Musicaction — Album production

This grant provides structured funding aimed at supporting music production while ensuring the alignment of financial support with project requirements. Funding modalities are defined with clear limits and conditions to maximize resource impact.

• The maximum funding is $25,000 for French vocal music, Indigenous languages, and world music, and $20,000 for other music genres.
• The grant can cover up to 50% of the approved or actual eligible costs, whichever is lower.
• Applicants can receive up to $100,000 across different programs, including album production.
• Total government funding for a project cannot exceed 100% of project costs, including Musicaction funding.
• Initially, 75% of the approved funding is paid upon contract signing, with subsequent payments made upon reviewing justifying expenses, and a final payment after project completion analysis.
• A maximum of $9,000 per project is allocated to Canadian songwriters and composers at a rate of $900 per original song ($450 for lyrics and $450 for music), provided it is the song's first commercialization.
• Financial contributions to authors and composers cannot surpass the production cost paid by Musicaction.
• Applicants must keep original invoices and proof of payment for five years post-project.

Eligibility for this grant requires meeting specific criteria related to the applicant's profile and project requirements.

• The applicant must be a self-producing artist, a Canadian Francophonie artist, a songwriter-composer, or a sound recording producer.
• The applicant must own the master tape of the recording.
• The applicant and the artist subject to the application must be Canadian.
• The album must comply with Canadian and Francophone content standards.
• The applicant must have an agreement with a Canadian physical or digital distribution company for the submitted project.
• The applicant cannot have an existing open project with Musicaction or have more than one project accepted and ongoing with Musicaction at the same time.
• Applicants receiving a global funding package under the Individual Initiatives component are not eligible.
• The applicant must not be in payment default.
• A request cannot be submitted simultaneously to FACTOR and Musicaction.
• Reissues and compilations are not eligible; however, re-recordings are permitted.
• An artist can submit a new application 18 months after the release date of the previous album, provided the marketing file for that album is closed.
• A live album is eligible if it is marketed 18 months after the release date of the previous album, provided the marketing file for that album is closed.
• Priority is given to albums containing 50% or more new content, meaning works that have never been recorded on a commercial medium, except for classical and traditional music.

Who is eligible?

The grant is open to self-producing artists, artists within the Canadian Francophonie, songwriter-composers, and sound recording producers. The applicant must be the owner of the master tape and can only submit one project at a time, with only one ongoing project accepted by Musicaction. There is no limitation for a company with two associated Canadian artists, excluding any artist shareholder or associate of the company.

Who is not eligible

This grant excludes certain companies and industries from eligibility based on their financial status and activities. The conditions are designed to align with the grant's objectives of promoting Canadian musical productions.

• Companies benefiting from a global funding envelope in the Individual Initiatives component.
• Applicants who are in default of payment.
• Projects that have concurrently applied to both FACTOR and Musicaction.
• Projects involving reissues and compilations, although re-recordings are permitted.

Eligible expenses

The grant covers specific expenses directly related to the production of a sound recording project.

• Professional fees for artistic direction (with conditions).
• Production-related expenses incurred up to six months prior to application submission.

Eligible geographic areas

This grant is specifically available for Canadian artists and music professionals, reflecting its focus on promoting Canadian creative industries. As a result, eligible applicants must be based in Canada.

• Artists and producers located anywhere within Canada.

The evaluation and selection of projects for this grant are based on specific criteria with allocated point scores to ensure alignment with the grant’s objectives.

• Artistic aspects of the projects, including music, text, performance, and artistic coherence - 40%.
• Professional environment analysis - 30%.
• Artist positioning including a marketing plan - 30%.
• Projects related to artists from Canadian Francophone communities are evaluated by a specific jury.
• An equity measure is applied for female performing artists, predominantly female mixed groups, female-led groups, and Indigenous artists.

Here are additional relevant details for this grant:

• The funding includes measures to ensure equity for female artists and groups with female leadership, as well as Indigenous projects.
• Regular updates on the project's budget and progress may be required, and any significant changes must be pre-approved by Musicaction.
• Upon project approval, a significant initial payment of 75% of the granted amount may be dispensed, with further payments contingent on verified expenditures.
• Logo and acknowledgment requirements apply to promotional materials connected to the funded project, ensuring visibility for Musicaction and Canadian government support.
• Applicants must retain financial records and original receipts for at least five years post-project completion for potential auditing by the grant body.