The Swarm

July 13, 2009

An Open Letter To Canada's Music Industry and Grant System: Why Does Metric, MSTRKRFT and 'Well-Funded Mediocrity' Get All The Support?...

Guest Blogger


By Greg Ipp, Unfamiliar Records

Before I begin, I know this is going to upset some people, and I know it won’t exactly improve my chances of success in this industry. However, please remember that I am speaking in general terms, about things that are happening not necessarily because of specific people, but because of systems and guidelines that are in place. I know there are some really nice folks working in our grant offices; hey, I’ve even met some! But the general sentiment here still rings true, regardless of the individuals who are doing good work.

—————

Over the last five years I have poured countless hundreds of hours, and spent many tens of thousands of dollars on developing a small, independent Canadian record label. We’ve had some great success, and I’d never ask for a penny or an hour back. However, as the inner workings of the industry become more transparent, and as my personal debt mounts, the process is becoming increasingly frustrating.

Prior to launching the label, one aspect of the industry I’d heard so much about were grants: The government’s desire to help Canadian artists by providing funding to help them achieve international success. Enthusiastically, we made applications to VideoFACT (who are not a government entity) and to FACTOR, and waited expectantly for help in providing our artists with the kind of support they deserve. Over the years, that support has never materialized; for all the applications submitted, we have only ever received a couple thousand dollars to partially cover showcase travel expenses for one of our bands.

We have received great reviews for our releases from the likes of Pitchfork, The Toronto Star, Spin, NME, NPR, The Georgia Straight, NOW, Eye, The Onion, KEXP, Rolling Stone, and countless blogs—but that really hasn’t seemed to matter. Nor has the quality of our applications, which have been submitted through top-notch grant writers. Nor has our desire to pour just about every ounce of our energy into our bands; to sweat blood in an effort to garner some notice from the Canadian establishment for our roster.

So today, as I looked over the latest round of VideoFACT grants, I was struck by a thought that has cycled through my head on so many occasions: Why the hell are these bands getting the money? Metric? They have now received two successive video grants in the last three months—one from FACTOR, the other from VideoFACT, for a total of about $60,000. On top of this, they have received various other grants, and have sold over 50,000 units of their new album. MSTRKRFT, who work out of their very own recording studio, and have how many videos now? Dragonette?!

The list was made up primarily of bands under the wing of well-funded labels with cash to spare, or who are already old enough to no longer need the training wheels—and it’s no secret that many of these bands are known to produce music of dubious value. What kills me is the ability these bands have to market themselves as a result of receiving funding.

It’s a testament to their marketing teams that their music sells; it’s not a result of making great music. A good deal of a band’s ability to sell music is based on image and exposure, and in order to achieve either you need money (or, in rare cases, luck, or in even rarer cases, talent—which must still be coupled with luck). What we see here is money buying sales. And money begetting more exposure, which in turn drives sales, which – combined with face-time – will woo the judges (and critics) who drive these contests.

That’s right, face time. Over the years, I have had one too many industry insiders tell me I had to “get to know the judges” in order to win; at this point, I can’t discount that as being a key ingredient in securing grants. It’s been suggested I take one of them out to dinner. Go have coffee. Basically, pander to them; suck up; get myself in their faces so they know who I am, so our bands can “earn” the right to have them as benefactors. Sure, that’s how the industry often works in terms of your reviews, your covers, your shows, and even getting signed, but the Canadian grant system? How sad. How gross.

Here I was thinking we had a chance as a wholly independent record label who has fought tooth and nail for every bit of press we’ve been lucky enough to receive. But – even though our overhead is extraordinarily low – we’ve had to turn to private funding from investors in order to keep the ship running. We have the ability to break even, we can even turn a profit, but every penny of our money must go back into the label, because we need to grow; we need to run as a start-up. Paying ourselves is impossible. So those of us steering the label work multiple jobs, and don’t sleep in order to make it happen. That said, it’s only a matter of time before we either sell ourselves to someone much bigger, or pack it up.

