Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for coming, witnesses.
I'm really not going to get into the details of the consultations and the process, because over 500 people—individuals, artists, groups—were consulted.
I agree with you that the five-year renewal for the Canada Music Fund brings stability not only to that fund but to the industry itself. This program we're talking about specifically serves fewer than a hundred grants a year across Canada. Most of those applicants still receive funding from other government programs, and those other programs are now stronger because of the investment in the Canada Music Fund.
Almost 50% of the albums produced with CMF support in the last year were albums of niche genres of music. With regard to funding niche music in the last fiscal year, the CMF provided funding of over $1 million for classical, $1.7 million for jazz, and over $3 million for roots music. Apart from the CMF, the Canada Council has a $30-million budget for its music, which includes $9 million for specialized funding. So the door is definitely open for artists to receive funding from other channels.
If you can, Mr. D'Eith, talk a little bit about the importance of investment in digital music of all types, especially in this day and age.