Over the past seven years, FACTOR has contributed just over $105 million in total offerings. Of that $105 million, $97 million, or 93%, has gone to signed artists and music businesses, with a paltry 6.8% going to all of Canada's artist entrepreneurs. Another way to put it is that 93% of the money has gone to 1.5% of Canada's active artists.
Then you add the fact that this 1.5% of Canadian bands are often also eligible to receive funding from the Radio Starmaker Fund and are often supported by both organizations in the same fiscal year.
Then, you also add the fact that many of the record labels and management companies representing the majority of this 1.5% are also receiving CMF support from the music entrepreneur component of the Canada Music Fund. All told, between MEC funding, Starmaker, and FACTOR, a handful of artists and companies received more support than all of Canada's artist entrepreneurs combined.
CIRAA is not here to judge the needs of this 1.5%. We are here to report on the neglect of the 98.5% and its effects on our industry.
In 2006, there were 28,000 active artist entrepreneurs in Canada. That number is down nearly 50%, slowly choking off the supply of talented artists, and potentially depriving Canadians of the next Glenn Gould, or Bryan Adams, or Arcade Fire.
Another telling fact is that, of Canada's 19,000 recording artists, only 3,400 have even bothered to register with FACTOR, due to widespread apathy. Canada's remaining artists feel abandoned, frustrated, angry, and are increasingly vocal.