That $60,000 Metric received? We could have released a years worth of albums with that money. That’s right, a year’s worth—with great people working the press, with a few videos, and with some form of tour support. There you have six bands who could have potentially launched careers, or two music videos for a band who really doesn’t need the government paying their way.

The state of the Canadian music industry is at once great, and terrible. There are amazing independent labels working their asses off to put out solid music. Guys like Flemish Eye, and Global Symphonic, and Constellation. But there is also this vast mass of well-funded mediocrity that dominates our Polaris Prize, that taints our Junos, and that completely blankets the MMVAs. Wouldn’t it be great if our grant system were there to allow the black sheep to shake things up? To supply the necessary funding that a well-deserving, if unknown talent needs in order to compete, without the help of an entity already known to the judges? The status quo is maligning our industry, and lining the pockets of those who are willing to play the game.

UPDATE: Metric manager responds…


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Previous comments include

#1 Fruity says:

Thank you for writing about this. It's one of those things I've wondered about for ages... There are so many amazing Canadian bands struggling for attention, and the fact that Metric got factor and videofact grants is just ridiculous.

#2 cntower says:

the more things stay the same,
the more they stay the same.....

this is an old school music business game,
and unfortunately, the smaller numbers
in canada won't ever get any better....

#3 cc says:

Metric...no bigger embarrassment to the concept of "indie" music. Please go away.

This whole article needed to be published, it pretty much sums up to total joke of the Canadian music industry.

#4 schmuck says:

the bands that get the grants demonstrate an ability to 'connect', ie. sell records. this creates the grant loop that bands like metric move in. simple.
its never ever been a meritocracy.

if its not familiar and safe it doesn't get the money.
that's the system. always has been.

#5 KC says:

While the strain between the haves and have-nots in the music industry continues to grow worldwide, we must admit that simply because some bands and labels receive more traditional support (i.e. Metric) does not make them better OR worse than bands and labels that do not. Efforts to support and nurture culturally significant art at present are hindered by polarizing statements that deem all things independent "good" and all moderately successful independent works and (gasp) those with some commercial success "bad," which is an undertone I fear this article does not escape. No one would call this an easy business, especially those of us working in it. People and musicians that should be heard sometimes never will be, just as some are able to find a great deal of success. It must be acknowledged that while this particular writer's efforts have unfortunately not been aided significantly by FACTOR or VideoFACT, many, many have, and this is not entirely be the result of an unseen force of privilege, nor is it born out of completely ignoring any "black sheep" as mentioned in the article. There seems to be quite a balance. For full disclosure, I urge you to visit the following links to see all of the award winners.

Best wishes to this author in his future applications, and hopefully someone will take notice of where financial attention may be lacking.

http://www.factor.ca/Approvals.aspx
http://www.videofact.ca/news/show/49

#6 Greg says:

Thanks to the Swarm for re-publishing my letter. I would like to mention that this is not about "good or bad" or "indie or major", but about the methods and guidelines for the dissemination of funding under the guise of grants. It's all too easy to dismiss criticism of the current system as sour grapes, or militant, indie-centric idealism.

There was a lot of chatter on the original Facebook post this letter appeared on. I want to re-state a few things that came out of it:

Stuart, from Out Of This Spark brought up a great idea (vetted by Owen Pallett) -- a tier of grants built to support wholly independent labels like ours. Grants based on unit sales of, let's say, 1,000 per release. Perhaps when we achieve 2 releases in a 12 month period that both sell in excess of 1,000 units, we become eligible for $10,000. To a label the size we're talking about, that is a big number.

I understand that there isn't a lot of money, but this really brings out the project manager in me, who will say, "well, choose wisely where that money goes." A couple of those Metric grants would go a long way towards funding labels like Out Of This Spark, Blocks, and my own.

Further, I think it's unfair to vilify Beverley [ McKee, the Executive Direcor of VideoFACT who was engaged in the discussion ]; as I said, I think the problem is systemic. She also represents a private company, who can do whatever the hell they want with their money. It's not government money, so it's nice that they are doing something -- anything.

That said, I still think there is too much "insider trading" going on.

