It’s not easy being a fledgling musician nowadays, especially if you call BC home. With the demise of CD sales and the prevalence of illegal downloading, there’s been a tidal change in the music industry, and that means artists have to hit the road to earn a buck.
“Making money from recorded music is very difficult,” says Music BC executive director Bob D’Eith. “There was a time when touring wasn’t important… [Now], an artist who’s not willing to tour is going to have an extremely difficult job of making it.”
Music BC is a non-profit society representing the BC music industry, and offers a plethora of resources for BC musicians, including networking events, how-to seminars, grants, career development workshops, and marketing advice (every BC musician needs to check out MusicBC.org).
Life isn’t easy for BC touring musicians, D’Eith explains. The province’s geography and sparse population makes touring an expensive prospect. Restrictive and expensive visa requirements prevent many musicians from playing south of the border. The high cost of living on the West Coast also makes it difficult for artists struggling to live off of their work.
So, Music BC is hoping to expose local artists to new audiences through their showcase series. In addition to their annual Peak Performance Project, Music BC is sponsoring a series of BC artist showcases at festivals across the province this summer.
D’Eith – who authored the musician’s resource bible, A Career in Music: The Other 12-Step Program – says if fans want to see the music scene in BC thrive, come out and support the artists.
“Go to gigs and buy music; don’t steal it.”
• Look for Music BC showcases at Keloha, Khatshalano Festival, Pemberton, Mission Folk, and Rifflandia.
