Export-Readiness

Export-Readiness is journey, not a single festival destination!

Thank you for your interest in MusicOntario's exporting program! Export opportunities are highly sought after and competitive, showcase spots are limited, and producing these events requires a lot of investment from everyone involved in making them possible. Below are some tips on how to pursue export placements and important considerations before doing so.

The most common question we receive is, "What does it mean to be Export Ready?" While there's no single definition, there are common attributes of successful exporters in the music industry.

Why We Ask for Goals and Strategies:

When we request plans and strategies, we're looking for well-thought-out approaches. Our goal is to support well-prepared artists and businesses in their export endeavors. Preparedness is reflected in realistically achievable goals supported by realistic plans, and what is realistic varies for each artists and their team.

It's important to understand the financial commitment of any export event - travel, accommodation, and incidental costs for band members and additional personnel rest with the artist/company showcasing. Given the high cost of travel, inflation, and currency exchanges, is an international showcase the best spend of your resources at that time in an album or project cycle? Would you bring your whole band, if applicable, or present a stripped down showcase, and in either scenario, which presentation would best achieve your export goals in a particular market?

Do you have existing contacts in the market you're looking to export in? Have you been to the event or conference in question as a delegate or attendee to get a lay of the land and begin making relationships? Being part of a delegation like CIMA's Canada House can be a helpful pre-cursor to showcasing as you will gain personal and professional experience on how to best approach e specific music market. 

Ultimately, these events are a huge investment no matter how you slice it, and while they can be crucial investment into longterm development for a project or company, knowing your strategy and supporting it with clear, actionable goals is key.

Export Development Programming:

We offer programming specifically designed to develop export-ready artists. We host these sessions throughout the year, often via Zoom, to cover various topics like how to prepare for a conference and market-specific insights. 

Note: Each export event has its own goals and objectives. Event organizers reserve the right to make artistic and creative programming decisions.

Export missions that MusicOntario participates in annually:

  • Americana UK (Hackney, UK – January)
  • Folk Alliance International (Travelling – January)
  • FIMPRO (Mexico City, MX – March)
  • The Great Escape (London & Brighton, UK – May)
  • AMERICANAFEST (Nashville, TX – September)
  • Reeperbahn Festival (Berlin & Hamburg, DE – September)
  • MaMA Music & Convention (Paris, FR – October)

Defining Export-Readiness:

Export-readiness is not a monolith and can mean different things depending on the artist, company, or market in question. In MusicOntario's case, some basic things we look at include:

  • Canadian citizenship or residency (for artists, bands, or companies), and to be based in Ontario.
  • Established body of work (multiple sound recordings commercially available).
  • Recent releases (at least one track within 12 months of the export showcase), or a current project that is being worked in tandem with the export showcase.
  • Online presence (website and/or active social media)
  • Streaming/engagement metrics (where and how you connect with fans and potential listeners)
  • Professional support team (at least one of: manager, record label, booking agent, publicist, or publisher)

Successful applicants typically demonstrate several of the following:

  • Clear understanding of eligibility. Read our applications carefully and follow instructions - it shows professionalism and care for those on the other side of meticulously processing thousands of applications.
  • Business or marketing plan for the target market (this doesn't have to be a novel written by ChatGPT, but it should demonstrate realistic goals).
  • Previous national/international showcase experience, if applicable.
  • Recent or upcoming releases (within the past two years or planned for the next year).
  • Expanded professional team (manager, label, publisher, booking agent, radio tracker, publicist) - this could be who you're working with, as well as who you may be looking to connect with in other territories to expand your business globally.
  • Financial capacity for travel expenses. We invest heavily into producing opportunities that would not otherwise exist, so it's important to be prepared to invest in your own project/business in order to complement and leverage our efforts on behalf of the sector.
  • Public and industry support (video views, press mentions, tour dates, awards). It helps to demonstrate that your music is connecting with people are ready to reach even more potential fans, brands, and business connections.
  • Previous music grant approval (e.g., Ontario Creates, FACTOR, Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts)
  • Streaming numbers and strong social media engagement
  • Live performance capability and flexibility and touring plans for the next 6-24 months
  • Strong live videos available for potential bookers/buyers to view, depicting what your live set sounds like realistically and in each configuration you perform (for example, have an acoustic live video in addition to a full-band live video if that's how you can pivot for various gigs)

Note: These criteria provide a general impression of export readiness but are subjective. Festivals/conferences often have a final right of refusal.

Business and Marketing Plans:

A strong business or marketing plan is crucial. It should include:

  • Artist statistics (streams, reach, basic information and biography).
  • Target audience identification (where are you already finding success, and where would you like to grow your presence? Are there similar artists finding success in markets where you music may find an audience?) 
  • Clear, measurable career goals. Example: [Artist] has been getting traction in Germany through various digital and physical outlets (provide examples) and we have started conversations with potential agents in-market. By attending and/or showcasing at Repeerbahn, we hope to meet with companies like X, Y, Z to [insert goal]. This could be finding a German label, distributor, publicist, agent, etc. Everything takes time and care to build and we know that, but it's important to demonstrate that you have a plan beyond showing up to make the needle move in a direction that is meaningful to your individual career.
  • Marketing strategies (social media, live performances, radio, playlisting, collaborations).
  • Justification for targeting specific markets (how do you feel a certain showcase opportunity is going to grow your business over 6-18 months and generate return on investments?).
  • Team description (band members, managers, agents, collaborators).
  • Timeline of anticipated activities six months before an event and 6-18 months after. This doesn't have to be a full-blown tour calendar, but rather a demonstration that you plan to keep your in-market momentum going in whatever manner is currently sustainable.

When Selected to Showcase:

  • Ensure you have the financial means to attend, however that looks for you. Are you footing the bill out of pocket, or are you looking to combine resources with public funding? Make sure to stay abreast of funding deadlines that may be pertinent to you and note that, even with a grant supporting your showcase expenses, you may be carrying the full balance depending on adjudication periods, payouts, and reporting requirements.
  • Participate in all provided business-to-business meetings - missing or skipping events and sessions outlined in the delegate itinerary for any give export mission shows a lack of professional commitment and disrespect to your peers and the various funding bodies who make events possible.
  • Provide feedback and file a final report and share testimonials about your experience with the organizations and funding bodies who helped make it happen.

Remember, as disappointing as it may be to not be selected for something, don't be discouraged to try again. Become a member of MusicOntario and take time to attend both our online and in-person events when you can - it helps to ensure you meet peers and allies on your career journey, while staying up to date on best practices and market intel. 

Go before you show! If something is out of reach right now, is there another opportunity we're offering at home that could act as a building block toward goals like export-readiness? We host so many mixers, panels, and other networking sessions throughout the year, so there's always something ahead to participate in.

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