Australian Music Week will again play host to the Made In Canada music showcase that features six of the country's artists who are working to take Australia by storm.
This year, the artists who will be bringing their best to showcase for Australian industry delegates are Adyn Townes, Declan O'Donovan, Luca Fogale, Mo Kenney, Random Recipe and Hawksley Workman.
Here, we speak with executive director of BreakOut West music conference and the Western Canadian Music Alliance, Robyn Stewart, to discuss how Canada fosters its talent.
You’ve been bringing Canadian artists over to showcase at Australian Music Week for a few years now. What keeps you coming back?
Success stories. When artists make great connections and build their network in Australia, we can show the value of projects like this and keep them going from year to year.
There is a long list of Canadian artists who have become household names around the world. How does Canada foster its creative talent?
Canada has an incredible wealth of resources for supporting artists to build their careers within their market and beyond borders. Through development events like East Coast Music Awards, BreakOut West and the Canadian Independent Music Association, and with the support of the federal and provincial governments, artists can build their careers. The industry and artists in Canada collaborate well and are so supportive of each others' careers, making the environment for creatives so incredible.
Canada has a very strong conference and showcasing culture. What do you think makes for a great conference?
The most productive conference and showcase event for artists is one where they can not only showcase their music but also have concrete face-time with the right industry buyers who are poised to work with them in the present. It takes the right mix of artists and industry, at the right points in their careers, and then spice in programming like one-on-one mentor meetings and it all seems to come together.
What are your top tips for artists and industry to make the most of their music conference experiences?
Do your homework before coming. For artists: have goals and do the research of the industry representatives coming out to target who is going to be the best to help you reach those goals. Reach out to them in advance in meaningful ways; and expect to take in all of the elements of the event, not just your show or panel.
What is it that makes Aussies and Canadians good partners in music?
Australian and Canadian artists have similar challenges and experiences. We have large countries with a few big markets and a lot of small towns in between.
What do you hope to achieve with the artists you are showcasing this year?
We hope all artists this year make concrete connections with industry that will lead to festival and tour dates, and building their fanbase in Australia.
Will you be scouting out any Aussie talent? If so, what will you be looking for?
Both ECMA and BreakOut West programme Australian acts for our showcase festivals so we will be looking for artists to invite. We will be looking for artists who will be a good fit for our markets, who have a following in Australia and an industry team, and who have the capacity to break into the Canadian market successfully.
What would you say are the biggest challenges facing the music industry globally at the moment?
There are so many, by nature of an industry that is moving so fast and is dependent on so many areas of technology, but I would say a big challenge is the change from a culture of consumer product to one of experience. From tangible products to an intangible, 360-degree experience of music in a world where the monetisation of this experience is not clear.
