By Rob Oakie

Guest columnist Rob Oakie is the president of Music Prince Edward Island (PEI). On behalf of thousands of talented musicians, he argues that the music industry needs a measure of government funding.

As a small province on Canada’s East Coast, Prince Edward Island has the good fortune to enjoy a deep tradition of music while producing some of the finest music and musicians to be found. Music is a primary draw for tourists, and it defines who we are.

Behind the scenes, Music PEI (formerly the PEI Music Awards Association) has worked quietly trying to secure funding for performers and the music industry similar to the support given to other provincial music-industry associations, like Music Nova Scotia.

We’ve submitted proposals and met with little success. Unfortunately, the music industry on PEI isn’t recognised as an industry sector, and so there’s little funding available and few programs that fit. We need the recognition so that the provincial cabinet can allocate funding.

To correct this problem and secure funding, we must put a face on the industry and lobby the government hard to demonstrate that we’re here and need support. This may mean actions as simple as sending emails and letters to Premier Pat Binns and members of his government. To succeed, we need vocal support from the industry.

Our schools have some of the best music programs in Canada. Every year, we turn out a tremendous number of talented musicians, some of whom choose careers in music. But unfortunately, there’s little to hold them here. In terms of career-support for showcase-attendance, product development or tour-and-marketing help, we lag far behind the neighboring provinces and face a distinct disadvantage. We’ll continue to lose our brightest stars as they relocate to places offering such support.

It’s possible to build a career in music while living on PEI, but only with considerable travel and market development in distant places. To do that and to compete on the international stage, we need government support. We already have the talent.

ARCHIVES