To mark their 10th anniversary, the Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) proudly launched Setting the Stage, a pilot program sponsored by RBC. This initiative provided micro-grants to independent live music venues, promoters, and festivals to empower live performances and foster mentorship for local, emerging artists.
They’re pleased to announce the recipients of this program and their selected emerging artists:
- Biltmore Theatre (Oshawa, ON) – Brothers Wild
- Canada’s Music Incubator (Toronto, ON) – Mimi O’Bonsawin
- Dawson City Music Festival (Dawson City, YK) – DruiZ
- F7 Entertainment Group (Edmonton, AB) – Lauren Ash
- Flying V Productions (Kingston, ON) – PINER
- Folk On The Rocks (Yellowknife, NWT) – Cassandra Blondin Burt
- Rickshaw Theatre (Vancouver, BC) – Spank Williams
- Road to Revelree (Sarnia, ON) – Heather Russell
- Sonic Unyon (Hamilton, ON) – Luckystickz
- The Cap (Fredericton, NB) – Katie Schurman
- The Phoenix Concert Theatre (Toronto, ON) – Lear Haven
- The Silver Dollar Room (Toronto, ON) – DJ Birdie
- The Starlite Room (Edmonton AB) – Stem Cham
- Tooth Blackner Presents (Calgary AB) – Kue Varo
- Whitecap Entertainment (Charlottetown, PEI) – Brooke MacArthur
“We were thrilled by the nation-wide response to this RBC-sponsored pilot program”, said Erin Benjamin, President & CEO of the CLMA.“ and were very impressed by the calibre of the applications, the creative talent of the artists represented, and the impact of the proposed mentorship for each, and we hope to be able to provide this support again in the near future because both the need, and opportunity, are clear. We cannot thank RBC enough for their support of Canada’s live music community. Congratulations to the recipients, the artists, and a huge thank you to all of the mentors involved behind the scenes in your role in supporting Canada’s artists of the future.”
The program aims to address the market challenges that persist in some areas of the live music ecosystem, challenges that are directly impacting live music venues, and challenges emerging artists’ face as they try to grow their careers. All funded activities will take place by March 1st, 2025.
