FACTOR Deadlines Approaching

Juried Sound Recording 
The always-popular Juried Sound Recording application deadlines for 2022-2023 have now been announced, with an upcoming deadline of May 5. 

Music Festival Reopening Fund
In keeping with the federal funding announcement of last June, a $7 million budget has been allocated to the Canada Music Fund for 2022-2023 to support music festivals’ return to in-person events. This is sure to be a much-needed benefit to reestablishing the community connection of artists and audiences, with an upcoming deadline of May 6.

More info

JUNO Awards time is here! Leading up to the May 15 JUNO Awards broadcast, CBC will be live streaming many JUNO week events.

JUNO week events will include the following that you can watch via CBCmusic.ca/junos, CBC Music Facebook, CBC Music Twitter, CBC Music YouTube, CBC Music TikTok and CBC Gem include:​ 

• Monday, May 9, live 8pm ET: CBC Music JUNOfest presents: Jazz showcase
• Wednesday, May 11, live 8pm ET: JUNO Songwriters' Circle
• Thursday, May 12, live 8pm ET: CBC Music JUNOfest presents: Indigenous artist showcase
• Friday, May 13, live 8pm ET: CBC Music JUNOfest presents: The Block showcase
• Saturday, May 14, live 8pm ET: JUNO Opening Night Awards
• Sunday, May 15: Music Day on CBC Listen (Tune in all day!)

JUNO Awards:

• CBC Music presents: The Intro, 6 pm ET on CBC-TV/CBC Gem
• JUNOs Pre-show with Tom Power, 7 pm ET on CBC-TV/CBC Gem
• The 2022 Juno Awards: 8 pm ET on CBCmusic.ca/junos, CBC Music Facebook, CBC Music Twitter, CBC Music YouTube, CBC Music TikTok and CBC Gem (links above).

The 51st annual JUNO Awards will broadcast and stream from Budweiser Stage in Toronto, live across Canada at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen, and globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos. Hosted by Simu Liu, Canada's biggest night in music features the presentation of various JUNO Awards, including the newest induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, sensational performances, and special appearances by Canada's hottest artists including performances by Arcade Fire, Arkells, Avril Lavigne, bbno$, Charlotte Cardin, Deborah Cox, DJ Shub & Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Haviah Mighty, Lauren Spencer-Smith, Mustafa, and Regina nominee Tesher.

We'll be cheering for some familiar faces! 

 Learn more at https://junoawards.ca/all-events/

Back to Live Downtown Festival, Regina
May 12-14/2022

Coming up mid-May, several Regina downtown venues will be joining together to present a mini-festival to celebrate the return to live music and bring live music lovers to the downtown. This will be a free admission event. Confirmed venues so far include Crave, The Cure, Fat Badger and O'Hanlons. Stay tuned for lineup information: https://twitter.com/ReginaDowntown 

SaskMusic assisted with an artist call-for-submissions for event organizers, but is not programming nor sponsoring the festival.

Annual Bursary and Mentorship Program for Indigenous Artists in the Canadian Music Industry
Deadline May 13, 2022

MDM Recordings Inc. has opened submissions for the newly launched Henry Armstrong Award, a bursary and mentorship program created to develop, elevate, and support the diverse talents in the Canadian Indigenous music community. The Henry Armstrong Award (HAA) is open to all Indigenous music artists across Canada (excluding residents of QC due to restrictions), with submissions closing May 13. Following the application window, a juried selection process will begin via a committee of Canadian music industry professionals, with the chosen act receiving a $10,000 bursary along with a tailored mentorship program of professional development services, announced on National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21.

For more information and eligibility requirements for the Henry Armstrong Award visit http://henryarmstrongaward.ca/.

Contest Opportunity: CBC Music's Toyota Searchlight 2022
Deadline May 5, 2022

Toyota Searchlight is CBC Music's long-running hunt for Canada's undiscovered musical talent. Could that undiscovered talent be you? Or a Canadian musician you know?

All you have to do is upload an audio file or video to YouTube - what you consider to be your very best original song in any genre. You will be judged on the audio of your song only, not the video. 

More info

OSAC Seeking Artist Applications
Deadline May 9, 2022

Applications to OSAC Showcase 2022 are open! Performing artists, agents, and managers are invited to apply through the www.iwanttoshowcase.ca platform. Showcase will take place October 14-16, 2022 in Saskatoon, SK. Deadline to apply is May 9, 2022

Did you know that Skip Taylor from OSAC is part of our Career Tracks Mentor program? He's got a wealth of knowledge to share, whether about showcasing for arts councils, or other topics. You can book with Skip and our other mentors at https://www.saskmusic.org/how-to/book-a-consult.

