Canadian Heritage Committee on April 8th, 2014

[The Chair (Mr. Gordon Brown (Leeds—Grenville, CPC)), Conservative, Gord Brown]

Good morning, everyone.

I am going to call to order meeting number 17 of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. Today we are continuing our study of the Canadian music industry.

We are honoured to have a number of witnesses in our first hour.

From the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, also known as CARAS, we have Allan Reid, director, MusiCounts. We also have a Juno award-winning artist with us, Brett Kissel, along with his manager, Louis O'Reilly.

We'd like to hear from Mr. Reid first, for eight minutes.

Mr. Reid, you have the floor.

[Allan Reid, Director, MusiCounts, Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]

Mr. Chair, thank you very much for inviting me to take part in this presentation to your committee today on behalf of CARAS, MusiCounts, and the Juno Awards.

The Canadian music industry is a billion dollar a year business encompassing sound recordings, songwriting, publishing, management, and live performances, and it employs thousands of Canadians.

There has been significant turmoil in the music industry over the past 10 years due to the change in how Canadians consume music. The media formats have changed from physical to digital, from radio and television to online, and in many cases from paid to free.

There has been a large decrease in revenues in the music industry due to these changes. In order to support change in this business model, one of the most important things we do is provide exposure to the incredible music talent this country has to offer through showcasing, social media, broadcasts, online streaming, and building a foundation for talent through music education in our schools.

CARAS, a non-profit organization, showcases Canadian musical talent through the Juno Awards broadcast, and year round through cultural events and partnerships with community organizations. The mandate of CARAS is to promote and celebrate Canadian music and artists. It is critical that we continue to preserve, protect, and support high-quality programming like the Juno Awards to share with Canada and the world the immense talent this country has to offer.

Over the last decade the Juno Awards have travelled across Canada. We have been engaging the entire country in Canadian music as we award 41 different Junos in all genres of music, including pop, jazz, classical, francophone, aboriginal, and country, just to name a few, which truly encompass Canada's national spectrum of culture and musical diversity.

The economic impact has been over $10 million in each city the Juno Awards has visited, providing a substantial boost to local businesses, including hotels, convention centres, restaurants, transportation, and music venues. In the past 10 years there has been over $100 million in economic impact to Canada.

However, federal funding through FACTOR, Canada's private radio broadcasters, and the Department of Canadian Heritage's Canada Music Fund for the Juno Awards has remained stagnant for the last four years. While production and operating costs for the Juno Awards continue to grow, the proportion that is funded by FACTOR has decreased. For example, over the past 10 years FACTOR funding for the Juno Awards has gone from about 10% of production and operating costs to less than 4% now.

In order to succeed, we must receive funding from the federal government that grows in proportion to the ever-increasing cost of producing the broadcast, as well as the cost of the initiatives that promote and showcase Canadian artists and their music. This need is based on several factors: the increase in costs associated with adapting to technological change and maintaining a very comprehensive and cutting-edge media strategy; the increase in travel costs for artists and talent to participate in the broadcast; the increase in broadcast production costs; the decrease in funding available from private record labels that have significantly contributed in the past but can no longer sustain the level of support due to declining revenues; and the potential decrease in broadcasters' contributions due to their business realities.

Most importantly, though, we must ensure that we continue to create musical talent in Canada to support the music industry and keep our culture of music alive within all Canadians. One of the key strategies that will foster this foundation is music education. Every artist had to start somewhere, and for many, the first opportunity was in the classroom.

MusiCounts is Canada's music education charity associated with CARAS and the Juno Awards. We believe that regardless of socio-economic circumstances or cultural background, every child deserves the opportunity to learn how to play an instrument. For the last 17 years, MusiCounts has awarded nearly $7 million in grants and scholarships right across the country to help support music education in our schools and communities.

In a perfect world we wouldn't need to exist, but unfortunately school cutbacks have put music education at risk. All too often, music and other arts programs are the first to be cut, and unfortunately, they're not seen as core curriculum. We believe this must change. Last year MusiCounts received approximately $5 million in funding requests alone to help support music education, but unfortunately, the need far outweighs what we can provide.

