What is "Export-Ready" ?

SaskMusic’s Definition of “Export-Ready”

We offer some programming that is specifically intended to develop our export-ready artists. To help determine if an artist is at a place in their career where they are ready to engage in potential export opportunities, we have created a set of export-ready criteria.

First,

Your business and/or marketing plan as an artist

An artist business plan outlines the goals, objectives, and methods an artist or musician intends to follow to achieve success in their career. While business plans are commonly associated with traditional business ventures, they are increasingly important for artists to help them navigate the market's complexities.

A typical artist business or marketing plan may include things such as:

Note: If the artist has applied for marketing or career development grants, you may have already prepared much of this information. If you don’t already have a plan, you can set up a consult with SaskMusic staff or (for current members) one of our many Music Mentors to help you get started.

Export-ready checkpoints

In addition to a web presence and business or marketing plan, the following criteria may be used to determine if an artist is export-ready. This list is subject to updates, so please review it when applying to any new export intake.

Typically, an artist will be considered export-ready if they meet 3-4 of the following checkpoints (depending on the opportunity details posted).

Artist has:

and/or

Plans to release at least one commercial album's worth of material in the next 6 months. (Minimum length of 5 songs, either as singles or as a package, widely available to the public via streaming and/or download sites.)

Many showcases or festivals prefer to book artists who are supporting a release.
We are partially relating this criteria to FACTOR’s requirements for their Live Performance Program grant.

These checkpoints are intended to provide a general impression of the artist’s export-readiness, but are subjective; additionally, our export partners may have varying views on what constitutes ‘export ready’ for a specific event. Where intakes are juried, SaskMusic staff reserves the right to determine if an artist meets export-ready criteria and thus shall go forward to jury. Alternately, we may send the application forward to jury and allow jurors to make this determination.

Additional requirements for SaskMusic-supported showcases

Significant resources are allocated to our annual export program to help develop international markets for Saskatchewan artists.

Artists performing in SaskMusic-sponsored/co-presented domestic and international showcases agree to participate fully in any associated business-to-business meetings and conference components offered for their benefit during the event. Additionally, artists agree to provide written final reports and feedback surveys to SaskMusic within 30 days of the event’s conclusion. (These may consist of similar final reports to those being prepared for grant agencies who funded the artist’s showcase travel.) These items assist SaskMusic in reporting to our own funders and judging the effectiveness of the event(s).

All artists participating in SaskMusic events shall agree to and abide by our Code of Conduct. 

 

If you have questions about your export-readiness, or expanding your audience outside of Canada, please contact our Export and Program Manager Kaelen Klypak, kaelen@saskmusic.org