In Canada: From Visa Policies to CBC Funding, Artists and Industry Orgs Stress Election Stakes

Canadian musicians and music organizations are speaking out ahead of the federal election on April 28.

Indie folk artist The Weather Station took to Instagram on April 15 to make an impassioned plea to Canadians not to check out of this election. She had just returned from a tour in the U.S., supporting her new album Humanhood, and told followers that now is the time to prevent Canada from following in America’s footsteps.

“I cannot articulate the level of relief I felt this time crossing the border back into Canada,” she says. “I think we have no lived understanding of how bad things could get.”

The Weather Station, whose name is Tamara Lindeman, has previously spoken out about the U.S. administration, citing authoritarianism, threats to free speech and the right to protest, and dismantling of public services serving climate, education, health care and social security.

In her new video, she highlights the people fighting for those issues and to build community amidst the crisis south of the border.

“Loved the shows, loved all the people we met, but it’s so incredibly painful to see what people are going through,” she says. “People feel exhausted, they feel afraid and at risk, they feel powerless…a lot of people increasingly feel kind of silenced, which is really scary.”

Speaking to Billboard Canada about why she felt compelled to share the video, Lindeman adds that when it comes to this election, the stakes couldn’t be higher. “For an avalanche of reasons — from Trump’s threats of annexation, to how misinformation and MAGA-style politics are moving across the border, to the immensity of the climate crisis, to the affordability crisis across this country,” she elaborates.

She also points out Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre‘s desire to defund the CBC as particularly concerning for musicians, given how the public broadcaster supports Canadian music through radio airplay and events.

Her post received positive comments from fellow Canadian musicians like Jill Barber and Bells Larsen. Larsen, a folk singer-songwriter, last week shared that he cannot tour in the U.S. due to changes in Visa application policy that target trans musicians, requiring legal ID to match sex assigned at birth.

Canadian music organizations have also been emphasizing the importance of this election across party affiliations, against the backdrop of American politics.

Allistair Elliott, AFM vice president from Canada, sent out a message today to American Federation of Musicians members in Canada titled “Make Your Vote Count.”

“The upcoming election is critical for Canadians — no matter your political leanings, your vote matters,” Elliott writes. “Look south of the border to understand what can happen. In the last U.S. election, 32% of votes went to Republicans and 31% to Democrats. That means 68% of U.S. voters did not vote for the current president. True democracy is achieved when everyone votes. Plan, do your research, and most importantly, vote. It really matters, can, and will make a difference.”

The message stops short of endorsing particular parties or candidates, but highlights policy areas that affect musicians and arts workers, such as generative artificial intelligence, diversity equity and inclusion, trade tariffs, and strengthening public health care.

The Canadian Live Music Association published a note last week from President Erin Benjamin, emphasizing the importance of the live music industry in Canada to both the country’s economy and its cultural identity.

Benjamin called on supporters to send a letter to federal election candidates of all parties, calling on them to leverage Canadian music for the future.

The Canadian federal election is Monday, April 28. –Rosie Long Decter

Hamilton Indie Label Sonic Unyon Launches SUM Artist Management, Headed By Wayne Pett

Hamilton-based independent label and music company Sonic Unyon Records has unveiled its latest initiative, SUM Artist Management. It’s a new arm of the company dedicated to representing and developing artists, identifying and opening opportunities to them.

Taking the helm as both director of artist management at SUM Artist Management and label operations for Sonic Unyon Records is Wayne Petti, a well-known figure on the Canadian music scene as frontman for highly-regarded roots-rockers Cuff the Duke. At SUM, Petti will work in league with Sonic Unyon owner/CEO Tim Potocic, representing a musically diverse and notable roster of clients.

That includes roots-rock singer-songwriter Terra Lightfoot, Polaris Prize-winning auteur Owen Pallett, Hamilton shoegaze combo Basement Revolver, American feminist performance artist and electro-rocker JD Samson (Le Tigre), retro cover band Born in the Eighties, multi-instrumentalist and composer Michael Peter Olsen, and three bands at the forefront of an Indigenous wave in Canadian rock, Zoon, OMBIIGIZI and Status/Non-Status.

“We’re about constant evolution,” says Potocic. “As a label, we’ve signed newcomers and longtime favourites as well as bigger bands like Danko Jones and Big Wreck. All of that is super exciting and some of the best music we’ve ever released. At the same time, this is not an industry that rewards sitting still. It’s a challenging time and a tough landscape, but opportunities still abound. We’ve always believed in the value of our artists, and artists more generally, so artist management is the natural outgrowth of that.”

In an interview with Billboard Canada, Petti notes that, “I’ve been involved in artist management for close to 10 years now. I have a unique perspective on the music business having both experienced what it’s like to be a recording artist and everything that goes along with that, plus experiencing working with artists and helping to guide them through their own careers. I’m very much an ‘artist first’ type of manager. I don’t chase things just for the money. I want the artists I work for to feel supported. I want them to focus on being creative and unique artists and I’m just there to help facilitate their vision and goals artistically.”

“Our main goal at SUM is to work with unique artists regardless of whether they are Canadian, American or from somewhere else around the world,” he continues. “I think we’re off to a great start.”

Petti previously made a major mark in artist management during eight years with Hamilton-based Straight & Narrow Management, which handles major international stars The National, as well as Broken Social Scene, Hannah Georgas, Kevin Drew and Georgia Harmer.

The creation of SUM Artist Management aligns with Sonic Unyon’s expansion into industry sectors beyond the traditional duties of a record label. Sonic Unyon Distribution was founded in 1998 to distribute Sonic Unyon and other labels in Canada, going on to build a roster that included dozens of domestic imprints and the exclusive representation of over 200 international independent labels in Canada. –Kerry Doole