Many studies have shown the benefits of learning to play a musical instrument. Music education nourishes self esteem. It teaches team work and discipline. It keeps students engaged, and it helps create a respectful community.

But it's not just about nurturing the next Juno Award winners. It's about creating better citizens and a stronger workforce equipped for the digital economy.

Commander Chris Hadfield spoke at one of our events about the role music played in making him a better astronaut. President Bill Clinton was once quoted as saying that he would not have become president if he hadn't taken music classes from grade 7 to grade 12. Of course, we all know how our own Prime Minister likes to play music, as well. But perhaps the most basic reason that we believe every child must have a music education is that music is an important part of the fabric of our society. Every human culture uses music to express their ideals.

Music Canada's report on the music industry, “The Next Big Bang,” illustrates very well the numerous benefits of music education and makes a very strong case for better support from all levels of government. In this study, Music Canada cites music education as the first of five key pillars that will help reinvigorate the music industry in the digital age.

Music is a sometimes overlooked but still important foundational component both in preparing workers with the necessary skills to take part in the digital and creative economies and in attracting and retaining them in vibrant cultural scenes. The importance of music to our economy is without doubt.

Now MusiCounts has also been impacted due to changes within the music industry. The record labels, once our main contributor but still a very strong supporter, have had to cut back their annual contributions. We now have to reach far beyond the music industry for funding.

Just over a week ago at the Juno Awards in Winnipeg, I had the pleasure of taking part in the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Language's round table, where Graham Henderson of Music Canada actually introduced a very interesting concept. For years the federal government has supported the physical well-being of our nation through the ParticipAction program. What if we actually worked together to create a program that encouraged Canadians to reap the benefits of music education, a music ParticipAction program of sorts that gives people the same support, tools, and motivation as that for physical activities? For many students who may not be athletic or socially active, we like to say that music can be the great equalizer. A program like this could enlighten our nation to the benefits of music education in the same capacity that ParticipAction has.

I've spent 25 years in the music business as the head of artists and repertoire at major record companies. I was a general manager for an independent record company. I currently manage artists and producers. I've had the good fortune to sign some great artists, people like Jann Arden, Sam Roberts, and Hedley. l'm actually even married to an artist, so I know very much how music can change a life and in some cases even save a life. Now in my new role at MusiCounts, I find myself in the incredibly rewarding position of actually seeding talent by putting instruments in the hands of kids who need it most.

There's a direct line from music education to inspiration, to motivation, to choosing a career in music, to writing, composing, and recording, to achieving success and celebration, be it at the Juno Awards or international acclaim. It's a continuum of musical dedication, creation, and celebration.

I truly believe that an investment in music is an investment in the future of Canada.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Thank you very much.

We'll now move to Mr. Kissel and his manager, Mr. O'Reilly. Between you, you have eight minutes. We'll go to questions later.

[Brett Kissel, As an Individual]

Good morning, everybody and committee members.

My name is Brett Kissel. I feel very privileged to be speaking and sharing my insight on the state of the Canadian music industry with all of you. As you begin your review on the vibrant music community we have in this country, I would like to offer some suggestions, ideas, concerns, and basic comments, hopefully to enhance what we have to offer our artists and our industry members in general.

Perhaps we should also discuss the state of the Canadian hockey association and how right now there's only one hockey team making the playoffs. We can talk about that a little bit later.

The future of Canadian music is in the hands of our up-and-coming Canadian artists and present-day stars. But let me also be realistic and complimentary, that the future of our industry lies in the hands of our government.

Before I begin with the task at hand, I want to give you a brief history on my career, my journey, and my upbringing in the music community. l am 23 years old and am a very proud Canadian. l'm a fifth generation Albertan whose great-great-grandparents emigrated from Ukraine over a century ago in search of a better life here in Canada.

At the age of six, I got my very first guitar. Fast forward half a dozen years, and I was playing locally around every small town, rodeo, and festival in our hometown of St. Paul, Alberta. There wasn't a stage too big or too small for me, as I cut my teeth not only as a singer and a guitar picker but most of all as an entertainer. By the time I was 16, I was nominated for the Canadian Country Music Association's rising star award, becoming the youngest-ever nominee in the history of that association. As I approach my 24th birthday, l'm the proud recipient of the 2014 Juno Award for breakthrough artist of the year. The Juno Awards were held in Winnipeg last weekend.