M for Montreal Seeking Artist Applications
Deadline: June 6

After a hybrid 16th edition in 2021, M for Montreal is back in force! From November 16-19, more than 200 industry professionals will participate in an event once again combining online activities and various in-person happenings. 

Artists and professionals wishing to apply for the Official Selection of this 17th edition can answer the call for artists, presented by the Caisse de la Culture Desjardins, until midnight June 6. 

More info

Arcana Kings at Tallinn Music Week May 4-8/2022 (Tallinn and Narva)

Six Canadian artists are performing for Tallinn Music Week 2022, including Sask’s Arcana Kings, DEF3 (formerly of SK, now located in BC), Balaklava Blues, Clea Anaïs, Estyr, and Goodnight Sunrise. TMW is “a multi-genre festival of unique talent across Europe and beyond with diverse genres from experimental electronica to classical” in the best venues and clubs of Tallinn and (for 2022) also in Narva. 

The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), in partnership with BreakOut West and the Canadian Embassy will present the Made In Canada showcase, featuring six breaking bands in Telliskivi’s Club of Different Rooms.

TMW 2022: Made In Canada

Friday May 5, 19:30-00:00 at Club of Different Rooms: In Telliskivi Creative City, the commercial and cultural hub of Kalamaja, there’s Erinevate Tubade Klubi (ETK), a unique space for cultural events and meetings. Featuring Clea Anaïs, DEF3, Tanika Charles, Goodnight Sunrise, Arcana Kings.

BreakOut West page: https://breakoutwest.ca/international-events/tallinn-music-week-2022

Showcasing artists were selected by TMW through their own intake process. 

Read More

Saskatchewan at The Great Escape

Slow Down Molasses and The Garrys have received official showcase invitations to The Great Escape (May 11-14/2022), Brighton UK through the festival’s curation process. 26 Canadians in all are on the schedule to play this year’s prestigious event.

SaskMusic and Canadian partners will be presenting an additional pre-TGE Canadian artist showcase in London on Tuesday, May 10 at Strongroom. The event is open to the public and will include The Garrys. Additionally, opportunities for the artists to participate in B2B meetings pre-TGE are being coordinated by SaskMusic's in-market export consultant, Enki Music.

Both Saskatchewan artists will perform Friday May 13 for the Canada House Canadian artist showcase event presented by Music Export Canada (CIMA - Canadian Independent Music Association) at Green Door Store. This event is sponsored in part by SaskMusic.

The Sask artists have additional official TGE showcases as follows:

• Slow Down Molasses: Saturday May 14 8:15pm at Three Wise Cats (Casablanca)
• The Garrys: Friday May 13 9:15pm at Jubilee Square

Learn more

Saskatchewan at Folk Alliance 2022

The Folk Alliance International Conference, presented by Folk Alliance International (www.folk.org), is the world’s largest gathering of the folk music industry and community (crossing a diverse array of genres including Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Global Roots, Hip-Hop, Old-Time, Singer-Songwriter, Spoken Word, Traditional, Zydeco, and various fusions). The 2022 conference will be a hybrid event, with the in-person portion being held at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, May 18-22. This year, SaskMusic will be attending virtually.

Jeffery Straker and The North Sound have been selected for prestigious Official Showcases by Folk Alliance International and will be presented in performance in Kansas City for delegates from around the world. These showcases will also be recorded and made available for viewing the following day on the conference’s online platform for virtual attendees. Artists applied for this opportunity directly through FAI’s own intake process.

As well, as part of this year’s conference’s virtual programming, SaskMusic, Manitoba Music and Alberta Music will join together under the BreakOut West banner to present an online showcase of artists on May 11 including Gunner & Smith and Ellen Froese (SK), Carter Felker and Kyle McKearney (AB), and Ila Barker and Sierra Noble (MB). Folk Alliance’s “Spotlight Showcase Week” will take place May 10-12 and consist of pre-recorded showcases, with eight showcase partners (including BreakOut West) presenting 52 artists from a wide range of genres. BreakOut West will also be participating in a ‘virtual booth’ during the online programming.

