In a city brimming with opportunities, musicians still seem to be getting the short end of the stick. But not for much longer. With the help of music-focused consulting firm Sound Diplomacy and the Music BC Industry Association, the City of Victoria has published a survey for artists and supporters of the music scene to help create more opportunities for local talent. Using answers obtained through an online questionnaire that takes approximately 10 to 20 minutes to complete (and has prizes to offer for some of those who participate), the Victoria Music Advisory determine what changes should be made so local artists can grow and thrive, as well as offer audiences more accessible and affordable shows.
Local musician, City of Victoria artist in residence, and Victoria Music Advisory chair Kathryn Calder says the challenges that artists are currently faced with make it difficult for the local industry to flourish.
“The fact that we’re on an island is a fairly substantial one for artists in Victoria,” says Calder, who also plays with Vancouver-based indie rockers The New Pornographers. “You know, touring is a big part of musicians’ livelihoods. We’re seeing the fallout of the effects from that right now.”
Being located considerably far from Toronto, where a majority of the music industry works doesn’t help the situation on Vancouver Island, either. However, the survey is meant to change all of this. While it’s Victoria’s first official music strategy, the plan originated in 2017 and was an outcome of Victoria City Council adapting the Create Victoria Arts and Culture Master Plan.
“The reason we’re doing this survey now is because we did a few roundtables in the spring with some music industry people,” says Calder. “And now we want to open that up to the broader music industry and make it as public as possible. And this felt like a good way to do that.”
Calder is optimistic about the opportunities for long-term improvement.
“I think that thinking long term is a really smart idea,” she says. “And so, coming up with ways now that will protect our music community will benefit everybody for a long time.”
Calder is hopeful that the future changes can remove limitations put on musicians; however, as the survey is still ongoing, she believes it’s too early to be speculating.
In the meantime, Calder believes it’s important for local musicians to experience the wider world of music: to go out and tour (once it’s safe to do so) and to attend music festivals and witness new talents to be inspired by to be encouraged to write more music.
“The more musicians we can keep living in Victoria who can make a living doing music, the more vibrant our scene is,” she says.
With more and more people choosing to move to Victoria due to its strong and vibrant community, Calder is happy to continue to promote the industry.
“The health of the music industry is very important for us here, especially because we’re so small,” she says. “We’re just trying to keep it strong and keep it healthy.”
The survey can be accessed until April 13 at surveygizmo.com/s3/5462004/93b6d71f1378.