Actually, no. It's interesting. Through the Junos each year artists submit to us to become a nominee in 42 different categories. This last year we saw the highest number of submissions in Juno history. Over 2,500 artists submitted for the Junos in 42 categories. That was a 20% increase from the year before. There are more recordings coming. I want to thank the Government of Canada for supporting the Canada Music Fund and funding FACTOR, which allows all of those artists to actually make their way to our stage as well.
On diversity, I think about who has been on our stage in the last few years. When we were in Ottawa for the Junos, Buffy Sainte-Marie opened the show. We have had Tanya Tagaq, A Tribe Called Red, Black Bear. There are phenomenal artists out there, but it takes investment. It takes a lot of investment from record companies, from managers and from promoters. There's the whole music ecosystem. As you were saying, it takes a village.
Honestly, it's probably the most exciting time in Canadian music right now. There are more artists happening, maybe not at a massive global level like Drake, Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, but there is a whole swath of incredible musicians. This is that value gap issue we keep talking about.