Federal Budget 2022, No Direct Support for Canada’s Live Music Sector
April 8th 2022, Ottawa - The Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) recognizes the Federal Budget’s response to the urgent and historic inequities in funding for Indigenous and racialized arts training organizations. The Budget also adds an additional $50 million in 2022-23 to previously announced broad-based programmes that compensate Canadian arts, culture, and heritage organizations for revenue losses due to public health restrictions and capacity limits.
Unfortunately, the Federal Budget falls short of providing direct support for Canada’s besieged live music industry. Live performing artists and venues are still reeling from two years of closures and capacity limits. As we work to resume operations and rebuild from devastating losses, many live music businesses still require support. Expectations that Canada’s live music sector will recover quickly have been dashed by the lingering pandemic.
“Canada’s live music artists and venues desperately need action from the Federal Government to protect and sustain our cultural infrastructure for artists, jobs and the Canadian economy,” said Erin Benjamin, President & CEO of the CLMA. “Unfortunately, we remain one of the sectors most impacted by the pandemic and were hopeful direct support would have been identified in the budget in recognition of the ongoing hardship faced by so many businesses and artists.”
The CLMA looks forward to working with the Federal government to ensure that previously announced funds and the new $50 million infusion will be prioritized for Canada’s live music industry. This is a message we hope to communicate directly at the upcoming National Summit on the Arts, Culture and Heritage to be hosted by Minister Rodriquez in May. Dialogue on how to rebuild our cultural sectors, the jobs that depend on them and how to bring back audiences and visitors is urgently needed, right now.