On February 4, 2021, the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition (OMIC) announced a $ 25,000 investment into Ottawa’s music sector with the new Ottawa Music Development Fund (OMDF). This fund seeks to address the gaps and challenges in Ottawa’s music ecosystem by providing grants to local musicians to invest in their abilities and allow them to focus on their art. The fund was born from the recommendations of the Ottawa Music Strategy.
The OMDF will offer four grant streams in 2021. The first is a COVID-19 Relief Microgrant that can help musicians with everyday expenses during the pandemic, at $250. The Concert Artist Fees stream funds livestreams or pre-recorded concerts, starting at $500 and up to $2000. The Creation stream seeks to help support local musicians addressing the gaps in local music development at $1,000. Finally, the Collaborative Projects stream will help support creatives addressing these gaps in local music development through collaborative projects at $3000 per grant.
The OMIC is a member-based, bilingual non-profit organization that works to grow the local music industry for the benefit of its members at the city as a whole. It is committed to bringing artists, music businesses, venues, festivals, and local businesses together to work towards a common goal: the success and growth of Ottawa’s thriving music sector.
They do this by advocating and researching on behalf of the local music industry, supporting the development of artists and other industry professionals, and spotlighting Ottawa’s local music. The OMDF is a new part of this bright vision.
“With the City’s support, the OMDF has provided the opportunity to show how our musicians each contribute to elevating Ottawa’s music scene as a whole” Jamie Kwong, Executive Director of the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition.
The OMIC partnered with the City of Ottawa to organize and develop the fund.
“We’re proud of our continued support of local musicians through the Ottawa Music Strategy and the Ottawa Music Development Fund.” Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said. “COVID-19 has challenged our artists and we hope these grants can strengthen our local industry and bring live local music back to our residents.”
The Ottawa Music Strategy is Ottawa’s initiative to grow the music sector in Ottawa and help it transform with the trends of the broader music industry. The strategy was first put in motion in 2018.
