Along with the 2021 Saskatchewan Music Award nominee announcement came the long list for The Best Saskatchewan Albums of 2021. Now in its seventh year, this annual year-end list was created to draw attention to fantastic Saskatchewan music released in a broad range of styles, and now goes forward for public voting to determine the winner of Album of the Year.

THE BEST SASKATCHEWAN ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: LONG LIST

From all the qualifying full-length album submissions received this year, jurors selected our Long List of 37 albums. Now we turn to the public to determine the Top Ten of 2021, and ultimately the recipient of Album of the Year. We encourage music lovers to discover new albums and then vote for their favourites before the midnight December 16/21 deadline. Only one vote per email/IP address will be counted for the duration of the voting period.

A sample playlist of the Long List is available on Spotify (we live there as “SaskMusic Ziggy”) and YouTube.

The Top 10 albums will be announced via SaskMusic’s social media the week of December 20. More information and voting information is available at www.SaskatchewanMusicAwards.com.

The 2021 BSA Long List

A R I E, Misconceptions
Alien to the Ignorant, A Dying Art
Amanda Hagel, Be The Light
Andino Suns, 9/11
Ariel, Libra
Ava Wild and Merky Waters, Existing
Beach Body, Walking Holiday
Blume Hinges, Build Your Castle Inside of a Mountain
Ches Anthony, Stories From Yesterday and Today
Étienne Fletcher, Entre-deux
Ev Thompson, Roller Coaster
Flash Back, Wide Awake
The Garrys, Get Thee to a Nunnery
The Helpless, The Helpless
Hunter Brothers, Been A Minute
Jake Vaadeland, Retro Man
Jeff D. Michel, Back to the Moon
Jeffery Straker, Just Before Sunrise
Jess Moskaluke, The Demos
Karissa Hoffart, Life of Mine
Last Birds, Last Birds
Marie-Claire, From the Red Room
Marie-Véronique Bourque, Entre Québec & Saskatchewan
Munro & Patrick, Give Me Your Rain
Peace Flag Ensemble, Noteland
People of the Sun, Last Day of Summer
Ritual Rabbits, The Middle of Somewhere
The Saskatchewan All Stars Big Band, The Saskatchewan Suite
Seven Mile Sun, Light In The Dark
Skip Jr. Campbell & Dream Creeps, Skip Jr. Campbell & Dream Creeps
Slow Down Molasses, Minor Deaths
Trash Hawks, Being Ill
Tucker Lane, Random Fireworks on a Beach Obscured By Trees
Tyler Gilbert, The Fallen
vbnd, Scum Funk
W3APONS, Adios Radio
Wolf Willow, Old Guitars & Shooting Stars

Visit the category voting page

Seeking Songs for our 2021 Saskatchewan Holiday Playlist

Sask artists, have you got a winter, holiday, or Christmas song we could add to our annual Saskatchewan Holiday Playlist? Let us know! Both new and old releases welcomed, all genres. Accepting submissions until Dec 12.

Submission Form 

The Home for the Holidays Concert Series

Our next Home for the Holidays concert streams:

• Let There Be Theremin - Thursday, December 9 at 7pm (instrumental surf/ska)
• Falynn Baptiste feat. Gabe Penna & friends - Sunday, December 12 at 8pm (Nêhiyaw/Cree vocalist)

Tune in on our Facebook or YouTube pages! Missed the first shows? You can catch them on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/saskmusic

Learn more about all of the artists here

Performance Coaching Event With Earl Pereira

Regina Songwriters' monthly meeting will be joined this month by triple JUNO Award nominee Earl Pereira of Wide Mouth Mason and The Steadies fame for a performance coaching event. Earl will be coaching the group on live performance skills during a hybrid session - you can attend in person in Regina or through Zoom.

For those attending in person, we will require proof of double vaccination along with a government-issued ID. Participants will also be required to mask.