My rise in the Canadian music industry was not an easy journey. There were many ups and downs on this road. However, I was able to treat my career like any other start-up Canadian business. As an entrepreneur, I knew that I had to take some risks and do some performances for the exposure and not for the money because it would benefit my career in the long run.

l've always been a big picture guy, so naturally l've tried to look at becoming a big picture artist. This is where the role of the Canadian government has been so instrumental in my career personally, and in the career of my friends in the industry.

I still have some concerns. As hard as we try to create compelling music here in Canada, it's difficult to compete with American artists, because too often their quality is better than ours. Canadian radio stations are only forced to make up 35% of their playlists as Canadian content, so the spots that are saved for us, the true local artists, are few and far between. It's true that Americans automatically get more spins on radio in all formats over us Canadians. Hopefully, we can adjust that.

Those are some concerns I have, and I can speak on behalf of all artists in the industry that we all share these concerns, but there is a silver lining. Government programs such as FACTOR and other associations like the Radio Starmaker Fund are vital to our music industry. In fact, they're so necessary for the big picture, as I alluded to, that without them you wouldn't get me, Brett Kissel, Juno Award winner, hard-working rising star in the Canadian business. l'd still be the same hard-working entrepreneur, I feel, but I have an incredible advantage being able to access government funds through grant programs such as FACTOR. For those of you who don't know FACTOR, it stands for Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings.

My album was funded by FACTOR. My first ever national tour which I just completed last month was funded by the Radio Starmaker Fund and FACTOR. This is true for some of, or truthfully most of, my buddies in the industry.

I am so thankful that I was able to access money to further enhance my career at a national level, and while I run the risk of sounding conceited, I know that the great success I've had recently would not have been the case without the great government funding.

As we like to say back home on the cattle ranch, l'm going to tell you a story straight from the horse's mouth. As you folks sit here discussing the allocation of funds for music programs, I'll give you an in-depth look as to where the money goes following a boardroom decision.

Once you sign-off or give the green light on x amount of dollars to be accessed by artists, managers, and record executives, we then apply for the grant.

Once we are conditionally accepted, I am then able to take that money and put it to good use by building my project or enhancing my project.

Once that album is complete, we send our music to radio.

Once radio picks up the single, it drives our live-touring business.

Once our live-touring business picks up, we sell merchandise, and once we sell tickets and merchandise, we can put that money back into our careers and the Canadian economy.

All while this is going on, another younger or different artist is going through the same process I just went through.

I had a song that went to number one last summer on country radio. It's called Started With a Song. But in reality, it doesn't all start with a song. I believe that it all starts in a boardroom, such as this one, with a capable committee that is willing to give music and arts a chance.

When an artist receives the grant. and it's not just about me, the artist, there's an incredible economic impact that is felt and spread to my five band members, my two crew members, and my manager, who has five children of his own. They all benefit; they all succeed, and we can all make some money.

I also know that some of them, like my band members or management company, have been able to tap into government funding. This has greatly benefited their careers and their music business. For you see, government funding is the kickstart to a very important process that has a great impact on the economy much beyond just me.

Everyone, and this statement includes everyone in this room, sitting on the sidelines and sitting around this table. I know you all love your music. You have your favourite artist. Music shapes moments in your life. This I can guarantee. So when you can help an artist get his or her music out to the public, whether that's through MusiCounts, or what have you, we can establish those unforgettable moments.

Canadian artists are very special. We're all very aware that some of music's biggest acts have come from here in Canada. Our ability to penetrate the international marketplace is as important as ever. We're all conscious that music is accessible worldwide through social media, iTunes and YouTube. We're no longer living in a box. There are no boundaries. That means our music needs to be competitive. International support only increases the profile for us, our Canadian acts, and helps our overall cultural identity.

