The Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) is welcoming a recent announcement from the federal government and Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault regarding the rollout of $50 million in new COVID-19-related funding to support the live music sector. FACTOR and Musicaction will be launching this new support for the live music sector in the coming days.

The announcement provided more details on the multi-million-dollar Emergency Support Fund for Canada’s Live Music Sector package. The Government of Canada will deliver $50 million in new COVID-19-related funding to support the live music sector and to maintain the stability of Canada's funding system for commercial music in 2021–22 through the Canada Music Fund (CMF), bridging the period between the current pandemic restrictions and a sustainable recovery.

An additional $20 million will also be delivered in renewed annual funding in 2022–23 and 2023–24 to current CMF recipients. "This renewal further enshrines the new features of the modernized CMF, enhancing support for the promotion of Canadian artists, export activities and skills development. It will also provide critical stability for the Canadian-owned music industry, which has experienced significant loss of revenue over the course of the pandemic," according to the government's announcement. “We thank Minister Guilbeault for recognizing live music's vital role in bringing our amazing artists to the world, creating animated cities and driving economic value. This support will help safeguard our nation’s critical cultural infrastructure - and the incredible people, artists, and community whose passion and livelihood is live music," says Erin Benjamin, President & CEO of the CLMA. "We look forward to working with the government to ensure it reaches each and every company and organization that needs it and learning the details about exactly how and when support will flow.”

This is not newly-announced funding, but rather provides

As with all CMF funding, these investments will be delivered through the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR) for the Anglophone market and the Fondation Musicaction (Musicaction) for the Francophone market. FACTOR and Musicaction will be launching this support for the live music sector in the coming days.

In its 2021 budget 2021, the Federal Government committed $1.9 billion to help support the arts, culture, heritage and sport sectors. This funding is meant to help ensure recovery and growth, and help create "middle-class" jobs in these sectors.

On June 28, 2021, the government announced $500 million over two years in continued support for arts, culture, heritage and sport sector organizations, through the Reopening Fund and the Recovery Fund for Arts, Culture, Heritage and Sport Sectors.

The CLMA expects more information about relief delivery (timelines, criteria, etc.) to be available soon. For more information about the fund, click here.

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