#7 nick says:

wow, it's really inexplicable what gets accepted by videofact and factor and what doesn't. i submitted for a video grant for a hallowe'en themed charity-parody ("charody") song i made in 2005 with Feist, Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, Beck, Thurston Moore, Nardwuar, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, and countless others (not to mention, exemplary Canadians) and was shocked to not be chosen. Keep in mind that this was a song for charity. I just submitted for my own band (Islands) and was rejected, even though i had an a-list (canadian) actor who was doin' a cameo. I am completely bewildered.

#8 libertarian says:

The comments received so far are most likely from Canadians bewildered by the system in the same way the author is, so I will attempt to provide some outside perspective:

What do you expect when you have your government doling out cash for something that they shouldn't be involved in at all anyway? Of course you will get corruption, cronyism, waste, and bad decisions from this kind of process. Let the free market decide who gets the funding, based on investors putting their own money behind something they believe in. The writer is being forced to compete with other artists and labels who are given an unfair advantage based on how many judges they can buy off with favors.

Obviously, this has broader political implications than just music grants....

#9 Champion says:

Sounds like you are in the wrong business. Get thicker skin.

#10 Patrick says:

Lots of interesting points in this discussion!

I think KC makes an excellent point, especially regarding the FACTOR recipients. Sure, Metric got a wad of cash, but so did Slim Twig and he's about as far as you can get from media friendly. Then you've got stuff like Hank & Lily, Old Man Luedecke, the Canadian Brass, Cowboy Junkies, Gentleman Reg, Patrick Watson... Man oh man, the list goes on and on! Tons of deserving talent, and in the context of this discussion I would say a vast majority is from the "less-than-successful" end of the spectrum compared to Metric.

The VIDEOFACT list doesn't look so hot, but I dunno... It is financed in large part by Much Music so I would not expect them to be tossing $$ in any directions that they didn't expect to yield something that fits with their station's playlist, which is pretty damn pop-centric last time I checked. This is not a surprise.

"Libertarian," I suppose you're entitled to your opinion. However, if you had (carefully) read the letter, you would have realized that one of the two organizations in question is not at all government-run. In fact, if you consider the fact that the FACTOR list is the (much) better of the two, it starts to look a lot like the terrifying SOCIALIST system where the government doles out arts grants might have something going for it. Hmmm?

Anyways, I'm not saying FACTOR doesn't pass over deserving bands, but I don't think the bias on their list towards bands like Metric is nearly as strong as it is on the VIDEOFACT list. It might not be wise to lump these two together merely because they both happened to reject the (fairly deserving) Unfamiliar Records. Maybe too much emphasis on the mediocre (albeit gushily P4K-reviewed) Japandroids, to the detriment of mind-blowing talents like Snailhouse and No Gold? Pure speculation here...

Patrick

PS: Nick, it's a shame they blew off the funding request for "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" I'm sure it would've been totally mind-blowing!

#11 ULTRAKILLBOT says:

Interesting. This deserves more coverage, and speaking as a member of the press I know I don't agree with everything said here, it IS good to get the discussion going.

Can somebody please post the link to the original facebook letter?

#12 Greg says:

Great points all, Patrick. I do not deny that some good comes out of these grant programs -- it surely does. One of my favorite bands of this year - Women - on one of my favorite labels (Flemish Eye) is up there.

But I do feel there are enough examples of favoritism to warrant a closer examination of the process, and the results. Arts & Crafts alone has secured over $1.1 million in grants just from FACTOR over the last eight years, and that is not including grants that have been awarded to A&C bands who have submitted on their own (Gentleman Reg being one of them). The Most Serene Republic are STILL receiving "emerging artist" grants to the tune of $50,000.

Metric is easy to pick on; they're a large target, and one of the most extreme examples I can give here -- which is why I used them.

I am not suggesting you take money away from A&C (or any of the other favored labels) specifically, I am suggesting the playing field be leveled so that smaller labels with lower budgets have an opportunity to compete.

In Canada, we have a population that is 1/10th of what there is in the United States, and fully independent labels are up against a very large machine when it comes to getting a foothold. I will add that it's easier for "independent" labels with major-label distribution to make a go of it.