After every concert I perform, whether it's performing for the Alberta flood aid at McMahon Stadium in Calgary in front of 40,000-plus people, or in a small theatre in rural Quebec in front of 200 loyal music fans, I use this method and these three words to improve my concerts and my performances. Those words are “start, stop, and keep”. What am I going to start doing? What am I going to keep doing? What am I going to stop doing?

As I look at this committee today I encourage all of you to start a discussion with more artists like me. Start collecting their opinions on the state of the industry the way you're asking me for mine. Start to understand that Canada has a great opportunity to showcase some of the best talent the world will ever see. We did it with Shania Twain, Anne Murray, and Leonard Cohen, to name a few. Start the preparation. Yes, get prepared, because Canadian artists have a lot to offer the world. We all need a strong starting point, and that's where the initial funding can make that happen.

Stop. Stop looking at the music industry with blinders on. Stop thinking that all of us musicians are just creators, because we're all business people and we may be some of Canada's greatest entrepreneurs.

Keep. Keep up with the great work in developing young artists. Keep working towards building the future of our industry. You've given so many artists a chance to succeed. I've greatly benefited from some incredible government programs. So keep that up and know how grateful we are for the unparalleled support. I'll tell you that my friends down south in Nashville are very jealous of the great opportunities I'm fortunate enough to receive.

In closing, I want to thank you for taking the time to listen to me. I'm thankful for the opportunity to have your ear and to share my ideas and my story with all of you today.

For those of you who are interested in following the progress of my career, I encourage you to spend some time on social media as we get to know each other.

We hope that you can continue to do the great work that you're doing. Just do more of it.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

All right, thank you very much.

We will now move to the first round of questions.

We'll hear from Mr. Dykstra, for seven minutes.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Thank you, Brett, on behalf of the federal government. I know Minister Glover had a chance to congratulate you, but congratulations on your success. I was in the arena when you won the Juno and also when you played, so congratulations. I know that success isn't easy in your industry. I'm learning that quickly. It takes a lot of hard work.

One of the things you outlined in your presentation is becoming more and more apparent to all of us. You mentioned it at the beginning and you concluded with it, and that is that you are in business and you're an entrepreneur. Yes, you have a manager. Yes, you have a band. Yes, you have partners. You love playing the music and creating the music that you do, but you are a businessman.

One of the aspects that I really wanted to get an understanding of is where in your career did the assistance start? Where did it have the biggest impact?

I've followed you a little bit in your career and I understand that really this is the first time you've actually tapped into assistance from the federal government. All the work that you did as a six-year-old and a twelve-year-old and leading up to it was a lot of your own blood, sweat, and tears, and I'm sure your parents assisted you with it.

Some say that we should be assisting those in music from the very beginning. There are others who say we should pick our spots and make sure that we're providing assistance to those who can take themselves to the next level. I wouldn't mind just having a comment on that.

[Brett Kissel]

Well, I'm happy to comment on that. Thank you for the congratulations and for the great question.

I believe that you have the decision whether or not to pick your spots. As an artist, I chose to pick my spot as this being the time to access government funding.

I was very fortunate, growing up in Alberta, that my parents were very supportive, as were my extended family, in helping with my career. It was when we got to this point, at which we wanted, I guess, to “make the NHL”, wanted to make the national level in the music career, that we didn't need the moral support of my parents. Well, we still need it, but we didn't need it the way we did before. I didn't need just 500 or 1,000 bucks from grandma and grandpa to help buy a new guitar; we needed to access thousands of dollars to make a competitive record that would stand true on Canadian radio, that could stand right beside a Lady Antebellum or a George Strait record and Brett Kissel would fit right in.

This is when we were able to access FACTOR funding and access a larger pool of money to take advantage of taking the next serious step on the ladder. We were here for many years. Many artists have the opportunity with hard work to go up the first few steps, but it is to get to the national level. I feel we can really benefit from tapping into Canadian funding to get to that gigantic place.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Thanks.

Some folks say that FACTOR has been around for a long time and that the issue isn't how much funding the federal government invests in FACTOR, it's that it has become an exclusive club, that it's very difficult to get in, so to speak. Once you're in it's okay, but getting there is the hard part.

Do you have any comments on FACTOR itself?

