Thank you for inviting our guild, la Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec, to appear before your committee. My name is Luc Fortin, and I am a composer and professional musician, as well as being the President of la Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec, an association comprising more than 3,100 professional musicians. We are also affiliated with the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, and I will also be speaking on their behalf today.
During the summer, Mr. James Moore announced that Canadian Heritage would be “changing the structure of the Canada Music Fund in order to reduce the administrative burden and increase the visibility of Canadian music on digital platforms and international markets.” Although these are laudable objectives, it has become apparent that the new approach has overlooked key elements of the Canadian musical mosaic. By axing the Canadian Musical Diversity Component which included grants for specialized music sound recordings and grants for specialized music distribution, the government has essentially left a whole category of musicians and artists—whose contribution to our culture is vital—to fend for themselves.
How can artists benefit from new programs increasing the visibility of Canadian music and digital platforms and international markets if, simultaneously, funding to produce sound recordings and distribute them by a traditional means is being withdrawn? It is abundantly clear that musicians and other artists working in the specialized music field have been overlooked. There is an inherent inequity as those artists who do not have a new album to promote cannot access digital and international markets as easily. Canadian sound recordings, in addition to further enhancing our diverse and thriving culture, are valuable promotional tools for our musicians. Without professional quality sound recordings, these artists will not be able to participate in the digital revolution and will find it difficult to export their music and promote their concerts.
We believe that, to ensure a diverse and representative culture, all elements of that culture must be supported. The many musicians, composers and groups who have benefited from the Canadian Musical Diversity Component have made a valuable contribution to our culture. More than 100 albums a year were produced or distributed thanks to support from the program, a third in Quebec alone. Innovation, research and discovery are at the heart of this musical diversity, and it generates an incredible pool of research and development. Popular music often draws on this indefatigable source of new sounds. Canadian musical culture is a complex and fragile ecosystem, and all of its component parts must be preserved so that they can continue to play their intended role; if not, we run the risk of losing what defines us and what makes us great.
We would therefore ask the Minister of Canadian Heritage to immediately reinstate the Canadian Musical Diversity Component to once again allow talented artists to enrich our Canadian musical diversity.