SaskMusic

The SaskMusic Board of Directors is pleased to announce that effective September 1, 2012, SaskMusic’s core funding will be moving away from The Saskatchewan Arts Board (“SAB”), and under the direct purview of the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport (“Ministry”). A seven-month pilot program will be launched at that time, during which the Ministry and SaskMusic will collaborate in growing Saskatchewan’s commercial music industry.

This change came after four years of consultations between SaskMusic, the Ministry, and SAB. The SaskMusic Board and staff will be working diligently over the summer to update our existing strategic plans and programs. The specifics of possible new programs and strategies will be announced in August, in anticipation of the September 1 pilot project start date.

“We are excited that the Ministry has recognized the value of music to the Province, and charged SaskMusic with developing a plan for its success,” stated SaskMusic CEO, J.P. Ellson. “Saskatchewan has a vibrant, diverse and skilled music industry. We know that our music has intrinsic economic, social and cultural value, and more of it deserves to be heard by the rest of Canada and the world. We are eager to continue our work of marketing our talent, with a goal of seeing more Saskatchewan music creators and music industry professionals making a sustainable living from their business bases right here in our province.”

The Ministry has also announced consultations to develop a strategy to encourage development and use of digital technology for all creative industries in the province. SaskMusic looks forward to participating in this consultation process so that the synergies and partnership opportunities between Saskatchewan’s vibrant creative industries can be maximized.

The Board, staff and management of SaskMusic extends our heartfelt thanks to The Saskatchewan Arts Board for its assistance and support of our industry over the past four years. Without their work, our industry would not have progressed to the point that we can now embark on this new exciting adventure.

SaskMusic is a non-profit association that represents, promotes and develops the commercial music industry of Saskatchewan. We offer programming including marketing and export assistance, career consults, workshops, artist and event listings, networking opportunities and much more. Our artists and music professionals hail from across the province, and work in a diverse array of genres. We strive to be a source of information and resources for both the public, and the music industry itself.

For questions regarding this announcement, please contact J.P. Ellson, 1-800-347-0676 or jpellson@saskmusic.org.