[Brett Kissel]

Well, I believe that getting there is the hard part in any business. Getting to this point in my career has been very difficult. Now it seems that the doors have automatically opened at country radio and at events, with invitations to play at great festivals.

We applied for the process, as everybody else had done. I felt that we just created a strong case to the jury who selected us, decided, “We'll give our resources and funding to this guy.” There's a very good chance that I might apply for funding at another time and it would go to somebody else. It could go to an aboriginal artist, a francophone artist, a jazz artist.

I feel that the jury making these decisions is a very competent group. I've been lucky to access the funding recently, but I don't believe the viewpoint you mentioned, personally. If you have a strong case, and.... Everyone has the same opportunity. There's a document and you have to apply, which we did, and we were successful, according to the jury.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Allan, we had a great round table in Winnipeg on Saturday, and I really appreciated your participation in it. The word “participation“ stretches out to ParticipAction. I have thought a lot about the offer you have made and the concept.

Could you expand on exactly how we would deliver this? You know the problem we have at the federal level: we can't deliver educational programs; we have to let the provinces do it, because somehow they're much better at it, according to our Constitution, than we are.

How would we implement a program like that? I know there would be some cost involved, but how would we engage? Everybody has seen the athletic ParticipAction aspect of it. How do we turn this? Is this more of an awareness strategy than it is necessarily an educational strategy, and how do we implement it?

[Allan Reid]

I think it is. Obviously, we would need support from the federal government to do it, but I think we need to engage many stakeholders, the provinces, obviously, because it is education; organizations such as Music Canada, the Coalition for Music Education, CARAS, the Juno Awards. There is also the Canadian Music Educators Association. There are a number of stakeholders we could go to in building the strategy.

It's a loose concept right now, but if we consider what ParticipAction does, we see that it is about education. And this is not just about students, either. The benefits of music go far beyond children. Look at music therapy and what it does for people. If you play music for Alzheimer's patients, all of a sudden it takes them right back and brings them to life. There are many various areas that this could tap into.

Yes, definitely we would need support from the federal government. But there are also public companies. Broadcasters, through the Canadian content development fund, could also help with the funding of this. For live performances, there's Live Nation. There are other areas as well. There is plenty of money out there to be tapped into.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

If we were to make a recommendation like that at the conclusion of our report, how would you frame it?

[Allan Reid]

How would I frame it? Well, I think it has to be a national strategy. It needs a lot of consultation to first get it started. It's not going to happen overnight. I think we have to bring the stakeholders together, look at what it is, and do it with a focus on the benefits of music education directly.

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Mr. O'Reilly, the hardest part of this business is managing expectations. Can you comment on that from a Canadian perspective?

[Louis O'Reilly, Manager, O'Reilly International Inc., As an Individual]

In Canada I challenge all my artists to seek.... With Brett, I say you can play in the CFL or—no offence—you can play in the NFL. In Canada we live beside a big cultural industry called the United States, and it's very hard to overcome and compete with it.

Just by comparison, with Brett we've had three consecutive top 10s. We might spend $10,000 per top 10, whereas in the United States it would cost $1 million to get into the top 10. The amount of money the Americans are throwing at the game or putting into the process is significantly higher. It's the same thing with the NFL versus the CFL.

My goal for Brett and all our artists.... If they want to reach the international level, we just don't have the wherewithal within Canada to fund that sort of process. Organizations such as FACTOR and Radio Starmaker kick in the difference, not the full balance, but enough that we can compete at that level, and for me that's significant. As a manager, I've also been able to tap into FACTOR. It's not just Brett himself. It's not a hockey player who does it all himself; there's a coach, there's a training staff, there's a whole organization. I'm part of that and I benefit from FACTOR as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Thank you.

Ms. Mathyssen, you have the floor for seven minutes.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Thank you for being here. Thank you for what you do and for the contribution you all make.

I want to add my congratulations to you, Brett, on your achievement. Of course, you couldn't do it without support from people such as Mr. O'Reilly and Mr. Reid.

I've been very interested in what a number of witnesses have said respecting the need for education. In fact, next week I'm meeting with two groups in my riding in London who are very involved in this. These are charitable organizations. Well, one is St. Paul's Anglican Church; they do remarkable charitable work in all of our community. The other is the Aeolian Hall.