Gunner & Smith and Ellen Froese were selected via jury process following a call for submissions distributed to SaskMusic’s membership in November, with the selections then approved by Folk Alliance International. SaskMusic coordinated the filming of showcase performances by these two artists in Saskatoon venues without an audience present.

Conference delegates will be able to tune in to the Spotlight Showcase Week shows live and chat with other attendees.

Spotlight Week lineup: https://folk.org/programs/conference/2022-spotlight-week/

Public tickets are available to view the online showcases at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2022-public-showcases-folk-alliance-international-conference-tickets-304077362577.

Sask Artist Showcase Schedule

• Gunner & Smith and Ellen Froese: Wednesday, May 11, starting at 8pm CST (online) for the Spotlight Showcase - BreakOut West stream
• Jeffery Straker: Wednesday May 18, 1230am, private showcase event in the Alberta Room (Westin Crown Center Hotel, Kansas City MO)
• Jeffery Straker: Thursday May 19, 1120pm, private showcase event in the "All Music Starts Local" Room (Westin Crown Center Hotel, Kansas City MO)
• The North Sound – Official Showcase: Friday, May 20, 700-7:30 PM at Washington Park Place 2/3 (Westin Crown Center Hotel, Kansas City MO)
• Jeffery Straker – Official Showcase: Saturday, May 21, 515-545pm at Washington Park Place 2/3 (Westin Crown Center Hotel, Kansas City MO)
• Jeffery Straker: Wednesday May 18, 1050pm, private showcase event in the Alberta Room (Westin Crown Center Hotel, Kansas City MO)

In-person and virtual conference registrations are open at https://folk.org/programs/conference/register/.

Early this year, Stumbletown Distilling released a special Saskatchewan compilation album and is offering to donate net proceeds to SaskMusic. Early in the pandemic, SaskMusic offered assistance through the Emergency Financial Relief Fund and in March 2022 opened our Live Crew Support fund for an additional intake. We intend to refer any proceeds we'd receive from this project into that budget.

Message from Stumbletown:
"About a year ago, Stumbletown Distilling started a passion project with their friends at Shipwreck Seltzer to create a compilation of Saskatchewan music pressed onto purple vinyl. This project was born when live music was dead in the water because of the pandemic, so it was decided to donate proceeds from this project to SaskMusic in an effort to help those affected in the local live music scene.

We want to send our sincerest thank you’s to the team of creators who contributed to putting this record together. Our love for this province and the community it holds is something special, and it’s beyond time to share it with the world through music. Additional thanks to the musicians and artists who contributed their art towards making this compilation a reality. This passion project of ours would be nothing without your work! ⁣

Additional thanks to Howard & Lloyd, Colin Klassen and Clamp Down Record Pressing for their contributions."

With tracks by Ellen Froese, Alex Bent, Dump Babes, Knee Socks, Local Group, One Bad Son, The Liquor Shakes, Toria Summerfield, Dex Riley + Factor Chandelier, Elephant Seal, W3APONS, and Ritual Rabbits.

The album is available for purchase ($37 CDN) at:

• Stumbletown Distilling, 1905 Quebec Ave., Saskatoon (open Thursday- Friday from 4-8, and Saturday from 3-9). Online orders can be picked up at this location as well or shipped.
• Alt Haus, 617A Main Street East, Saskatoon

Learn more at https://www.stumbletown.ca/product-page/how-flat-sounds-vinyl-record

New National Study by Canadian Live Music Association

A new national study by Canadian Live Music Association, #ClosingTheGap reveals the disproportionately impacted and underrepresented experiences of Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour live music workers in Canada.

You can access the report at https://www.canadianlivemusic.ca/closing-the-gap

Music Declare Emergency - Canada

Music Declares Emergency (MDE) is an independent group, created by artists, music industry professionals and organizations concerned about the lack of a cohesive, industry-wide response to the climate emergency. 

MDE represents all areas of the music industry irrespective of genre, role, gender, race or sexuality and is led by individuals united by a deep concern for the climate and ecological emergency we currently face. 

MDE is an independent group that includes individuals who have been directly inspired by, or involved in a variety of environmental organizations and land defence movements in Canada and other music industry professionals. They work to embed environmental sustainability into their operations, creative work, and business practice.

There is now a Canadian chapter for the organization – which is the first of its kind in the country - to focus on the climate emergency in the music community. They’re volunteer-driven and looking to amplify the message to artists across Canada.