Thanks for the positive comments on Snailhouse and No Gold. We love them, of course. Obviously Japandroids are the most visible of our bands, but we want to make it so that we can get the smaller guys the recognition we feel they deserve!

#13 Carlos D says:

To paraphrase Roland Burris:

"This grant I have here? It's a fucking valuable thing. I'm not giving it away for nothing"

I know practically nothing about the situation discussed here, but there's next to no chance the individuals in charge of giving the grants aren't getting a kickback or two from the more successful bands.

#14 wheatus says:

Really, complaining about not getting a grant? Having come up in NY all I can say to you is...you think it's tough up there, why don't you come down here and chum some of this shit?

brendan b brown
wheatus.com

#15 Jules says:

"I was upset because I had no shoes. Then I found a man with no feet, and I felt grateful." Anonymous.

#16 Lamer says:

The problem isn't the people who give out the grants the problem is the people who build business plans around getting the grants.

#17 Dreadypantz says:

And now you know what it feels like to own and operate an indie label outside of Canada. Seriously man, you're complaining because the government didn't give you money? Take a step back and think about what you just said.

Dude, toughen up and quit feeling entitled for starting a label.

What gives you the impression the decision has anything to do with artistic merit or that artistic merit is quantifiable. Come on man, we're in the real world. The purpose of the grant system is to nurture Canadian culture hopefully to export it to the rest of the world. If the government spent their time trolling the indie ghetto for cool releases they'd never achieve their goal.

Of course grants go to the bands who will bring them stats and numbers to justify their existence. Why would you think otherwise?

Think about it man. Metric ?? Most people don't even know who that is. THey sold 50k records in the States. What a great candidate to try to nurture and see if they can actually do some real business. They might seem big to you but in the grand scheme of things they are an indie darling. If I were dolling out bucks i'd bet on them instead of some band who hasn't achieved anything.

Grow a pair and learn to play the game. I don't understand why you turn your nose at meeting the players and getting to know the system. That's either indie snobbery (which will get you nowhere) or fear. If you were applying for a grant to start a small business would you not go research the system and meet whoever you had to in order to get what you wanted?

Why is it that because you funded a recording you feel you can skip that step? Is it because you support the arts? If I were an artist on your label I'd be bummed if I knew you were totally ignoring the politics of getting a grant and concentrating on paperwork. Remember, you're not the artist you are the label. Being a label owner is all about knowing people and getting shit done.

I'm sure you're disheartened but instead of writing blogs go take a meeting with a judge.

We agree on Flemish Eye. Those guys are rad

#18 Greg says:

We've been operating this way for years, and we will continue to do so. There is absolutely nothing better - in my mind - than questioning the status quo, and bringing issues to light that are otherwise explained away as "the way it is".

It's exactly that kind of dismissive, traditionalist thinking that has landed the industry in the terrible mess it's in today.

This isn't about whining for money; it was clear going into this that such a letter would not endear me to anyone at the FACTOR or VideoFACT boards. To me, pandering is the easiest way to get what you want.

The point is not "oh boohoo Metric make more money than us, give us their money", it's "hey, let's look at the system that has allowed average bands, bad bands, and great bands to flourish, and see if we can't find a way to ween the ones who support themselves off the system, in order to create even more opportunity as a result". It's also about how that money is actually spent, and what we can do to better invest this money.

These are our tax dollars at work. This is how our country chooses to support the arts. You will find similar programs in other countries (i.e. UK, Sweden), where they have different ways of tackling exactly what we're facing. This isn't a political argument for or against grants, or a discourse on how Canadians have it easy. It's a discussion on how grants work within the context of the Canadian music industry.

#19 Al Mair says:

Your tax dollars got me a Jaguar, 4 day work weeks and an audience with the pope. Not to mention several millions in the band.

Thanks!
Al Mair

#20 Bryson M says:

Abloo, abloo, aboo.

All I see is crying in the letter. Ripping on other bands because you didn't get money?

"The point is not 'oh boohoo Metric make more money than us, give us their money.'" No. Dude, stop. Go back read what you wrote, because that is exactly what you spent over a thousand words trying to say.

