FACTOR News & Events

We surveyed our staff for favourite music memories from 2016. Before we head into the new year, let’s take a look back!

Sometimes it just takes one website to make someone happy. Project Coordinator Jeff Hayward is a fan of http://drakesviews.com/. Rightfully so.

“Getting to sit next to Stephen McBean (of 2016 Polaris nominee Black Mountain)’s dad at the Polaris Gala totally made my old prog heart happy.   Turns out that Professor Gordon McBean is an internationally recognized climate change expert, and a past recipient of the Nobel Peace prize!  In between sets, we discussed fascinating things like the Kyoto Accord and trying to write heavy WMO speeches when your basement is a sonic explosion of teenagers practicing their ‘music’. So even though my personal pick for the prize didn’t win (be still my heart, Andy Shauf), the night was amazingly enlightening & memorable for me.”

- Beth Hamill, Senior Project Coordinator

Daniel Caeser’s (FACTOR funded) video “Get You” & shoutouts to DVSN & PARTYNEXTDOOR doing big things for Canada <3

- Eryka MacLean, Assistant Manager

This year saw me attending some of the best shows I’ve been to in a long while: finally saw the hilarious folk legend John Prine; Andy Shauf playing a sold out Mod Club, and one of my teenage faves Built to Spill at the Danforth Music Hall. All surpassed expectations.

I also had my first very own first performance…at my wedding! My husband and I made a duet out of Naive Melody by the Talking Heads (me on banjo, him on the guitar). Some people cried, maybe because it was so good? That’s what I like to tell myself. 

- Lindsey Van De Keere, Project Coordinator

2016: The year I discovered my unabashed love for pop & electronic dance music; indulge yourself with my ‘Best of 2016’ Spotify playlist.

https://open.spotify.com/user/wils_e/playlist/4UcJsklAAdLbgleQcT6DS3

Please note that this page is no longer updated with current news and announcements.

To stay up-to-date, please visit the News section of our new website at www.factor.ca.

Deadline day is here! Validate and submit your project application TONIGHT before 11:59 PM PT (or 12:59 AM MT, 1:59 AM CT, 2:59 AM ET, 3:59 AM AT, or 4:29 AM NT).

Due to traffic volume, the website will take longer to respond. We're doing everything we can on our end to make sure that everything runs smoothly. Servers are running at full capacity. Expect longer load times.

Please do not create multiple projects if your project doesn't appear in the Portal immediately. This will only contribute to longer loading times for all users. Wait a few minutes and your project should appear.

If you experience issues uploading assessment tracks or other required elements, make sure that the file name only contains alpha-numeric characters. Punctuation and special characters may cause the file to be rejected.

If you experience a technical issue that is not related to longer loading times or pop-ups -- such as a server error message or glitch -- take a screenshot (with a timestamp) and send it to your PC ASAP. We'll look into matters on our end and respond with further instructions.

If you're waiting for a page to load, why don't you check out our resources in the meantime:

Juried Assessment Preparation Guide Marketing Plan Guide (note: a marketing plan is a mandatory element for JSR applications)

The next deadline to submit applications to our Demo or Juried Sound Recording programs is this THURSDAY, JANUARY 28th at 11:59 PM PT (or 12:59 AM MT, 1:59 AM CT, 2:59 AM ET, 3:59 AM AT, or 4:29 AM NT on Friday).

We encourage you to check out the Resources for Applicants > Documents and Useful Tools section of the website for help with your project application. Especially helpful are the Juried Assessment Preparation Guide, which tells you what you need to include with your Demo and JSR applications, and our Marketing Plan Guide, which is useful for JSR applicants.

As always, our system will be running at capacity leading up to this deadline. Anticipate longer loading times! Avoid the crush and click "submit" on your applications before Thursday.

If you experience any glitches or technical issues, take a screenshot and get in touch with your PC for help.

Remember that you need both a rated artist profile and a rated applicant profile to create a new application. If you try to create a new project and you can't select any programs in the program dropdown menu, it means that one or both of your profiles are not yet rated. You'll have to submit your profile(s) for review to receive a rating, which will allow you to apply for the next deadline, which will be in late May. 

