More than 100 musicians will get monetary support from the provincial government through the Amplify BC fund. The province has given $1.27 million to emerging and established artists and said the funds can be used for recording, making music videos or marketing their music.
“Music has provided us comfort during this pandemic and the people behind the industry need our support now to come back strong in the future,” said Melanie Mark, minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport. “We’re proud to help B.C. artists grow their careers so they can keep sharing their talent and inspiring people both here and around the world.”
Indigenous pop artist Carsen Gray from Skidegate received a grant to produce her next album and music videos for her singles.
“I’ve been busy writing songs during the pandemic here. This grant gives me the ability to produce my next record and promote it. I’m so thankful for this opportunity to share my music with people,” Gray said.
In Vancouver, soul vocalist Rian Peters, known as IAMTHELIVING and rapper/producer Teon Gibbs received a grant to create their six-track, collaborative EP ‘JNGL’, a music video and marketing materials, the province said in a news release.
“It’s definitely hard to be an artist right now, when we can’t perform or tour. This grant is really great because it’s helping us produce and release our next project, so that we can keep building our audience and hopefully have an even bigger tour when it’s safe again,” Gibbs said.
These grants are part of the B.C. government’s $7.5-million investment in Amplify BC this year to sustain the sector and support resilience.
