“ What we ’ re discovering and what we ’ re encouraging young artists to look at is that more so than ever , a hit record can come from anywhere . A career can begin anywhere .”
-Warner Music Canada President Steve Kane
Warner Music Canada ’ s Steve Kane
There was a time , Kane notes , that before Canadian artists tried to find any new markets , companies would wait until they received a blessing from a U . S . source , whether it was an A & R exec or a chart breakthrough in a large market .
“ We just had Courage My Love do their second U . K . tour , their first European tour . They don ’ t have physical releases in most of these countries , but what they do have is a network they ’ ve been able to build through Spotify , through Apple , through their own socials , they ’ re able to find like bands , and like-minded fans . So some of the barriers to entry are coming down .
“ We ’ re looking at this global market and saying it ’ s a big world out there . If we just keep beating our head against that U . S . border and looking for somebody to bless it and say , ‘ Yes , we will now release it ,’ when we don ’ t have to do that anymore , that gives us a great opportunity to help our bands build their brand globally .”
That ’ s another big change from the classic record company plan of tour , record , tour , record , and cash in as much as possible before an act dies off . Bands are developed slowly , patiently , with an eye to longer careers .
Courage My Love was signed in 2010 when twin sisters Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn were just 17 . They first connected with fans through touring , going to Japan before even crossing the U . S . border . They developed an online presence with a series of EPs , not releasing a full album until 2015 and now a second , Synesthesia , this past February .
“ It ’ s been a process of slowly climbing and growing , and not rushing or pushing , and just seeing what happens ,” says Mercedes Arn-Horn , enjoying a small break at the family cottage after the
European dates and before heading to the U . S . “ I think we needed that because we needed to find our sea legs and discover what kind of artists we wanted to be .”
With all that groundwork in so many different territories , she says the band feels ready to go for it , regardless of whether their next break comes at home or abroad . “ We ’ re super-hungry , and now it ’ s like we ’ ve cut the ribbon and we ’ re going to race .”
The touring has put the group in a position to see how Canadian musicians are viewed these days in different parts of the world . The clichés are still there , Arn-Horn says – people wondering if they know their second cousin who lives in Vancouver . But there are more positive clichés too , the Maple Leaf continuing to earn respect abroad as the country shows differences don ’ t have to mean division .
“ When we were in the U . K ., we were there right when there was an election , and there were two attacks that happened ,” Mercedes continues . “ It was eye-opening to see in different parts of the world that it can be very tumultuous . I think one thing that Canada has going for it that I feel really proud of is that we always take care of our own , even if we don ’ t agree with each other . There ’ s a sense of unity . Even if we don ’ t have the same ideals , we can at least band together and have a sense of unity or empathy . I like to carry that with me wherever we go .”
It ’ s a sense of unity the band tries to share with fans . “ Sometimes I think it takes going away to realize what we have at home ,” she adds . “ It ’ s not all bad in other places , but I feel that Canadians really pay attention to each other and what ’ s going on . Health care , everything like that , we make it a priority to take care of our own , and have a cultural mosaic instead of a melting pot . We ’ re proud of the diversity we have as opposed to being scared of it .”
Arn-Horn doesn ’ t mean everything is rosy back home , of course , and the music world is a place you can find longstanding issues .
The cultural divide between English and French Canadians is more of a chasm in the music world , with virtually two distinct industries . While Francophones have always listened to lots of English artists from the rest of the country and abroad , many Anglophones couldn ’ t name a single French artist other than Céline Dion . With arts
Courage My Love
40 • CANADIAN MUSICIAN