the study telling the
story of canada’s live
music industry

The Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA), in collaboration with consulting firm Nordicity, released Hear and Now –the first-ever Economic Impact Assessment of the live music industry in Canada.

The research quantified the direct, indirect, and induced economic impacts of the live music sector, including the tourism and fiscal impact of the industry at the national level.

canada’s live music industry is an economic powerhouse

Hear and Now estimated that, in 2023 alone, live music industry operations and live music tourism combined generated:

$10.92B

in gross domestic product (GDP)

in tax dollars

$3.73b

101,640

full-time equivalent jobs (FTEs)

$5.84B

in labour income

according to hear and now, Live music companies spent an estimated $1.65 billion in 2023; the total GDP impact of
this expenditure is an estimated $2 billion.

Statistics Canada calculated that the national contribution from all culture and sport in 2023 was $60.8 billion, implying that live music operations contributed approximately 3.3% of Canada’s culture and sport GDP impact.

Cantina at Bass Coast by Ron Worobec

The study calculated that Canadian concert bookers and promoters booked an estimated 18,945 live music shows in Canada in 2023 – that figure conservatively translates to 50 shows per day across the country

Photo courtesy of Orpheum

“I believe these findings are necessary to encourage ongoing dialogue and interest in the combined economic value of contributions made by artists and arts organizations to our country’s GDP, as well as to local economic development.”

— Michelle Chawla, Director & CEO, Canada Council for the Arts

" Independent venues play a particularly important role, forming the foundation of Canada’s live music ecosystem. This report helps to emphasize the importance of these community spaces and will create opportunities to recognize their contribution to Canadians.”

— Jon Weisz, Founder & General Director, Les SMAQ; President & Founder, Indie Montréal; Co-founder and General Director, Franconnexion.info

Calls to action

  • 1. protect existing venues

    as the lifeline of the industry.

  • 2. Support risk-taking among venues & promoters

    with strategic initiatives.

  • 3. Engage the private sector

    through sponsorships, partnerships, & collaborations.

  • 4. Address & assess systemic barriers

    faced by IBPOC individuals & members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

  • 5. Attract, nurture, & retain talent

    in Canada’s live music industry.

  • 6. Improve fair compensation and working conditions

    to attract & retain talent across the industry.

  • 7. Foster national connection and collaboration

    to tackle industry-wide challenges.

  • 8. Encourage innovative business models,

    including new revenue strategies and more robust contingency planning.

  • 9. Integrate live music more deeply

    into Canada’s tourism initiatives, capitalizing on its potential to drive tourism and cultural engagement.

Osheaga by Susan Moss

This project was supported by Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Creates, and Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia.

We extend our thanks to all of our industry sponsors for making this project possible.
Special thanks to our top tier sponsors: RBC Foundation, Live Nation, Ticketmaster, City of Mississauga, Music Canada, City of Brampton, evenko, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, and Stageline.