Hey! Want to be like Success Kid? Are you planning to apply for the Demo or JSR program before the deadline next Thursday, January 28th?

If so, take this handy quiz! A) Do you have a rated artist profile AND a rated applicant profile?

B) Have you started your application yet?

If you answered NO to either of these questions, follow these steps: 1) Log in to www.factor.ca. (If you don't have a log in, create one today.)

2) Once you're logged in, click on the PROJECTS tab, and then the gold CREATE NEW PROJECT. A new window will pop up.

4) Select the applicant profile for the project. If there aren't any applicant profiles in the dropdown menu, you don't have a rated applicant profile and need to create and submit one. IMPORTANT! The deadline to create and submit a NEW applicant profile is TOMORROW (Thursday January 21) at 11:59 PM PT.

5) Once you've selected your applicant profile, a new artist profile dropdown menu will appear. Select the artist for the project. If there aren't any artist profiles in the dropdown menu, you either don't have a rated artist profile, or you haven't been granted access to an existing one. If you don't have a rated artist profile, the deadline to create and submit a NEW artist profile is TOMORROW (Thursday January 21) at 11:59 PM PT. If you know that someone on your team or in your band has created an artist profile, get in touch with them and ensure that you've been granted access to that profile. Your Project Coordinator may be able to help.

6) If you're able to select a profile in both dropdown menus but there aren't any programs that appear under the Program dropdown menu, one or both of your profiles haven't been rated. Go back to the portal and open both your applicant profile and your artist profile. Verify that the information is current and accurate, and click on the gold REQUEST REVIEW button on both. Again, you need to do this before tomorrow (Thursday January 21) at 11:59 PM PT in order to get a rating in time to create a project before the application deadline next week.

If you need further help, check out our Getting Started page (https://factor.ca/howtoapply/gettingstarted), and the profile tutorials on the Documents and Useful Tools page of our Resources for Applicants section (https://factor.ca/resources/forapplicants/documents).

When in doubt, email your Project Coordinator, or call our General Info line at 1 877 696 2215.

On February 29, 2016, FACTOR will re-assess all artist profiles and applicant profiles in the system during our Annual Profile Review. All artist ratings and company ratings may go up or down at this time. The deadline to update profile(s) is Monday, February 29, 2016 at 11:59 pm PT.

The purpose of this deadline is to ensure that all artists and music companies are rated according to their current level of success and business activity. Current ratings will remain in place until March 31, 2016. New ratings resulting from the Annual Review take effect on April 1, 2016.

For Artists

Artists should note that the Live Performance Calculator is now a mandatory document for the Live Performance section. Artists should also include the Discography Sales Calculator in the Discography section. Please review our updated Artist Profile Qualifying Criteria Guide for full details and assistance with completing artist profiles.

Artists who apply on their own behalf and hold an Approved applicant rating do not need to update or re-submit their applicant profile, unless the artist needs to report a change in address or citizenship. 

For Music Company Applicants

All Eligible Music Companies who wish to retain or improve their company rating must fully update their profiles in advance of the Annual Profile Review deadline. This includes providing all data in support of qualifying criteria, such as artist rosters, qualifying releases, and gross revenue as applicable.

The Annual Profile Review is the only opportunity per year for music companies to increase their applicant rating to 4 or 5, which qualifies them for the Comprehensive Music Company program.  Companies rated 2 or higher may be eligible to apply to the Business Travel and Business Development programs, depending on their rating.

Music companies that do not update and re-submit their updated profiles before the deadline risk losing their company rating if the mandatory information in their profiles has become outdated. If that happens, they will not have another chance to be rated until the Semi-Annual Review in August to receive a 2 or 3 rating, and next year’s Annual Review to achieve a 4 or 5 rating.

For assistance updating applicant profiles, please see our Applicant Profile Tutorial.

To Update Profiles

Artists and applicants can log in to www.factor.ca and review their profiles, ensuring all information is accurate and current. 

