SXSWORLD

Music Trade Group Blasts Canadian Bands Into Global Market by Thor Christensen well-established acts like Rush, Bryan Adams and Barenaked Ladies. But they're all so last century. What, if anything, has the frozen tundra of Canada produced lately worth hearing? Enter Canadian Blast, a government- T o a lot of non-Canucks, the term "Canadian music" means squat. Sure, everyone knows about subsidized music program that started out seven years ago at SXSW and has now grown into a major international exporting eff ort. Canadian Blast returns to Austin this year with its popular Wednesday afternoon BBQ, as well as Canada House, a series of daytime showcases at the 6th Street club, Trinity Hall. "For a band from a small center like us, an event like Canadian Blast makes the SXSW experience count," says Ewan Currie, singer for the Sheepdogs, a twin-guitar rock quartet from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. After playing Canada House at SXSW in 2011, the Sheepdogs went on to win Rolling Stone's "Choose the Cover" competition in August and sign with Atlantic Records. "We just scraped into SXSW last year, really Said the Whale to have a conversation, and then they switch," says Johnston. "Speed dating is a very eff ective way to conduct a lot of meeting with a targeted, laser-like focus." As established as it is at SXSW, Canadian Blast has moved well beyond Texas. In recent years, it has opened offi ces in London, Los Angeles and Singapore. It has also set up camp at music conferences and festivals around the world, such as Germany's Reeperbahn Festival, Spain's Primavera Sound and Singapore's Music Matters. "We've done 36 events in 18 countries," says "We fi nd the people, give them fi ve minutes each Johnston. "And we credit SXSW in large part for teaching us how to make this work in other places." He says between 2007 and 2011, CIMA members reported that they'd begun or concluded nearly $100 million in business at Canadian Blast events around the world, which is not too shabby for indie music in a country with one-tenth the population of the U.S. Plants and Animals but we really connected and bonded with the right people," says Currie, who will return to SXSW to headline the Canadian Blast BBQ on Wednesday, March 14 at Brush Square, across from the Austin Convention Center. "And that all came about because of Canada House. Th at was defi nitely the highlight of SXSW for us. Travel costs can be expensive, but something like this makes it all worth it." The Sheepdogs president a small industry, relatively speaking, and we make it a point to meet our counterparts around the world. At SXSW, we'll be interacting with the Aussies and Brits and Norwegians and whoever else is going to be there." Some of that interacting takes place at the Canada Stand, a trade show meeting spot where labels, agents and distributors from around the world hook up with Canadian music professionals via "speed dating." Canadian Blast is an off shoot of the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), a trade and advocacy organization for the independent sector of the country's music business. "We're Canada's de facto music export offi ce," says CIMA Stuart Johnston. "But we're also a two-way street. We're 50 SXSW ORLD / M ARCH F ILM- I A 2012 Currie of the Sheepdogs. "But thanks to Arcade Fire and Feist, Canada has been on the rise as far as credibility and cool music. It's got a lot of cachet now." Fire might have an easier time getting its music heard. Unlike the U.S. government, which typically only funds fi ne arts organizations, Canada makes no such distinction, and public money goes to Canada Blast to support all types of music. "It really speaks to the spirit of Canada that we have organizations to help bands make their way," says Currie. "You tell people in America that Canada actually has arts funding for rock bands, and they drop their jaw." ■ And thanks to the Canadian government, the next Feist or Arcade The Canadian Blast BBQ is scheduled for Wednesday, March 14 at the East Tent, Brush Square Park from 3 - 7pm. Canada House will be located at Trinity Hall (401 E. 6th St). See schedule.sxsw.com for showcase details. "Th ere's been a tendency to joke about music from Canada," says world, but we're 6th largest when it comes to music sales," says Johnston. "Th at's in part because of the work we do, and also the export culture of Canada, where we know how to reach beyond our borders. But a lot of it comes down to Canada's deep well of talent." More than 100 Canadian artists will showcase at SXSW this year. Acts that have gotten a boost from past Blast events at SXSW include Besnard Lakes, singer-songwriter Dan Mangan and Adam Cohen, son of Leonard Cohen. "Canada has the 36th largest population in the

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