April 16, 2020
By NMC Staff
It’s been nearly a month since Canadians were asked to stay at home to slow the spread of COVID-19. While we can’t gather physically at this time, music has played an important role in bringing people together.
We’ve compiled a roundup of mind-easing playlists and upcoming livestreams to offer a momentary distraction from the daily breaking news cycle, along with a current list of resources for artists (thanks to our friends at BreakOut West and the Unison Benevolent Fund).
Playlists
The music–to–stay–home-to playlist from Dominionated is a well-crafted 87-song musical journey, offering a blissful mix of tunes from newer names (hear: the luminous dream-pop of Tallies and uplifting bounce of Kaytranada), beloved icons, such as Joni Mitchell and The Band, and everything in between. Enjoy the ride here.
Exclaim’s The Eh! List is a constantly updated roundup of new Canadian music from coast to coast to coast. Press play and let the discovery begin. Listen to it here.
BreakOut West has gathered some cathartic isolation-inspired jams from some of Western Canada’s finest on-the-rise acts, including Taylor Janzen, Port Juvee, Sam Weber, and more. You can stream it here.
We’re also into Hoping For A Replacement: After The Gold Rush Re-Imagined, a compilation of Neil Young covers that you can download via Aquarium Drunkard here.
Livestreams
Calgary Folk Music Festival (CFMF) is introducing the Isolation Station Happy Hour—and they’re going live for their first installation on Thursday, April 16 at 4:00 pm MST. Head over to CFMF’s Instagram Live feed here for songs and stories from St. Arnaud, Yolanda Sargeant, and Dan Mangan. More weekly Happy Hours to follow!
With countless members of the Canadian music community impacted by COVID-19, Tom Jackson is rallying artists to aid their peers with a new 12-part digital variety series, called Almighty Voices. The series in support of the Unison Benevolent Fund will feature Sarah Slean, Measha Brueggergosman, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Terra Lightfoot, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Bif Naked, Barney & Dustin Bentall and more. Tune into a new episode every Sunday until June 21 here.
On April 18 at 6:00 pm MST, a superstar lineup curated by Lady Gaga will make guest appearances as part of One World: Together at Home, a telecast to raise funds for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Among the artists set to participate are Alanis Morissette, Céline Dion, Shawn Mendes, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and many others.
CBC Music also has an exhaustive list of upcoming livestreams that you can peruse here.
Resources
** Below resource list gathered from BreakOut West and the Unison Benevolent Fund
Mental health and community support
For counselling inquiries to help you deal with the financial or emotional impact of coronavirus, please contact Unison at 1-855-986-4766.
Centre For Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH) offer tips, coping strategies and resources to manage your mental health during the pandemic. For more information about CAMH, visit here.
Over the Bridge is a lifeline for the music industry’s long-term success. Using the music industry as a conduit, Over the Bridge assists people in cultivating and achieving long-term mental health and addiction recovery goals.
Team Backline and THRIV have created “Come Together” COVID-19 Crisis” music industry support groups, sharing virtual space weekly on Mondays and Thursdays.
Canada’s Alcoholic Online Meetings Alcoholics Anonymous will be hosting closed meetings on Wednesdays and Sundays at 8 pm EST.
Narcotics Anonymous have resources to help addicts meet online or by phone. Click here for more info.
Finances
If you have stopped working because of COVID-19, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) may provide you with temporary income support. The CERB provides $500 a week for up to 16 weeks.
FACTOR Canada will honour all approved commitments at 100% of the amount approved for funding in situations where the event or activity was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Information about FACTOR’s cancellation policy can be found here and will be extending two of their upcoming deadlines, the Artist Development and Juried Sound Recording programs will be extended by two weeks. The new deadline is Thursday, May 28 at 11:59 pm PT. For eligible music companies looking to apply for support through the Support for Eligible Music Companies program, the Business Development deadline will be extended by 4 weeks. The new deadline is Thursday, May 21 at 11:59 pm PT.
Radio Starmaker The Board of the Radio Starmaker Fund wants to inform all stakeholders that any previous tour dates that were approved and were to take place between February 15 and August 31 of this year will be fully funded if they were canceled as a result of the coronavirus.
Facebook is offering $100M in cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 eligible small businesses in over 30 countries where they operate through the Facebook Small Business Grants Programs.
CAPACOA is asking musicians to track cancellations affecting the Canadian live performance sector here.
Artist Resource Tools
In response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, CBC has launched the CBC Creative Relief Fund to provide immediate, urgent support to Canadian creators. The unprecedented new Fund will provide $2 million in development and production funding for a diverse range of innovative, original Canadian storytelling, including scripted comedies and dramas, unscripted entertainment, kids and young adult programming, podcasts, play adaptations and short documentaries.
The National Arts Centre will receive and administer applications until April 20, 2020 with performances currently scheduling until May 31, 2020 from professional Canadian performing artists who would like to post an online performance. Selected artists will receive a financial grant, and their performances will be shared on the NAC’s Facebook page which will be discoverable by searching #CanadaPerforms. Artists or ensembles must be limited to no more than five people (please follow your provincial guidelines). Apply here to perform.
SaskMusic will be hosting live streamed concerts from Saskatchewan artists throughout April and May on their Facebook page. Saskatchewan artists, apply here to perform.
British Columbia musicians can now get provincial grants for livestreaming. Read more about the program on the Creative BC website here.
Manitoba Music will be hosting live streamed concerts from Saskatchewan artists throughout April and May on their Facebook page. Manitoba artists, apply here to perform.
Every night, freelance music publicist and Sirius XM host Eric Alper will be releasing a 60-second clip of tips that artists and labels can do during this time of madness, and afterwards. Watch his videos here.
ilostmygig.ca is a safe space for creative industries and other vulnerable freelance and gig economy workers to connect and share stories in response of COVID-19. Visit the site here.
CD Baby’s 7 things to remember about live-streaming provides resources for musicians during the COVID-19 pandemic
Fit on Tour will be running Instagram LIVE guided workouts (yoga, HIIT, meditation and more). Check them out here.
Alberta Music has also compiled a fantastic list of wellness and workout–from–home resources here.
Did we missing anything? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
