth of small venues. “The first few rungs on the venue ladder are the most vulnerable. We want to make sure we’re not losing our incubator spaces and our discovery spaces.” She mentions CLMA’s pilot initiative with FACTOR Canada, the Promoters Program, which supports companies presenting live music in Canada. She hopes to see the program made permanent.
Musicians and industry members are also facing increasingly tough conditions when it comes to making a living. The report estimates that in 2023, the average salary for a full-time employee in the Canadian live music industry was around $31,000 — putting music industry workers below the poverty line.
Read more on the report here.
≈
Canadian Airplay Charts Find a Home on Billboard Canada
Seven charts are debuting on Billboard Canada.
The Canadian Airplay Charts, all of which track Canadian radio airplay, have found a new exclusive home at Billboard Canada’s charts hub.
They’ll be updated every Thursday and live alongside the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and Billboard Canadian Albums chart.
The charts cover seven different types of radio airplay, diving into what’s performing well in adult contemporary, country and rock across Canadian radio.
“Billboard Canada is the official home for Canadian music charts,” says Mo Ghoneim, President of Billboard Canada. “Making these airplay rankings available on our platform is part of our commitment to providing deeper insight into what’s shaping radio and music across the country.”
Together, the new charts provide a snapshot of the radio landscape, which provides a new angle on music distinct from the Canadian Hot 100.
While Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars hold the top spot on Canadian Hot 100 with “Die With a Smile,” Myles Smith’s “Stargazing” holds the No. 1 spot on the Canadian All Format Airplay chart at launch.
The radio charts regularly feature Canadian artists, thanks in part to Canadian content regulation. In Billboard Canada‘s breakdown of the 2024 year-end charts, radio’s influence on Canadian pop was clear, uplifting rising Canadian artists like LU KALA, Preston Pablo, Josh Ross, Alexander Stewart and Jamie Fine.
Weekly analysis of the radio charts will now accompany Billboard Canada’s regular chart beat stories tracking the Canadian Albums and Canadian Hot 100 charts.
The seven charts include: All Format Airplay, AC Airplay, CHR Airplay, Hot AC Airplay, Country Airplay, Mainstream Rock Airplay, and Modern Rock Airplay.
≈
AI-Generated Album Appears On Nova Scotia Musician Ian Janes’ Spotify Profile Without His Permission
Nova Scotia musician Ian Janes is speaking out against music by Ian Janes.
Janes, a Music Nova Scotia Award winner, says an AI-generated album was falsely added to his Spotify profile, under his name.
He tells CTV that he found out when Spotify sent him a notification urging him to promote his new release — but he hadn’t released anything new.
When he went to his Spotify profile, he says, there was indeed a new album, but not one he had recorded.
“It’s AI-generated music that you would listen to when you’re on hold,” he describes to Global. The album was removed from his profile but remains on Spotify under a separate profile, also using the name ‘Ian Janes.’ Janes’ lawyer says that it’s not technically a copyright violation unless the music uses Janes’ likeness or his actual compositions.
The album bears the hallmarks of fraudulent music designed to score streams. It has a title that means nothing but seems poetic, Street Alone, and a large number of tracks (20). Several of the songs are named after popular hits but are not actually covers of those songs, like “Ho Hey,” “Summertime Sadness,” and “Give Your Heart A Break.” The music sounds like it could be made entirely within Ableton or Logic Pro.
Last year, nine Canada-based music streaming sites were taken down for streaming manipulation. IFPI, the worldwide recording industry association, and Music Canada had filed a complaint stating that the sites were selling fake streams to boost play counts.
It’s not clear how the distributor who uploaded Street Alone was able to gain access to Janes’ profile. But Janes’ situation demonstrates a clear risk for independent musicians as these tactics proliferate.
“If a name isn’t proprietary, and titles aren’t proprietary, what’s going to keep an AI music company from using the name of existing musicians and using the names of the songs they’ve released?” Janes says.