It's sad because I agree with your point, in the end. Fairer grant giving will most definitely end up helping the growing industry but the healthy helping of total indie snobishness, pleas for pity and tin-hattery completely invalidates your argument. Never mind there are in fact small and obscure groups on these lists, they're just not you.

My take is that you should step back and take a larger look a the situation. The other commenter was right in the fact that maybe they aren't just looking at the Canadian market when deciding these grants. And especially with our current federal government, you should re-examine the spirit of the grant.

With the Conservatives I have a funny feeling they aren't doing it because, "Hey maaaaan, this group is sick!" but because the money could potentially help create jobs. I'm willing to bet the inspiration behind giving Metric 60K is so that money could go into a tour, or another production to keep the jobs flowing.

I'm not saying Canadian indie scene is an economic pillar of our country, but Metric may be the better fiscal choice or investment in eyes of people who think that every penny counts then many smaller bands.

#21 Jeff says:

I'd like a grant to pay for my driveway, another to pay off my motorbike, and yet another to travel to Italy. Wait, I'm a grown man. I can work and make the money to pay for stuff, cool. That or do what Supertramp did. Find a Dutch millionaire who believes in the band and get bankrolled, without having to as John Lennon put it (upon the formation of Apple Records), get on my knees in front of someone in an office.

#22 A Rich says:

Sounds like sour grapes to me. Metric didn`t start at the top and are hardly `making music of dubious value`.

#23 Beverley says:

Hi all, I just wanted to post a link to the original discussion that I took part in (I work at VideoFACT).
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?ref=sea...

#24 Corina says:

Interesting article, and in some ways bang on. I was shocked at the Polaris nominations this year in particular...

But is this really anything new? Canadian content laws (imho) contribute to the problem, as well. It seems like it's difficult for people to justify funding music that isn't 'mainstream' enough to get radio play.

Anyway, good read; just not sure anything is a great 'revelation' about the industry.

#25 Lerrin says:

Damn straight! This article needs to reach further than the Daily Swarm. I suggest submitting it as an Open Letter in the Globe & Mail or another major print media with national distribution - even Sun Media may pick it up.

#26 Sunny Fong says:

You obviously have no idea how granting systems work.

Work for a council or an agency and try to make some changes from within.

#27 Eddie says:

As I sit here looking at the letter I got from the Canadian Government yesterday telling me I owe them $749.00 in taxes from last year (I make 11 bucks an hour), all I want to say is fuck arts funding in general. If your band/art/film is so piss poor that it cant rise through the clutter on its own merit, then it deserves to be buried.

Fuck the bands who got the grants, and fuck those bands and artists standing in the bread line waiting for another government handout.

#28 Mark Ury says:

It's possible that you're lamenting a lack of "stage" financing. With venture capital, for instance, there are some basic levels: angel; seed; A-round, B-round, etc. These help firms and entrepreneurs match the size of the investment to the opportunity risk. Just launched? You may need seed. Have paying customers (ie fans)? An A-round is what you're looking for. And so on.

Government agencies aren’t investors and are risk averse, so their comfort level is the equivalent of the A or B-rounds (also known as “follow-on rounds”) because these carry far less risk than angel or seed rounds. This means they put their money behind successful acts BECAUSE they're successful. They’re not cultivating new talent as much as they’re re-tarring a highway (ie: investing in something that’s already been built, tested, and used).

What indie labels and acts need is access to funds from groups that are willing to take EARLY stage risk. Problem is, angel and seed funding in Canada is terrible in general and pretty much non-existent in the music industry. And, there’s much to be said that the music industry isn’t worth investing in from an organizational perspective.

That leaves you with private donations which, in general, are hard to coordinate since it’s wrangling small contributions from lots of people. Of course, that’s what the Internet is really good at, so I’d spend my time learning to use artist funding platforms like Kickstarter and, if I’m a label, pointing my talent to artists like Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls (who, incidentally, hates labels). Can’t get funding? Palmer managed to raise $20K in 10 hours from her fans: http://bit.ly/1dIUg

Which is all a long way of saying: look to the fans for money (but be inventive in what you sell them in exchange). If they aren’t willing to back the talent, then no one should.