(Please note that the change in artist rating or company rating will only apply to new projects submitted and approved on or after April 1, 2016. Any projects submitted prior to that date will be assessed per the artist or company’s rating as of February 29, 2016.)

For questions, please contact your Project Coordinator. If you do not have a Project Coordinator, you may contact [email protected], or call 1-877-696-2215.

FACTOR, the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings, is proudly supported by Canada’s private broadcasters and the Government of Canada. Nous reconnaissons l’appui financier du gouvernement du Canada et des radiodiffuseurs privés du Canada. 

Posted on Jan 11 2016

We surveyed our staff for favourite music memories from 2015. The responses include performances, songs, albums, and reflections on streaming music. Before we head into the new year, let’s take a look back!

That Tiny Band show was off the hook. 

-Phil Gumbley, Director, Operations; Guitar, FACTOR’s Tiny Band

-Jeff Hayward, Project Coordinator Getting involved with the Toronto Women In Music (TWIM) community has been one of the best parts of 2015. I’ve met so many talented and brilliant musicians, writers, and industry members through TWIM events. Last week’s holiday show featuring Twist, Bambii, and hey!dw was a big highlight!

Some of my favourite albums from 2015 were Milk & Bone’s Little Mourning, CHVRCHES’ Every Open Eye, Carly Rae Jepsen’s Emotion, and Marie-Pierre Arthur’s Si l’aurore.

-Megan Jones, Assistant Manager, Client Services For my Nan’s 90th birthday some family friends joined the extended family at the assisted living home and put on a musical performance for my Nan and the other residents.  They all loved it and sang along – and even danced! – to the best of their ability. Popular hits included: The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond, An Irish Lullaby, Red River Valley, and You Are My Sunshine. *sniff.

-Erin Kiyonaga, Senior Project Coordinator Hop Along put out their new record and I lurrrvveee it. 

Playing my first proper festival (NXNE) and my new band Specifics’ first show at ONO FEST were highlights.

-Jeremy Klaver, Jury Supervisor I met Raphaelle from BRAIDS and I was SO excited and it was a nice little highlight for me.

-Karina Moldovan, Office Coordinator Drake makes babies giggle 😂❤️ - Click here for the Hotline Baby video!

-Eryka Nilsen, Assistant Manager, Client Services; Mom to Hotline Baby Playing with my old band at the Halifax Pop Explosion.

(Photo by Chris Smith) -Allison Outhit, Vice President, Operations I hope Massey Hall was able to clean up my heart/brain from the ceiling after seeing Tanya Tagaq and Owen Pallett. #masseyexplosion

-Lindsey Van De Keere, Project Coordinator Listening to Ought for the first time (#polaris2016!).

ORRRRR being outrageously excited about meeting Fred Penner at Polaris - it was magical.

-Cathy Waszczuk, Communications and Stakeholder Relations Officer All of us at FACTOR were devastated to hear that our favourite streaming service Rdio was going offline. The headache of migrating all of our favourite albums and carefully curated playlists over to a new streaming service seemed impossible. Combined with having to embrace a new less user-friendly interface like Apple Music or a service that evoked the memory of a mash-up between LimeWire and Winamp (Spotify), the future of streaming for us looked grim… I also came to the alarming realization that I no longer owned any of my music with all of it existing up in the cloud; it was a startling realization for me as we transition to predominantly streaming-based listening. But short of going through the cumbersome process of downloading over-compressed .mp3s again, buying CDs (that only get played in the car) or purchasing a record player and adopting an expensive vinyl addiction, I had to make a choice: I chose Spotify, and I’m very happy that I did! My transition onto the world’s largest streaming platform has been incredible and has coincided nicely with my discovery and newfound appreciation for electronic music, Top 40 pop, laptop/inside the box/VST production and single-based listening. I don’t have time for albums or album cuts anymore, I only want the singles/hits! Spotify focuses heavily on playlist curation and also gives artists an amazing opportunity to be heard by the masses if they can land one of their tracks on one of these featured playlists. For better or for worse, these are the sounds that most people in the world are listening to right now, the numbers don’t lie and it’s pretty interesting to see the metrics by genre and region: Top Tracks of 2015 Global Here is my Top 30 songs of 2015 Spotify Playlist (1/3rd CanCon). 