More info

SaskMusic Library Loans

We are pleased to open our library of equipment and music books to members. If you're looking to work on some projects or dive into some reading over the holidays, you can take out high quality USB microphones, webcams, or leading music industry books from our Regina office. (Saskatoon options coming soon.)

To see the list of items available just login to your profile at www.SaskMusic.org/login and head to the Backstage under Member Resources. Reserve an item, and our office will be open for pickups during office hours until December 17.

Creative City Centre launches the RAD Program in Regina

The Creative City Centre is pleased to announce the launch of a new program designed to support emerging music artists: The Recording Artist Development (RAD) Program!  Many emerging artists need professionally recorded digital content when they are applying for grant applications or for performance opportunities, and with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts' Digital Now program, we are now launching the Recording Artist Development (RAD) Program.

 This program will provide studio space for up to one month to write, rehearse and record original music.  As part of that month-long residency at the Creative City Centre, artists will have access to a professional audio engineer, plus limited access to producer, arranger, supporting musicians and videographer.  They will be able to spend time creating and experimenting in the studio, as well as learn best practices when it comes to recording in a professional studio setting.  They will learn how to prepare a budget for recording sessions and will also receive a one-year membership to SaskMusic to access their excellent professional development and industry support initiatives.

More info

2022 JUNO Award Nominations: Submissions Bursary
FINAL Deadline: December 10, 2021

Did you make a JUNO Awards nomination submission this year? We want to help!

SaskMusic is still accepting applications from Saskatchewan-resident artists and music industry professionals to have the costs of their CARAS voting membership plus up to two nomination submissions for the 2022 JUNO Awards reimbursed (to a total maximum reimbursement of $225 plus tax per applicant).

More info

India 2022 – Music Business Trade Mission (Virtual)

Canadian music companies and industry representatives are invited to apply to take part in a digital, international networking and business development mission with music industry professionals across India and South Asia. In partnership with Snakes x Ladders, the mission will take place January 17-19 2022 where a series of B2B / one-on-one meetings with companies and delegates from the South Asian music market will be conducted.

This is a rare and valuable chance for Canadian industry professionals to build relationships with music companies in the South Asian market: In past years we’ve met the leaders of the largest and most important labels, streaming companies, managers, tech companies and promoters from the region.

More info

Artist Applications Now Open for The Great Escape 2022

Calling all artists! Artist registration for The Great Escape 2022 is now officially open. The Great Escape welcomes artists from every genre across the globe to apply for a chance to play at the world’s most renowned festival for breaking new talent. You will be performing with the beautiful seaside backdrop of Brighton, where 450+ acts will be filling over 35 venues, making  May 11th-14th, 2022 one hell of a weekend and a great opportunity to meet key music industry figures who come to TGE looking for the next big thing. Artist registration will close on 13th Feb 2022, but their bookings team are constantly monitoring and reviewing all submissions as they come in and will endeavour to be in touch with you as quickly as possible.

More info and to apply

Last Chance for Side Door's show funding program! 

Apply for up to $500 for ticketing a show with Side Door - applications due by December 31, 2021.

Back To Live with Side Door is a subsidy program for artists and hosts. Shows can be in-person, online or both! Submit an application to receive up to $500 in show expense subsidy. Those expenses can include hiring a sound engineer, renting equipment, or marketing costs.  

Side Door is a booking and ticketing platform for artists and spaces to connect and create shows anytime, anywhere.

To learn more about the program, how Side Door works, and how to connect and book shows, check out sidedooraccess.com. You can find more Back To Live programs details here or if you still have questions, book 15 minutes with Jeff from Side Door.

Global Toronto 2022 is happening online and in person, Jun 6-10 2022

More than just a marketplace, Global Toronto is a meeting place, a global gathering in the tradition of our home, which has been a site of coming-together for millennia. Rooted in re-imagining a sustainable, equitable, and accessible future for the music sector, GT22 will showcase a wide range of music and will draw participants from around the world. GT21's online edition featured 22 Jury-selected artists, and gathered over 1100 music professionals from over 70 countries.

