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Music Creation and Audio Recording

Support for Toronto artists creating original music

Offered by
Toronto Arts Council (TAO)
Official source: torontoartscouncil.org

Source change captured

Funding available
$ 15,000
Deadline
Unspecified
Location
Ontario, Quebec, Canada
Who can apply
Individual artists
See full eligibility

Overview

Toronto Arts Council’s Music Creation & Audio Recording program supports practicing professional artists in the City of Toronto to write and produce original music. It funds recording, mixing, and mastering for Demo/EP and full-length projects.

At a glance

Funding available

Maximum funding
$15,000
Financing goals
  • Increase production or service capacity
  • Develop a new product or service
  • Develop an online presence
  • Optimize production processes
  • Reach a new target audience
  • Launch or market a product/service

Eligible candidates

Location
  • Toronto
  • Montréal
  • Ontario, Quebec
Eligible Industries
All industries
Annual revenue
All revenue ranges
Organisation size
All organization sizes
Audience
  • 2SLGBTQI+
Legal structures
Sole proprietorship

Receipt of requests is now closed

Get notified about updates to this grant.

Availability timeline

2026
Periods: 2

Latest changes

New ineligible uses added for Music Creation & Audio Recording

The program now includes a new “This program does not fund” section that adds several explicit exclusions, including compilations, spoken word or libretto projects, equipment and software, travel, and fundraising.

See more

The Music Creation & Audio Recording page now shows a new “THIS PROGRAM DOES NOT FUND” section with explicit exclusions that were not previously listed in the same form. The new exclusions include compilations, spoken word, narration, poetry or libretto projects, projects not led by the applicant as originator or decision-maker, purchase of equipment and computer software instruments, travel and touring, professional development, and fundraising or benefit activities. The page also now makes the non-funded cost limits more explicit for manufacturing, web design, and online media management, including the 500-unit and 1,000-unit caps and the $500 and $1,000 limits. These additions narrow both the kinds of projects and the expenses that can be proposed under the program.

Official source: torontoartscouncil.org
July 22, 2026

Eligibility

Who is eligible?

  • Individual artists
  • Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or applicants with a pending permanent residence application
  • Current residents of the City of Toronto who have lived there for at least one year
  • Professional artists with at least one year of independent practice
  • Applicants must be 18 years of age or older; collaborative proposals with a principal applicant are eligible

Who is not eligible

  • Undergraduate students
  • Professional artists pursuing graduate studies for work related to their degree
  • Bands and ensembles as direct applicants
  • Applicants using a record company, label, manager, agent, or lawyer name as the applicant

Eligible expenses

  • Costs of copying and preparing performing parts
  • Recording costs directly related to the writing process
  • Artist fees and producer costs for the project
  • Artistic costs, production costs, mixing, editing, and mastering by professionals
  • Packaging, design, and manufacturing costs for recordings, plus web design and online media management costs associated with the proposed recording project

Ineligible Costs and Activities

  • Music videos; compilations; spoken word, narration, poetry, or libretto projects
  • Activities and expenses taking place outside the City of Toronto; activities completed before the results of this competition are announced
  • Projects where the applicant is not the originator of the music; projects where the artist or group of artists is not in a decision-making position regarding all phases of the project; projects in the name of record companies, labels, managers, agents, or lawyers
  • Artist/production fees claimed by applicants; purchase of equipment, computer software instruments, etc.
  • Expenses beyond the manufacturing costs of the first 500 units (demo/EP recording) / 1000 units (full-length recording), such as rehearsal, second print-runs, promotion, or marketing expenses; expenses related to web design and online media management beyond $500 (demo/EP recording) / $1000 (full-length recording); projects seeking funding solely for manufacturing, online media management, and web design costs; travel and touring; professional development, training or study; fundraising or benefit activities

Activities funded

  • Writing and producing original music
  • Creating and composing new work
  • Short-form recording projects in a home-based or professional facility that is not your own
  • Full-length audio recording projects in one or more professional facilities that regularly charge a fee to a variety of artists
  • Recording, mixing, editing, mastering, packaging, design, and manufacturing associated with eligible recordings

How to apply

  • Register and submit the Music Creation & Audio Recording application, including support material, on TAC Grants Online.
  • Submit the application no later than 11:59 pm on the deadline date.
  • Applications are not accepted by any other means of delivery.
  • You will receive a confirmation email when your application is submitted.

Documents Needed

  • Two examples of your work as support material
  • Text copy for music with lyrics or spoken word, if applicable
  • Accurate English translation for text in languages other than English or French, if applicable
  • Scores, if applicable

Selection criteria

  • Past artistic work and proposed project
  • Competitive review by an independent peer panel
  • Equity priority consideration when applications are of equal merit

Processing and Agreement

  • Applicants are notified by email when results are available and can view them in TAC Grants Online within three months of the deadline date.
  • Successful applicants receive a Letter of Understanding that must be signed and uploaded before funding is released; it also describes situations that would require grant repayment.
  • If approved, the grant recipient must enter bank account information corresponding to the Applicant Name on the Notification Letter for electronic payment.
  • Successful applicants must submit a signed Declaration of Compliance with Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Legislation and City Policy and acknowledge the support of Toronto Arts Council in related written materials.
  • Grant recipients must submit a final report after the project is completed; future applications will not be accepted unless previous reports have been received and approved.

Contacts

christy@torontoartscouncil.org
416-392-6802 x 202

Official sources

Music Creation and Audio Recording

Program guide

Program Guidelines (2025-2026)
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Frequently Asked Questions about the Music Creation and Audio Recording Program

What is the Music Creation and Audio Recording?

Toronto Arts Council’s Music Creation & Audio Recording program supports practicing professional artists in the City of Toronto to write and produce original music. It funds recording, mixing, and mastering for Demo/EP and full-length projects.

How much funding can be received?

Music Creation and Audio Recording Funds up to $15,000 of admissible expenses.

Who is eligible for the Music Creation and Audio Recording program?

To be eligible for the Music Creation and Audio Recording program, you must: Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or applicants with a pending permanent residence application Current residents of the City of Toronto for at least one year Professional artists aged 18 or older; collaborative proposals are eligible with a principal applicant, and only individual artists may apply

What expenses are eligible under Music Creation and Audio Recording?

Costs of copying and preparing performing parts Recording costs directly related to the writing process Artist fees and producer costs for the project Artistic costs, production costs, mixing, editing, and mastering by professionals Packaging, design, and manufacturing costs for recordings, plus web design and online media management costs associated with the proposed recording project

Who can I contact for more information about the Music Creation and Audio Recording?

You can contact Toronto Arts Council (TAO) by email at christy@torontoartscouncil.org or by phone at 416-392-6802 x 202.

Where is the Music Creation and Audio Recording available?

The Music Creation and Audio Recording program is available Montréal, Ontario, Quebec.

Is the Music Creation and Audio Recording a grant, loan, or tax credit?

Music Creation and Audio Recording is a Grant and Funding