In the case of the Festival de musique émergente in particular, it’s truly a festival that gives emerging artists a voice. Its mission is to give artists the opportunity to perform under professional conditions. This is incredibly important because, as mentioned earlier—by the UDA, in particular—given that music has become highly digitized in recent years, with streaming platforms, musicians can no longer make a living from their art, because they're no longer selling albums, and the royalties they receive from various digital platforms are simply not adequate or sufficient. So live performances have truly become the cornerstone of their careers. It's extremely important to maintain access to live performances and touring for artists and to provide them with good conditions so they can make a living from it.
In recent years, we've seen a rise in artists' performance fees. It's very costly to produce a music festival in a remote region. We have to bring in a lot of artists and technicians, and we have to equip the venues. Artists' fees are rising sharply, and that's understandable. It's therefore important to support these events, which often provide emerging artists with their first platform. Ultimately, they are the artists of tomorrow who will put the country on the international map.
It's important to preserve this ecosystem of small performance venues and small festivals. In my view, this truly serves the common good. Public funds are invested to ensure that projects—such as festivals—can exist. As I mentioned, they're often supported by many volunteers and communities that pour their heart and soul into these events, and that's invaluable. We need to preserve that.
At the same time, there's the entire ecosystem of the entertainment industry, with venues and theatres where more commercial projects are presented that fill large halls. I think that in Montreal, we need major festivals that host international artists, but we must also preserve what lies at the very foundation of talent development—namely, independent venues, regional festivals and festivals in small towns. These festivals are true economic drivers and a lifeline for artists, enabling them to make a living from their art.