Applications to showcase at GT22 are open now; the deadline to apply is Dec 16.

More info

Seeking Music Instructors for the Sask Music Directory

Are you teaching music lessons of any kind this fall, and have openings? You can submit yourself into the Sask Music Directory, with categories for both in-person music instruction (https://www.saskmusic.org/directory/search-directory/category:music-instruction) or the newer Online Music Lessons category (https://www.saskmusic.org/directory/search-directory/category:online-music-lessons)

It's free to submit. Just login to your SaskMusic account at www.saskmusic.org/login and go to Listings!

SaskMusic Members get up to 50% off uploads now through January 31/2022

SaskMusic members: If you haven't uploaded your new + catalogue music to the !Earshot distro system for college/community stations to access, now's the time!

Login to your SaskMusic profile to access the discount code and instructions.
For non-members, it's still very affordable. A one time upload and it will be in the database for participating stations to access whenever they would like to spin your music. Contact us if you have questions!

Call for SaskMusic Jurors!

Would you like to participate in future SaskMusic juries? Let us know and we'll keep you on our contact list for the next year.

Selection for any given jury (which might include showcase events/opportunities; awards; or other) will be dependent on the number of people interested, a pool drawn from local and national industry members, our desire to achieve a diverse jury, and the experience you indicate.

Sign up at: https://saskmusic.wufoo.com/forms/saskmusic-juror-signup-2021/

Featured Singles/Videos: https://saskmusic.wufoo.com/forms/p1b5aft60baybgl/

Submit Albums/News: https://saskmusic.wufoo.com/forms/p1j5txnh11l7bht/

Have you recently released or will soon be releasing an official single, music video, or album, in any genre? Have some exciting music news to share?We want to know what you've got going on! Even if we follow your socials, we (and other media) don't see, or catch everything you post about. Please let us know your release date and/or other activities. Just follow the links above!

Please check out the monthly songwriter groups Facebook pages for more information about upcoming meetings and whether they will be online or in-person.

Saskatoon group info: https://www.facebook.com/saskatoonsongwriters/

Regina group info: https://www.facebook.com/groups/258208420940008/

• All I Want For Christmas Is You , December 8, 2021, SaskExpress Theatre
• Field Guide At Blenders, December 10, 2021, Lyric Theatre (The)
• Christmas Party Featuring Rory Allen, December 11, 2021, Painted Hand Casino
• Tenille Townes - The Girl Who Didn't Care Canadian Tour, December 11, 2021, Coors Event Centre
• SJO: Make A Joyful Noise!, December 11, 2021, Broadway Theatre
• All I Want For Christmas Is You! | DEC 14, 2021, December 14, 2021, Moose Jaw Cultural Centre/Mae Wilson Theatre
• Fireside Singers, December 19, 2021, TCU Place (Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium & Convention Centre)
• New Years Eve with Bakersfield, December 31, 2021, Living Sky Casino

Side Door Seeking Folks for Show Support (remote work)

Side Door Access Inc. (Side Door) is a digital booking and ticketing platform whose mission is to support artists by providing tools and resources to facilitate performances virtually and in non-traditional performance spaces across Canada, the U.S., Europe, and the UK. As a website platform, this technology-based company with dedicated customer support is innovating the touring model for performing artists by promoting accessibility, agency, and removing barriers to entry. Artists, hosts, presenters, and audiences sign up for free, connect through the online community and expand the landscape of opportunities for artists.

Side Door is looking for dedicated applicants who are tech-savvy, with strong written and verbal communication skills, and a passion for music and the arts. The ability to problem-solve under pressure and work independently is a must. The nature of the work is to be one of a team of folks who are assigned shows to support, booked on the Side Door platform.

Full Job Posting