CHANGES
Toronto Music Venues Generate $ 850M Annual Economic Impact ; Closures Have Cost Province $ 99M
A new study measuring the economic and cultural impact of Toronto ’ s live music venues was released on Oct . 8 th by the City of Toronto and the Canadian Live Music Association . The study , entitled , Re : Venues : A Case and Path Forward for Toronto ’ s Live Music Industry , also outlines eight recommendations for government actions .
Conducted by Nordicity , the study finds that Toronto ’ s live music venues generate a total economic impact of $ 850 million annually , while providing the equivalent of 10,500 fulltime jobs . Labour income generated by the operations and tourism impacts of Toronto ’ s live music venues total $ 514 million each year . As well , each venue closure costs an average of $ 575,000 in annual GDP contributions , and $ 148,000 in provincial and federal taxes . Since March 2020 , Nordicity estimates the shutdown of music venues cost the city ’ s economy $ 99M in GPP , the equivalent of 1,480 jobs .
The Nordicity report ’ s eight short- and medium-term recommendations fall into eight categories : 1 ) Reimagine programs to address immediate needs protecting against the loss of cultural infrastructure ; 2 ) Spearhead a group insurance program tailored to live music venues ; 3 ) Ensure permanent benefits of tax classification for venues to lessen the burden of escalating property taxes ; 4 ) Identify funds that could be redirected to support cultural infrastructure ; 5 ) Streamline permitting and amendment processes ; 6 ) Develop a Canadian Live Music Fund ; 7 ) Develop a guide to help councillors prioritize gaps in the city ’ s music venue ecosystem ; and 8 ) Establish opportunities for business education among venue owners .
For a conversation with CLMA President and CEO Erin Benjamin about the report and other issues facing the live music industry , listen to the Nov . 4 , 2020 , episode of the Canadian Musician Podcast . For more information and to read the full report , go to www . canadianlivemusic . ca .
Unison Launches GoFundMe Campaign for Emergency Mental Health Relief
The Unison Benevolent Fund has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise additional money for its aid to music workers in response to COVID-19 crisis . Unison provides emergency financial relief and counselling services for members of Canada ’ s professional music community .
The pandemic has caused increased mental health hardship for many employed in the Canadian music industry , including artists , crew , behind-the-scenes support teams , and more . In 2020 , Unison has seen a 29 % increase in demand for counselling services , and a 61 % increase in urgent mental health crisis intervention cases .
All donations in support of the Emergency Mental Health Relief Campaign will be matched , dollar-for-dollar , up to $ 25,000 by Slaight Music .
For more information , go to www . unisonfund . ca .
New John Cody & Perla Batalla Track Raises Money for Unison
Acclaimed songwriter John Cody and Grammy-nominated singer Perla Batalla have released the song “ The Great Divide ” in order to give back to the Unison Benevolent Funds . All net proceeds from the track go to the non-profit .
Initially composed for the CBC Radio podcast The Band Played On , covering the teacherstudent sex abuse scandal that occurred at Bell High School in Ottawa during the 1980s , the episode featuring “ The Great Divide ” was downloaded over 1 million times and has been in constant demand ever since . Cody himself was one of the teenage victims and has also battled a slew of serious health conditions in recent years , during which he has received support from Unison .
“ The Great Divide ” can be purchased on iTunes and streamed and Spotify , Amazon , and Apple Music .
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