The industry gathered in Yarmouth to celebrate Nova Scotia’s homegrown talent at the Nova Scotia Music Week Awards this past weekend. 

We are proud to have supported these #FACTORfunded winners:

Web.com Entertainer of the Year Joel Plaskett

Solo Recording of the Year Mo Kenney - In My Dreams

Group Recording of the Year Gypsophilia - Night Swimming

Recording of the Year (Tie) Gabrielle Papillon - The Tempest of Old and Mo Kenney - In My Dreams

Music Video of the Year Mo Kenney - "Telephones" (Director: Nathan Boey)

Alternative Recording of the Year In-Flight Safety - Conversationalist

Digital Artist of the Year The Town Heroes

DJ of the Year Ryan Hemsworth

Electronic Artist of the Year Rich Aucoin

Folk Recording of the Year Jenn Grant - Compostela

Jazz Recording of the Year Gypsophilia - Night Swimming

Pop Recording of the Year Mo Kenney - In My Dreams

Educator of the Year Erin Costelo

Event of the Year Halifax Pop Explosion

The Canadian Folk Music Awards took place this weekend in Edmonton, AB. Congratulations to all the deserving nominees! We’d like to give an extra special shout-out to these #FACTORfunded winners:

Contemporary Album of the Year / Album contemporain de l'année Catherine MacLellan - The Raven's Sun

Contemporary Singer of the Year / Chanteur contemporain de l'année Amelia Curran - They Promised You Mercy

Instrumental Group of the Year / Groupe instrumental de l'année Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy – ONE

English Songwriter of the Year / Auteur-compositeur anglophone de l'année Amelia Curran for/pour They Promised You Mercy

Vocal Group of the Year / Groupe vocal de l'année (deux membres ou plus) Fortunate Ones - The Bliss

World Solo Artist of the Year / Artiste de l'année musique du monde – solo Kiran Ahluwalia - Sanata: Stillness

World Group of the Year / Groupe de musique de monde de l'année Lemon Bucket Orkestra - Moorka

New/Emerging Artist of the Year / Artiste de la relève The Young Novelists - made us strangers

Congratulations to the Honourable Mélanie Joly, sworn in this morning as Minister of Canadian Heritage.  Canadian musicians and music businesses are facing significant challenges.

We thank the Government of Canada and Canada’s private broadcasters for the financial contributions that have allowed FACTOR to assist our musical artists and entrepreneurs in meeting those challenges today and for the past 30 years.

We look forward to meeting with the new Minister to discuss our programs and the Government’s continued support of the Canadian independent music industry.

Félicitations à l’Honorable Mélanie Joly, qui a été assermentée ce matin en tant que Ministre du Patrimoine.  Les musiciens et les enterprises de musique canadiens font face à de grands défis.  

Nous tenons à remercier le Gouvernement du Canada et les télédiffuseurs privés de leurs contributions financières qui ont permis à FACTOR de venir en aide aux artistes et entrepreneurs musicaux pour répondre à ces défis aujourd’hui et au cours des 30 dernières années.

FACTOR is headed back to Montréal next week!

We’ll be participating in a session at RIDM on Tues Nov 17. Note: this event is for registered delegates of RIDM. 

If you’ll be at M Pour Montréal or Mundial, you can book a one-on-one session with FACTOR staff on Friday, Nov 20 to discuss profiles or program eligibility.

FACTOR is funded by Canada's private broadcasters, and by the Government of Canada through the Canada Music Fund, which is administered by the Department of Heritage.   All recipients of FACTOR funding are required to acknowledge the source of  the funding provided to them by FACTOR. To clarify these requirements, we've released two new resources. 