Check out their Canadian one-pager HERE

More info

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 media outlets) 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!

Submit Your Music to CBC's Local Music Project

CBC wants to help local talent elevate their voices and get their music into more ears locally and beyond. The goal of the Local Music Project is to help introduce its audience, new and old, to Saskatchewan-made music - everywhere and any way they can.

Read More

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, 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.

Call for SaskMusic Jurors!

Would you like to participate in future SaskMusic juries? 

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 jury representative of our music community, and the experience you indicate.

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

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/

• BEEGEES GOLD: The Ultimate BeeGees Tribute Show, May 5, 2022, TCU Place (Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium & Convention Centre)
• Chris Stapleton's All-American Road Show Goes To Canada, May 5, 2022, Brandt Centre
• MOTHER MOTHER – THE INSIDE TOUR, May 5, 2022, Conexus Arts Centre
• CHRIS DE BURGH & BAND: THE LEGEND OF ROBIN HOOD & OTHER HITS, May 5, 2022, Conexus Arts Centre
• D.O.A PLAY HARDCORE '81 WITH GUESTS - BATS OUT, May 5, 2022, Exchange/The Club
• Oooo La La, May 6, 2022, Revival Music Room
• BEEGEES GOLD: The Ultimate BeeGees Tribute Show, May 6, 2022, Casino Regina
• Chris Stapleton's All-American Road Show Goes To Canada, May 6, 2022, Sasktel Centre
• It's A Secret, May 6, 2022, Turvey Centre
• D.O.A. w/ Grand Lodge, May 6, 2022, Amigos
• George Thorogood and The Destroyers, May 6, 2022, Casino Regina
• BEEGEES GOLD: The Ultimate BeeGees Tribute Show, May 7, 2022, Moose Jaw Cultural Centre/Mae Wilson Theatre
• REGINA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA POPS: THORGY AND THE THORCHESTRA, May 7, 2022, Conexus Arts Centre
• Mahler Symphony 4, May 7, 2022, TCU Place (Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium & Convention Centre)
• George Thorogood And The Destroyers, May 7, 2022, Casino Regina
• HYPOCRISY, THE AGONIST, CARACH ANGREN, HIDEOUS DIVINITY - MAY 7, 2022, May 7, 2022, Exchange/The Club
• SSO: Mahler's 4th Symphony, May 7, 2022, TCU Place (Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium & Convention Centre)
• Kriss The Sky, May 7, 2022, Revival Music Room
• Free Library Concert Series - Regina String Ensemble, May 8, 2022, Central Library
• Shakey Graves, May 8, 2022, Coors Event Centre
• Randy Bachman, May 8, 2022, Casino Regina
• Kanwar Grewal Fateh Tour 2022, May 8, 2022, TCU Place (Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium & Convention Centre)
• Babbu Maan Live, May 8, 2022, Conexus Arts Centre
• George Thorogood and The Destroyers, May 9, 2022, TCU Place (Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium & Convention Centre)
• ARCHSPIRE, ENTHENOS, INFERI, VULVODYNIA, May 10, 2022, Exchange/The Club
• CHILDREN OF UKRAINE BENEFIT CONCERT, May 10, 2022, Conexus Arts Centre
• Donovan Woods, May 10, 2022, Broadway Theatre
• BEEGEES GOLD: The Ultimate BeeGees Tribute Show, May 11, 2022, Dekker Centre
• The Mystyxx, May 13, 2022, Revival Music Room
• Badflower with Chastity, May 13, 2022, The Roxy Saskatoon
• Breaking Cerfew, May 13, 2022, Turvey Centre
• SJO: The Art of The Big Band, May 13, 2022, Broadway Theatre
• REGINA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CLASSICS: THUS SPAKE ZARATHUSTRA!, May 14, 2022, Conexus Arts Centre
• Isaiah Rashad, May 14, 2022, Coors Event Centre
• PROPAGANDHI W/ NO MORE MOMENTS & BITTER STATE, May 14, 2022, Exchange/The Club
• Beethoven Nine, May 14, 2022, Conexus Arts Centre
• Gaslighter Songs Of The Dixie Chicks, May 14, 2022, Casino Regina
• Live Wire and Special Guest Snake Bite, May 14, 2022, Revival Music Room
• YUKON BLONDE, May 16, 2022, Exchange/The Club
• Avril Lavigne - Bite Me 2022 Canada Tour, May 18, 2022, Sasktel Centre