November 22, 2013
The Government of Ontario’s recently announced details of the Ontario Music Fund (OMF) is part of its initiative to make the province a leading destination in which to perform and record music.
The OMF supports Ontario-based music companies (record labels, music publishers, music managers, artist entrepreneurs, music promoters, music presenters and booking agents) as well as music industry trade, service, event and training organizations.
Funding is available through four streams:
- Music Company Development – Helps Ontario-based music companies increase recording, production and marketing, which boosts sales of music and supports job creation.
- Music Industry Development – Provides support for initiatives such as digital innovation, music training and new approaches to increase homegrown music exports.
- Music Futures – Helps leverage Ontario’s diverse and emerging music industry by supporting small music companies and artist entrepreneurs, for example those who create music and also handle the business and promotion of their music.
- Live Music – Helps increase the number of live music events in the province and generates more opportunities for new and emerging local artists, boosting tourism and growing local economies.
Organizations that operate as a registered not-for-profit or for-profit corporations, partnerships or sole proprietorships with average annual earned revenues of $35,000 to $100,000 in the last two years should look into the Music Futures stream. This includes series and single concert presenters, orchestras, opera companies, choral groups and festivals.
The Music Industry Development stream could be of interest to arts service organizations, industry associations, music training organizations and collectives seeking support to develop new networks and services in Ontario’s music sector, while the Live Music stream is ideal for organizations with average annual earned revenues over $100,000 in the last two years.