February 09, 2015
Not since 2013 has there been a Canada-wide survey for independent music companies to gauge their successes, growth opportunities, and areas in need of policy reform.
Now, a new set of data will be revealed with the launch of a new survey from the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) and their partnership with The Centre for Trade Policy and Law.
Titled, Accessing The US Market, the survey hopes to better understand our northern independent music industry’s needs in “doing business and performing in the United States.”
According to CIMA, “this survey is a component of a larger research project…and it will also include an economic and policy analysis component.”
Knowledge about the American market’s importance to independent Canadian music is no new discovery. The 2013 Sound Analysis report’s opening line puts it best when it says, “The Canadian independent music industry has a long tradition of developing and exporting world-class artists and music business, and is increasingly finding success in international markets over the last decade.”
The report found nearly three quarters of total industry revenue was earned in Canada, while 19% was earned in the US. It’s a sizeable portion when compared to how much revenue was generated in the UK (3%) and Australia/New Zealand (1%).
Before the 2013 Sound Analysis report, previous attempts at collecting data about the Canadian independent music sector were sparse and problematic. Listed under “1.1 Rationale for this Project” of the Sound Analysis report are two examples of nation-wide previous data-collecting attempts: an attempt in 2008 “faced data collection issues and appears to have left out significant parts of the industry’s revenue”, making 2004 the last time that a successful nation-wide survey was completed.
CIMA says they hope the survey results will help the Canadian independent music industry with “exporting opportunities to the US in the past, present, and future.”
In other news…
- The Sheepdogs open SiriusXM JUNO KickOff
- Canadians didn’t walk away with any statues, but we were nominated for a few at least!
- Canada’s best hip hop producers!
- Now on Canadian Netflix
- Vanessa Thomas joins RDIO/Canada
- Tom Cochrane is back
– Leyland Bradley
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Get at me @LeylandMarie or leyland.bradley@gmail.com.