On International Women’s Day (March 8), HipHopCanada attended Gals n Grants at the Monarch Tavern in Toronto. Hosted by FACTOR, this was the first event geared towards tackling the lack of female representation in funding specifically for hip-hop, reggae, RnB and soul. Not to mention women of colour and other marginalized groups.
The event included an informative session from panelists representing FACTOR, SOCAN Foundation, Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, More Music Management and [created & moderated by] FACTOR Project Coordinator Gabrielle Rubaine. Topics of discussion ranged from understanding the music business, protecting yourself, grant writing, monitoring your costs/expenses and moving with purpose.
After the panel, cocktails were provided by Crystal Head Vodka while the ladies had the opportunity to network. We caught up with panelist, Beverly Moore from More Music Management to get her take on why it’s so important for artists to remember that, at the end of the day, music is still a business.
“Artists need to remember that it is a business. You can not wake up with your craft and say ‘I’m gonna go do this!’ That means it’s a hobby. There’s a big difference between a hobby and a business. A business means that there’s revenue coming in, you have a team of people that you have to rely on to get what you need to get done. You are the president of your company, you’re the leader. You pay everyone, and you need to get paid as well, but you are the sales person and the leader. That’s what makes it a business.”
The event featured a session of panelists representing different organizations (Photo: R. Jason)
