Creative Saskatchewan’s Investments Could Unlock your Potential as a Professional Musician
By Megan Jane, Manager of Marketing and Communications, Creative Saskatchewan
As a SaskMusic member, you may have heard of us before – but with the Government of Saskatchewan recently announcing not one, but two substantial funding increases to Saskatchewan’s film sector, you’ve probably heard the newly re-branded Creative Saskatchewan come up in conversation a lot lately. Allow us to re-introduce ourselves, and the opportunities we offer to Saskatchewan musicians.
Creative Saskatchewan is the economic development agency for Saskatchewan’s creative industries. Think of us as Dragon’s Den for artistic entrepreneurs – including professional musicians. If you’ve experienced commercial success with your performance and have a strong business case for why your venture is ready for the next level, we can support that with several funding programs designed to propel your contribution to Saskatchewan’s economy.
We like to think of ourselves as the fairy godmother for creative entrepreneurs, converting creativity into cash flow and propelling creative business owners as they create, perform, innovate, and export in their pursuit of commercial success – but the simple truth is we invest in real opportunity.
The entrepreneurs we fund must meet our eligibility criteria and provide a solid application outlining their business and marketing plan to account for a return on investment for the people of Saskatchewan. Applications are then thoroughly screened by our team and assessors made up of industry experts. It might sound intimidating, but it’s an excellent exercise for any business owner to go through, our team is here to support you, and the rewards are tenfold. We invest heavily in Saskatchewan’s best and brightest; just take a look at our awards last year here and our most recent commitments here.
Creative Saskatchewan offers many programs for the creative sectors, but below we’ve highlighted a few that may be of particular interest to musicians:
This grant supports the production of commercially viable sound recordings for promotional use and/or commercial release.
You’ve played some local gigs and built a local fan base. Now you’re ready to take your show on the road and perform for new audiences. Whether it's around the province, across the country, or overseas, this grant supports eligible musicians in generating revenue and building their careers.
Market & Export Development Grant
This program helps cover costs associated with marketing, such as music videos, advertising, hiring a publicist, promotional materials not for sale, and more.
This program helps cover the costs of travel expenses to specific market opportunities, for example if you have been invited to showcase at a festival or conference.
If you’re looking to expand or make the business side of things run more efficiently, this program is for you.
This program can support your efforts to better understand, interpret, and capitalize on market forces affecting your sector. For example, conducting market research, or exploring new technologies.
So, what does this mean for Saskatchewan musicians?
1 – If you are a Saskatchewan musical entrepreneur, come and talk to us!
If you or someone you know is operating in Saskatchewan’s music sector, know that when the time is right, we are here to support your flywheel. Our Program Advisors are happy to provide information for anyone considering applying to our programs.
2 – If you work with Saskatchewan musicians, let them know our funding can help cover expenses associated with YOUR offering
If you service folks that operate in this space, keep us in mind if our programming might help musicians with the costs associated with your service offering. For example, musicians hiring a Saskatchewan marketing firm is an eligible expense in our Market and Export Development grant.
Lastly, Creative Saskatchewan serves as the official film commission for the province, and we expect to be working closely with SaskMusic in the near future to highlight Saskatchewan musicians for film producers’ consideration.
In the articles that follow, we’ll do a deeper dive into each of our grant programs that are relevant to musicians.
More information can be found on Creative Saskatchewan’s website, creativesask.ca. Our team can be reached during regular business hours at office@creativesask.ca or by calling (306) 798-9800.
