CHANGES
Thousands of Artists Sign “ Focus on Creators ” Letter to Feds
Over 2,000 Canadian musicians , authors , songwriters , composers , music producers , poets , playwrights , film composers , and other members of the creative class have signed a joint letter addressed to the Minister of Canadian Heritage , Mélanie Joly , urging the government to put Canada ’ s creators at the heart of its cultural policy . The letter is part of a newly launched initiative called Focus on Creators , a coalition conceived by Music Canada President Graham Henderson that has the backing of Music Canada , CIMA , The Writers ’ Union of Canada , the Canadian Country Music Association , the Canadian Council of Music Industry Associations , and others . The letter is now open to the public for other creators to lend their support at FocusOnCreators . ca .
In light of some major federal cultural policy activities , including the Canadian Content in a Digital World consultations , and the upcoming Copyright Act review in 2017 , the Focus On Creators coalition was formed to bring focus to the artists ’ perspective .
The original list of supporters included the likes of Gord Downie , Alanis Morissette , Brett Kissel , Blue Rodeo , Gordon Lightfoot , Grimes , Metric , The Sheepdogs , Marie Claire Blais , Rudy Wiebe , Garth Richardson , and many more .
The initiative is aimed at pressuring the federal government into protecting copyright and creators ’ interests in the digital age . It follows a speech by Music Canada President Graham Henderson to the Economic Club of Canada entitled “ The Broken Promise
MUSIC CANADA PRESIDENT GRAHAM HENDERSON
of a Golden Age ,” where he described how tech companies have grown and profited at the expense of creators . “ These are the big names [ signing the letter ], but what is just as important are the young artists … signing up in droves because they ’ re the ones for whom this promise evaporated ,” Henderson tells Canadian Musician .
The letter is available to read and sign at www . focusoncreators . ca . For more from our interview with Graham Henderson , go to Pg . 10 .
… U . S . Citizenship and Immigration Services has increased the performance permit fees for international musicians planning a U . S . tour , including Canadians , by 42 per cent . The fee is now $ 460 USD , up from $ 325 . The Canadian Federation of Musicians responded with a statement saying , “ A fee surge of this kind adds an additional and unacceptable financial burden on our members .”
The Great Escape Accepting Artist Submissions
The Great Escape festival is now accepting artist showcase submissions for 2017 . Held in Brighton , U . K ., The Great Escape will run from May 18-20 , 2017 . The submissions deadline is Feb . 17 , 2017 . Artists must create a free account at Music Glue to apply .
For more information , go to www . greatescapefestival . com .
Bruce Cockburn to Headline 2017 JUNO Songwriters ’ Circle
Bruce Cockburn will host and perform at the 2017 JUNO Songwriters ’ Circle in Ottawa on Sunday , April 2 , 2017 . The JUNO Songwriters ’ Circle is an intimate and interactive concert benefiting music education charity MusiCounts . It will feature notable songwriters , including 2017 JUNO Award nominees , performing their songs and sharing the stories behind them . The JUNO Songwriters ’ Circle will be available for streaming through CBCMusic . ca and will also be broadcast on CBC Radio One and CBC Radio 2 .
For more information , go to www . junoawards . ca .
Enter Now for CBC Searchlight 2017
Canadian Musician is once again partnering with the CBC for the 2017 edition of Searchlight . Submissions for the annual contest , which seeks out Canada ’ s best new artist , are welcome as of Jan . 2016 SEARCHLIGHT WINNER DESIRÉE DAWSON & HER TEAM AT 17 , 2017 . Up for grabs are
METALWORKS STUDIOS .
major prizes – including a $ 25,000 Canadian Musician Career Booster Prize Pack – plus performance opportunities at high-profile events and much more .
For complete details or to enter , visit www . cbcmusic . ca / searchlight .
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