The Aeolian Hall is this incredible old music hall. I'm sure you know it. You know Clark and the incredible people who have made the hall come alive by supporting Canadian artists and upcoming artists. They are doing an educational program for kids in the poorest neighbourhoods in my community, and I can tell you, there are some incredibly poor neighbourhoods.

Like St. Paul's, they are bringing in these kids after school. They're providing instruments, and they're finding that not only are they giving these kids something positive after school—another outlet for whatever else is going on in their lives—but they are able to do some real community building with these kids. It's not just the musical skill, although that's absolutely key, but these kids go on to have a lifelong appreciation for music, the kind of appreciation that's going to feed that next generation of the incredible talent we have here. It also helps them to communicate respectfully and positively. It just gives them a whole new outlet.

While I'm very grateful that there is this willingness to go and get the private funding, it seems to me that what you're saying about a role for the federal government in this is very real.

, I know there needs to be broad consultation, perhaps with groups such as Brio Music and St. Paul's, but what should we be doing in terms of the federal government? I don't want them to get off with saying that this is the purview of the province. I want them to understand how important it is to be a part of those communities. We're not separated from our communities in the way we seem to pretend we are, up here in Ottawa. We have to be very much a part of this.

I want you to comment on this and tell me your experience and what you think.

[Allan Reid]

Music is a community builder. Actually, there is a program I should make you aware of that you need to tell both those organizations about.

Through MusiCounts we've always been focused on the classroom primarily, but last year we started a brand new program with TD Bank, which is all about creating opportunities for after school programs. It's called the MusiCounts TD community music grants program.

It's open right now. We'll actually give grants of up to $25,000 to organizations that want to create a transformational opportunity in their community through music. We provide musical instruments and equipment. We don't provide the space or the teachers to do it. They need to make that commitment. That's an aside for you. Make sure they apply. May 9 is the deadline.

Music is an incredible community builder beyond the classroom within the communities themselves.

In Winnipeg during the Juno Awards we had two grant recipients there through the TD program, one of which runs an organization called Status4. He's actually a friend of Minister Glover's, who used to work with her. His name is Kevin Gibson, and he actually works with the Winnipeg Police Service.

A few years ago he was on the beat and he noticed that he was picking up a lot of the kids over and over again for petty crime and drugs and things like that. He thought that pulling them into the station wasn't helping. So he thought he needed to create an opportunity for these kids and to find a place for them to go where they would feel comfortable and safe and, more importantly, engaged.

He contacted city hall. He found what was virtually a derelict building, a little community centre which he took over. With his own carpentry skills and his own hard work, he created a very small program called Status4 Inc. He encouraged neighbourhood kids to come check it out. It was music, and he had some guitars there. Over the course of a couple of years, he's built that up. He applied for one of our grants. We gave him a $25,000 grant with which he purchased, I think, 20 guitars, keyboards, a drum kit, bass amps, you name it.

He currently has 85 kids in that program. It's about to double to about 160 in his community. The crime rate in that area has dropped significantly. He attributes that very much to the fact that he has given these kids an outlet to go to. I don't want to say that all young kids are criminals either, by any stretch, but it does provide an opportunity.

A lot of studies show that it's between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. that kids get into trouble. This opportunity gives these kids a place to go. This new program is funding organizations like that right across the country. It's very different from the classroom work we do through Band Aid. To see what these people are doing in their communities is amazing. They are saints.

We're the conduit to bringing money into a program and giving it to these people, but when I say these people are saving lives, truly they absolutely are.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

I appreciate that very much, because so often we're focused on being tough on crime and punishing, punishing, punishing. I'm very glad that you say these kids aren't criminals, that there is a role in terms of prevention, and that it's an intelligent role, because it saves money, saves heartache, saves anguish, and maybe it'll produce another Brett Kissel.

[Allan Reid]

And honestly, it makes better young Canadians.

We are teaching these kids teamwork and discipline and self-esteem, and they walk out of there....

