Building on Kitchener’s rich musical history, we’re committed to building the infrastructure to support a rich musical future. Kitchener is home to a talented and diverse music community that has touched the province, the nation and the world.
Through our Film and Music Office, our goal is to support and develop local musicians and the local music scene. Contact Bob Egan by email, or call 226-753-3620 to discover what Kitchener can do for you.
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Grants and funding
Open the accordions below to learn about each grant or funding opportunity.
| Ontario Arts Council |
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The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) provides grants to Ontario-based individual artists and arts professionals, ad hoc groups/collectives and organizations. Their streams include:
Phone number: 416-961-1660 or 1-800-387-0058 Email address: reception@arts.on.ca |
| FACTOR |
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FACTOR provides financial support for musicians to create and record their compositions, market their recordings, tour in Canada and internationally, and more. Phone number: 416-696-2215 Email address: general.info@factor.ca |
| Ontario Creates Music Fund |
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Ontario Creates Music Fund provides grants for the development of the music industry, music companies and live music production in Ontario. It appears individual artists are best supported through this fund by forming business entities related to booking, management, publishing and labels. Phone number: 416-314-6858 Email address: reception@ontariocreates.ca |
| Canada Council for the Arts |
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Canada Council for the Arts serves artists working in many disciplines. Musicians can apply for grants supporting:
Phone number: 1-800-263-5588 or 613-566-4414, ext. 5060 Email address: info@canadacouncil.ca |
| Radio Starmaker Fund |
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This fund is designed to help musicians who have a proven track record (example: record sales of 2,000 or greater) with marketing and tour support tied to new releases. Phone number: 1-888-256-2211 Email address: michellefarres@starmaker.ca |
| SOCAN Foundation |
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SOCAN Foundation offers financial support to its members (composers, writers and publishers) for travel and professional development (conferences, workshops, seminars and more). To become a SOCAN member you need to have written and recorded a song. If you apply online, there is no fee to join. Phone number: 416-445-8700 Email address: members@socan.com |
| Region of Waterloo Arts Fund |
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This regional granting body accepts applications twice a year for work in all artistic disciplines. It offers excellent support for completing applications. Phone number: 519-575-4450 Email address: info@artsfund.ca |
| Waterloo Region Community Foundation |
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The Musagetes Fund provides grants to arts organizations located in Waterloo Region that support making the arts more central and meaningful in peoples’ lives by building community and culture. |
Local resources
There are many resources available to musicians around the region. Open the accordions below to find links to local resources.
| Radio stations |
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| Producers and studios |
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Industry resources
Open the accordions below to find links to industry resources across Ontario and Canada.
| General resources |
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| Genre-specific associations |
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Connect with other artists in your genre and stay informed about upcoming programs. |
| Rights and publishing |
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Learn about music publishing, rights, reproduction, exporting music and relevant policies in Canada. |
Our projects
Open the accordions below to learn about the projects our team has been working on.
| Create and Connect |
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We partnered with Centre in the Square in 2021 to award $1,000 microgrants to local musicians to help them stay connected to their audiences during the pandemic. One hundred and forty-five performers/bands applied. A jury of their peers selected the 14 grant recipients. Here’s what they created:
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| Music 4 Good |
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Started in early 2020, Music 4 Good reflects our commitment to use the power of music to serve the most vulnerable in our community. By partnering with generous local benefactors, Music 4 Good has been able to donate instruments, recording gear and funding for instruction to organizations such as Grand River Hospital Adolescent Mental Health Services, Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Rosemount School for Boys. Music 4 Good supporters include:
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| Music at the Market |
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In the summer of 2021, we supported the Registry Theatre to present a musical series during a very confusing time of ever-shifting/changing COVID-19 restrictions and protocols. The goal was to provide some hope, a light at the end of the tunnel, by bringing local artists to the Kitchener Market to celebrate our ability to gather for the first time since the pandemic started. The support provided by the Downtown Kitchener BIA and a grant from the Canadian Department of Heritage allowed the Registry to fully compensate the artists and technicians who were particularly hard hit by pandemic closures. Music at the Market was a success as over 1,000 fans gathered to enjoy performances by an amazing line-up including:
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| Creative Recording Initiative |
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In Spring of 2022, we asked “What would happen if you opened a recording studio in a neighborhood of teens and provided them with professional recording mentorship for a couple of months?” The answer is the Creative Recording Initiative. Watch our YouTube video to learn about this project. The Creative Recording Initiative was a true partnership between the Music Office, House of Friendship’s Courtland Shelley staff, and producers Josh Polasz and Jorge Pineda from Just Ideas. Generous community supported allowed us to provide each of the participants in this pilot project with their own MacBook-based recording rig, microphone, headphones and keyboard, facilitating 24/7 learning and opportunity. This was a broad community effort supported by Centre in the Square, Cook Homes, Communitech and Stephen Dunnington. |
Festivals
Open the accordions below to find information about music festivals in Ontario.
| Spring |
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TD Niagara Jazz Festival
Roots North Music Festival
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| June |
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Canadian Music Week Festival
Sound of Music
NXNE Showcases
Stratford Live Music & Food
Skeleton Park Arts
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| July |
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Peterborough Musicfest
Springtide Music Festival
Mariposa Folk Festival's Emerging Artists Showcase
Stewart Park Festival
Uptown Waterloo Jazz Fest
Hillside Festival
Crewfest's Battle of the Bands
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| August |
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Festival of Friends
Kitchener Blues Festival
Trout Forest Music Festival
Riverfest Elora
Summerfolk
Muskoka Music Festival
Aurorapalooza
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| September |
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Supercrawl
Stonebridge Wasaga Beach Blues
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| October |
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Folk Music Ontario Conference Showcase
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Newsletter
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