#29 Laurent says:

Securing "face time" and taking judges / investors / clients out for lunch / dinner / strippers is the way to do it in every industry. A lot of people complain about this but it's simply a fact of life that a judge / clients will swing more in your favour if 1) they know who you are personally and 2) you've dones something nice for them. I'm sure it's been like this since the beginning of time.

Suck it up princess - if you gotta schmooze you gotta schmooze.

#30 ru4real says:

Sounds like sour grapes to me. Yes, you have to play the game. How on Earth is that surprising or wrong? You have to "play the game" in ANY industry in order to succeed. I suggest you suck it up and get to know the right people. Sheesh.

#31 tnsymndz says:

Again, context guys. There are a lot of very good bands that few people have heard of outside of their region because they lack the access to the marketing and promotions that some of these "bigger indies" have access to. This is actually something that happens across the arts in Canada. There are few "chosen ones" who seem to be unable to excise themselves from the granting system.
I like the MSTRKRFT video and song, and think it should have received funding despite their "success". But if you've seen and heard some of the god-awful stuff that gets approval, versus some of the really really good stuff that inexplicably doesn't ever receive this funding, you'd understand that this letter is basically what people involved in Canadian music have been thinking and saying in private for years.
I just heard a brief mention on CBC 3 that apparently Canadian Idol contestants/winners have access to this funding. If this is true, that's INSANE. What a waste of money. Here in Canada those singers have a lifespan of about one year before they're gone and forgotten.
A friend gave me an agriculture analogy for this, if you constantly grow a monoculture and don't rotate your crops you soon get deficient soil and deficient crops. I think this letter is trying to help prevent this from happening.

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#37 sean says:

While I do agree with your last paragraph, I gotta call you out on a number of things dude:
"Save for a few thousand dollars"??!!! So you HAVE received money! Just not enough thousands of dollars? How much free money is enough? What about all the artists/labels who have received squat? I hear a baby crying here...
And so you want more grants for your bands, but then you piss on bands like Metric who get more grants. Assumedly, you expect funding to eventually cease for bands who "don't need their training wheels anymore". How would you HONESTLY feel if you received grants, and then over time the committee told you YOUR bands don't need grant money anymore? I thought so. Oh yes, you WOULD. You WOULD try to stretch it out, and milk it, just like everyone else. Or perhaps you would determine your own cap, and say "Oh no thanks, we have enough now"??!!! Yeah right.
So sorry to hear about your increasing personal debt and lack of sleep - who told you running an indie label would turn you into a well-rested millionaire?!!
Dude, I know. I get it. It sucks. I've been playing in bands for twenty years in this fine country. If you don't REALLY love it, you're gonna burn out. Guaranteed. You need to get past this shit and find a way to keep doing it so that you ENJOY it.
P.S. - could you define "music of dubious value" for us please?

#38 Nick says:

New Zealand seems to have a very similar system of funding and an equally disturbing result. The once vibrant and unique output of the 80's and early 90's has been replaced by mediocre landfill mainly due to pandering to mainstream radio and closeknit backslapping. These funding systems the world over crush orginality and I feel have a long term effect on peoples expectations of musc. Thanks for the post.

#39 sorry dude says:

How do you know bands like Metric don't need the money? I'm personally not a fan of theirs... at all... but I do happen to be in another well known Canadian band on the same level. We recieve video fact grants, and belive me, we need them. Just because we've sold records, and made videos, doesn't mean we're not struggling. We pay ourselves very modestly, and the rest goes into running the organization... management, agents, travelling expenses, crew... it all adds up. We've done huge budget, and no budget videos as well... and videofatc and factor have helped on pretty much all of them... from the beginning, even before anyone knew who we were.

I also play with a smaller artist, on an indie label, with basically no public profile, except for some good reviews, a few fans, and decent management. We've also recieved two videofact grants, and made great videos with the cash. We just recieved a factor grant to do a new record too. And this act is no where near as well known as Metric.

So... maybe you're doing something else wrong. Filling these forms out the right way can be tricky. There are certain tricks to knowing what to do... but I disagree that only the famous canucks get grants. Who are you to judge who deserves to get these grants? Just because you've had some success, doesn't mean you should be cut loose.... if nything the grants help the artist who've proved they can put it to good use.