The Logo and Acknowledgment Guide is designed for artists and music companies with projects funded through the Business Development, Business Travel, Comprehensive Artist, Comprehensive Music Company, Demo, Juried Sound Recording, Live Performance, Marketing and Promotion for Non-FACTOR-Funded Sound Recordings, Marketing and Promotion for FACTOR-Funded Sound Recordings, and Video programs.

The Logo and Acknowledgement Guide - Sponsorship and Collective Initiatives is for projects funded through the Collective Initiatives and Sponsorship programs.

You can download the guides by clicking on the links above, or by visiting the the Logos & Credits page on our website where you’ll also be able to download the required logos and wordmarks.

It's important for clients to know that all FACTOR-funded albums require logos with correct acknowledgment text on the back of any physical commercial packaging and on marketing materials (print and digital) in support of these sound recordings. 

Comprehensive Artist and Comprehensive Music Companies are required to display the appropriate logos on their websites and digital infrastructure. CA and CMC clients are also reminded that the correct logos need to appear on all materials resulting from activities funded in part by FACTOR. 

We have made some changes to FACTOR’s Program Guidelines and Business Policies, effective October 15, 2015. Please review the Business Policies and Guidelines prior to submitting an application.

These are the significant rule and policy changes:

Business Policies

22.0 ELIGIBLE MUSIC COMPANIES – we have clarified the date requirements for Qualifying Releases, so that companies can qualify following either the Annual Review or the Semi-Annual Review (excluding Record Labels rated 4 / 5).

29.0 MAPL CERTIFICATION – The policy has been clarified with respect to instrumental music, as follows: Each of the tracks will be assessed. The total quantity of Music and Lyrics on the album must add up so that at least half of the album is composed by a Canadian. 

i) For an instrumental track: if a single track has no Lyrics, then at least 50% of its Music should be composed by a Canadian. 

ii) For an instrumental album: the total quantity of Music must add up so that at least half the album is composed by a Canadian. 

iii) For an album that has tracks both with and without lyrics, at least 50% of the Album’s total music and lyrics must be written by a Canadian.

35.0 SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM – This section has been removed from the Business Policies. Please see the Sponsorship program page for details.

Glossary

ANNUAL FUNDING CAP

– The Annual Funding Cap for all applicants (excluding funding under Collective Initiatives) has been redefined as follows: No applicant may receive more than $200,000 per FACTOR fiscal year in funding derived from any program funded in whole or in part by the New Musical Works component of the Canada Music Fund (the “New Musical Works portion”); nor more than $200,000 per FACTOR fiscal year in funding derived from any program funded in whole by private broadcaster contributions (the “Radio Contributions portion”). The Annual Funding Cap is based on all applicable FACTOR offers, adjusted by amounts actually paid out, in the fiscal year. If a funded project spans two fiscal years, any offer unpaid at the end of year one will roll into year two and will count against that year’s cap.

Program Changes

ALL PROGRAMS – The How To Apply section of the Guidelines has been revised.

MARKETING AND PROMOTION FOR NON-FACTOR-FUNDED SOUND RECORDINGS - As announced in August, sound recordings that appear to qualify based solely on off-stage sales reported to SoundScan through the Venue Settlement Program are no longer eligible. Sound recordings may still qualify with a SoundScan report showing the qualifying sales threshold was met with traditional and digital retail sales; or may qualify based on the current radio charting criteria.

RADIO MARKETING FUND – This fund has been restructured and is available as a component of the following programs: Juried Sound Recording, Comprehensive Artist, Comprehensive Music Company, Marketing and Promotion for Non-FACTOR-Funded Sound Recordings.

TOUR SUPPORT & SHOWCASE COMPONENTS - We have clarified that artists’ performance fees will not count towards the In-House cap.

SOUND RECORDING COMPONENT - We have clarified that third-party studio and mixing costs may be deducted from the Self-Production allowance to the maximum of 10 tracks/$5,000 for the full-length recording and 2 tracks/$1000 for Demo.

If you have any questions about these changes, please contact your Project Coordinator for clarification.