We do these Band Aid celebrations at schools where we actually go in and we'll present a school with a $5,000 or $10,000 grant. Actually, Brett is going to participate in one on May 6 in a school in Bowmanville with us. We're going to deliver 10,000 dollars' worth of instruments to a school there.

It's hard to express unless you've been in the room at one of these, but giving a kid a new instrument and what that does for them is unbelievable. I spent 25 years in the music business as a talent scout signing artists, and I was somewhat jaded. I walked into a school in Halifax with an artist named Joel Plaskett, and we presented these instruments to the school. This one young girl came up to me afterwards and she said, "Mr. Reid, you have no idea what this saxophone has done for me."

It was kind of that classic Glee moment, because these kids were the losers of the school. It was very much an athletic school. We were supposed to have the celebration in the school gymnasium and we were moved to the cafetorium because the basketball team was having a practice. We got bumped in, and it was just the band students, and we had Joel Plaskett with us, who is also a Juno Award winner and well-known east coast artist, and we presented these kids their instruments, and they were like, "Today we're the rock stars of this school. You brought this artist here. You validated our music program. You've told people that we're important."

The other students weren't actually allowed to get into this ceremony. So the band class actually said that whoever raised the biggest amount of food for the local food bank could join the celebration. The school ended up raising—I can't remember how much—thousands of pounds of food for a local food bank, and all that was just through one central piece, which was music.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Thank you so much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gord Brown]

Mr. Dion, you have the floor. You have seven minutes.

[Stéphane Dion, Liberal, Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Welcome, Mr. Reid, Mr. Kissel, and Mr. O'Reilly.

Mr. Reid and Mr. Kissel, congratulations on your Juno two weeks ago.

We'd like to offer the three of you an opportunity to clarify what you expect from this committee. We have the sense that what you are asking us to do is more of the same, more money with the same programs, but maybe not. Maybe it's a different strategy, including music ParticipAction. This is an opportunity to tell us, is it more of the same or different approaches that you would like the federal government to take to boost music in Canada?

[Allan Reid]

I'll answer first, obviously on the music ParticipAction piece. It's a brand-new concept that was literally just tabled at the minister's round table in Winnipeg. I think a lot of the organizations have all wondered how they would keep moving forward music education and the importance of that. When Mr. Henderson tabled it at the meeting—Mr. Brown, you were there, and Mr. Dykstra as well—immediately every chairman went, “Hmm, that makes sense. This is an interesting idea”.

We're far from saying that this is exactly what the strategy needs to be, but I think the federal government could play a major role in helping us form that kind of strategy. Maybe it's monetary; maybe it's not. I don't know yet. I think that obviously there are some private sector people we can go to who can help fund it, but I think the federal government can play a major role in that.

In helping us create the framework, you have the basis of the ParticipAction program to help us outline what this could look like. It doesn't have to be a mirror image of that, but you have a great understanding of how those programs need to be marketed and worked to become effective.

[Brett Kissel]

I'll jump in, sir, as I want to say something very brief and precise.

When it comes to current government funding like FACTOR, I'm a very proud success story of that funding. I have a lot of friends who have accessed it, so you know it's going to good use. I would hope that you would continue to do that and increase the fund so that there will be more success stories and so we can broaden Canada's influence on the worldwide music industry.

When it comes to new programs, my wheels are turning now about this new music ParticipAction program and how beneficial that could be to our Canadian youth. I believe that if we can get to an understanding, hopefully sooner rather than later, to get this program off the ground, I would love it. Sports have a very competitive nature. They're fun, active, and great. I love them; I'm a competitive person, but for those who aren't competitive, who don't have the height, who maybe don't have the talent to throw a ball, or swing a club, or shoot a puck.... Everyone can benefit from music, because there are so many different instruments. You can sing; you can play; you can tap so many things involved in the arts.

If we can do that, get a strategy off the ground soon, get some government funding soon, and get this program running, I would be the first to join in and help spread the word by social media, or perhaps through a company like Live Nation, go right across the country myself.... I'm sure I can speak for a lot of other artists. We can go across the country to many schools and present these cheques, guitars and other instruments, and this new idea. That would be incredible, in my opinion.