Spread the Word about the Canada Music Fund (CMF)

The Liberal government has been a strong supporter of Canada’s music sector throughout the pandemic and it promised in the last federal election to increase the annual contribution to the Canada Music Fund to $50 million by 2024-2025.

That’s huge because the Canada Music Fund (CMF) is a key part of what funds FACTOR’s ground-breaking investments in Canadian artists and music companies - including songwriters and music publishers. Last year alone FACTOR invested $21 million in the music sector. 6,500 artists have had support through FACTOR in the last five years.

But FACTOR’s budget can’t keep up with the growing demands for its programming. The other part of FACTOR’s annual budget comes from contributions from private radio broadcasters and those contributions are falling fast. For example, in 2020, FACTOR received $16 million in radio contributions. In 2025 those contributions could be as low as $2 million. This is why the CMF increase is so crucial. But look, that $50 million would only ensure that existing programming continues and is insufficient to create new live programming, especially for the live sector. That’s why music associations across the country have called for an increase to $60 million.

So if the government does not make good even on their $50 million promise to our sector, FACTOR’s budget could be cut in half over the next couple of years. If that happens companies will close, jobs will be lost, artists won’t get the investments they need to record or tour which will harm an already precarious local live music scene.

We need your help to raise the voice of the music community and get this government’s attention. By filling in the fields below you can email your local Liberal MP if you have one, and Canada’s Ministers of Heritage and Finance. Call on them to be Music Champions and keep their promise to increase the budget of the Canada Music Fund.

What Can We Do?

Send An Email: Use this form above by filling out your information and send an email directly to the Liberal government urging them to keep their promise!
Spread the Word: Tell your networks about the #canadamusicfund and use these images to share on social media!

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Address *

Postal Code *

We'll notify your representative

Please enter a postal code to continue.

Dear [recipient name will go here],

Your Letter *

As a music fan and member of your region’s music sector, I plead for immediate action on this pressing matter. The Canada Music Fund (CMF), our lifeline, teeters on uncertainty. The Liberal government's commitment to raise the Fund’s budget to $50 million in 2021 demands urgent fulfillment. Without this support your local music community will begin to suffer dire consequences, and time is running out. We need swift action to preserve the heartbeat of our music community.

To fill you in, the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent On Recordings (FACTOR) is at the forefront of managing funds from the Canada Music Fund (CMF), playing a crucial role in our local music community. Over the last five years, FACTOR has been a backbone for more than 6,500 artists across Canada, injecting a substantial $21 million just in the past year. For the past four decades, FACTOR has been a major supporter of our local artists and music entrepreneurs, contributing significantly to the Canadian-owned music industry's annual injection of over $600 million into Canada's GDP. Artists like Charlotte Cardin, Jessie Reyez, Jeremy Dutcher, Les Cowboys Fringants, Blue Rodeo, Cadence Weapon, Fouki, Alanis Morisette, Patrick Watson, Tanya Tagaq, George Canyon and The Weeknd have all thrived in part due to early career or ongoing financial backing of FACTOR.
 
Music associations across the country have called for an increase to $60 million for the CMF due to the expanded need to build new programming for the live sector. So that FACTOR can build new programming to support the live sector.  

And yet, if the government does not make good even on its $50 million promise to our sector FACTOR's budget could be in for a significant cut in the next couple of years. This could lead to business closures, staff layoffs, and a subdued live music scene, with a ripple effect on our local economy and government revenues. Furthermore, Canadian-owned music companies and the artists they support would lose a crucial source of investment. Banks are generally hesitant to lend to music companies and artists. FACTOR’s key role as an investor in the music sector in Canada could be significantly diminished. Sixty-four percent of its funding comes from CMF, while the remaining 36% is from private radio broadcasters – funds that are dwindling rapidly. For instance, in 2023, FACTOR received $14.2 million from radio contributions, and by 2025, this figure could plummet to as low as $2 million.


The fallout from the government not keeping its promise could gut the music sector, burying years of steady growth and success. 

I'm reaching out to enlist your support in championing our local music community and conveying this message to the Liberal caucus: Honour your promise! Your government could actively contribute to the future prosperity and expansion of our music sector by following through on this promise, or it could directly contribute to its undoing. The ball is in your court. Keep your promise. Be a local music champion.

Sincerely,
[your name will go here]
[your email address will go here] [your location will go here]

Leave this field blank

This campaign is hosted by Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA). We will protect your privacy, and keep you informed about this campaign and others.