The results of FACTOR’s Semi-Annual Review have been released. Head to www.factor.ca and log in to view your artist rating and/or applicant rating. The next profile review is the Annual Review on February 29, 2016.

FACTOR artist ratings are very competitive. Your artist rating is assigned by comparing your qualifying criteria against the data provided by every other artist profile in the FACTOR system. The vast majority of artist profiles are rated General, which allows the artist to apply to the Demo and Juried Sound Recording programs. (These programs are FACTOR’s most in-demand programs, and are entirely adjudicated by juries of independent members of Canada’s music industry.) 

The number of artists rated 2 or 3 is very limited. There is a high degree of mobility for artists with higher ratings. Numerous Artist 2s and Artist 3s drop to lower artist ratings if they do not sustain the momentum of their successes between profile review periods. This allows artists who previously held lower ratings to increase their rating as their career momentum builds. For this reason, we encourage every artist to update their profiles regularly, and especially after achieving career milestones (a new record, a successful tour, a viral video, etc.).

You can view the median numbers for Artist 2s and 3s on our website. The median indicates the values submitted by artists who are at the middle of their rating – meaning that there will be Artist 2s and Artist 3s who scored both lower and higher than the values listed. 

The Western Canadian Music Awards were presented this past weekend during Breakout West. We’re proud to have supported the following award-winning albums.

Aboriginal Recording of the Year, presented by APTN: Tanya Tagaq - Animism

Blues Recording of the Year: The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer - A Real Fine Mess 

Classical Composition of the Year, presented by Canadian Music Centre: Jocelyn Morlock - Cobalt

Independent Album of the Year, presented by Stingray Music: The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer - A Real Fine Mess

Jazz Recording of the Year: Jill Barber - Fool's Gold

Songwriter(s) of the Year, presented by SOCAN: Dan Mangan, Gordon Grdina, Kenton Loewen, John Walsh"Vessel" - Dan Mangan + Blacksmith From the Album Club Meds

Spiritual Recording of the Year: Tanya Tagaq - Animism

Urban Recording of the Year: Dawn Pemberton - Say Somethin'

The CCMAs took place this past weekend in Halifax, NS. Congratulations to all the award winners and nominees! The full list is available here. 

We’d like to extend a round of applause to some of hardworking #FACTORfunded artists who were recognized over the weekend:

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Jess Moskaluke

ROOTS ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Lindi Ortega

ALBUM DESIGN OF THE YEAR
: The Boom Chucka Boys for Ramble (Design Team: Brandon Heard (Mediavandals), Photography: Ashley Champagne)

BOOKING AGENCY OF THE YEAR: Invictus Entertainment Group

MANAGEMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR: Invictus Entertainment Group

RECORD COMPANY OF THE YEAR: MDM Recordings Inc.

If you’re applying to the Demo or Juried Sound Recording program for the first time, you need to have a rated artist profile and a rated applicant profile. You must submit your artist and applicant profiles for review before this Thursday, September 17 if you plan to create an application for the Demo / JSR deadline on September 24th. For more information on FACTOR profiles, please visit http://bit.ly/1hrixwY.

The screen grab below illustrates what happens if you try to create a new project without having a rated artist and applicant profile. You may be able to select your artist and applicant profile names from the drop down menus, but no options will populate under the Program menu.

If you encounter this issue, close the project window and return to the FACTOR dashboard. Open your artist profile, verify that all required information has been submitted (including the Artist Members section, with all required citizenship documentation uploaded for each artist member), and click on the gold "REQUEST REVIEW" button on the landing page of the artist profile. Then, do the same for your applicant profile. You'll receive a notification indicating that your profile(s) have been rated, at which point you should be able to successfully create a new project.

You must submit all profiles for review before Thursday September 17 if you plan to submit an application for the upcoming Demo / Juried Sound Recording program deadline on September 24. If you do not have these two rated profiles by September 17th, your profiles will not be rated in time for you to apply for this deadline. (The next deadline for the Demo / JSR program is January 28, 2016. A list of all our deadlines is available here).