And like everything else related to the canadian music industry... unfortunately it also all comes down to luck.

#40 David Whitelock says:

Well I am music professional of some 20 years standing and where I perhaps sympathize with the sentiments of this piece, It sounds more like sour grapes from Mr Ipp. I have taken the time out to listen to your label and found all your acts dull to say the least. They dont connect. Find yourself a band that matters and then maybe orgs like FACTOR will listen. Also think of all those successful bands that didnt get the funding...yet they are still successful...has the penny dropped?

#41 Joel says:

Jesse Keeler mstrkrft is a rich kid who's parents also invested a huge amount of money into His mediocre music project! He has no business getting government grants!

#42 Joe says:

Hey, I'd love a grant. I'd rather spend OPM's than the almost 100 grand I spent on MaliciousDisorder @promofm.com/MALICIOUS _DISORDER. and do you know that the labels tell me ? "show me the records". Then I get to use theirs. No one's guaranteed a free ride to experiment, especially in the music biz. More so no one should be tempted to demand much less collect a band of OPM's (other peoples money)

#43 MaliciousDisorder says:

All bands need money. Record deals are for business only. Many hands reach out before the actual band members that are busting their ass with the roadies get paid. Often you don't know where the money is or how much. Led Zeppelin arrived at Madison Sq Garden in 73 in a borrowed limo. They were broke. On top and broke. Grant you they were given everything along the way but at the end of the day they got a ten inch thick bill.
If any touring band need a razor edge thrash metal guitarist or roadie contact me @ pane@cox.net. He's 26 and and started playing at age 8.

#44 Lee says:

This seems like simple math to me... spend 60k on a band like Metric and see a 10 fold return at minimum filter back thru the Canadian economy or spend 60k to fund a label with a bunch of start up bands and that only just might bring back that initial investment.

Maybe Mr. Ipp should sign better bands. This seems to always be the case. Anyone who can't see that Emily Haines is a massive star whose potential is just barely tapped is a fool. This reads like a letter from a jealous ex who only got to third base.

#45 Phil Klygo says:

Funny read but albeit boring...this is the same argument artists/labels that don't meet the standards of the funding programs have been making for years and years, myself included in my teenage USA recording days.

Getting good press/reviews in Canada is easy but that is only the tip of the iceberg of what programs like VideoFact, Factor or Radio StarMaker need artists/bands to have in order to receive their dollars.

Aside from Great Lake Swimmers who have sales figures to substantiate they are successful by funding body terms...I rarely submit applications, aside from the Factor Showcasing Grants, for other (weewerk) artists who are not at the level that is required.

I like the one line I read...work smarter not harder.

#46 ooh cha wally wally says:

@phil yes you've been hearing it for years, but no one's actually had the guts to publicly say, "Hey wait a second, this could work better" in those years.

Are you proposing accepting status quo?

Kind of sad and disappointing Phil.

#47 Tony says:

Saw these outrageous stats in the response thread:

Top 10 FACTOR Recipients since 2005:

Metric - $377,207 - Last Gang/Universal
Trews - $309,193 - Bumstead/Universal
Midway State - $249,865 - Interscope/Universal
Young Galaxy - $215,508 - Arts & Crafts
Sophie Milman - $214,431 - Linus/Universal
Most Serene Republic - $212,807 - Arts & Crafts
Justin Hines - $209,486 - Orange Lounge/Universal
Aaron Pritchett - $192,636 - 604/Universal
Stills - $191,491 - Arts & Crafts
Dears - $188,071 - Arts & Crafts

Is it insiders like lawyer Chris Taylor that navigate the money trench?

Certainly seems an inequitable system wherein such large sums of money are poured into these acts.

And, should multinational corporate giants like Universal be lapping up the benefits of bucks that could go to wider community of independent Canadian artists?

#48 Phil Klygo says:

I fuckin' hate Status Quo almost as much as I hate anonymous posters on public forums...this means you Ooh Cha Wally Wally..may as well add Dipshit to your handle.

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