ANNUAL REPORT April 1, 2015-March 31, 2016 CONTENTS 1831 College Avenue, Regina SK S4P 4V5 Canada 202-226 20th St W, Saskatoon SK S7L 0V6 Canada P: 306-347-0676 (main switchboard) or 1-800-347-0676 (toll free in Sask.) F: 306-347-7735 www.saskmusic.org [email protected] Facebook: www.facebook.com/SaskMusic1 Twitter: @SaskMusic Instagram: SaskMusic TABLE OF CONTENTS: President’s Report .......................................3 Executive Director’s Report......................4 Treasurer’s Report........................................5 Profile ...............................................................6 Operational Activity ...................................7 Export Strategy Highlights.....................15 Album Releases ..........................................21 Education Highlights ...............................22 Year-At-A-Glance .......................................28 Award Nominees & Winners ..................30 Showcases ....................................................32 Board of Directors .....................................33 Staff ................................................................35 By the Numbers .........................................37 Financial Statements ................................38 THIS PAGE: SHANTAIA POULIN COVER, L TO R AND TOP TO BOTTOM: JUDITH Morrissey, TOM JacKSON’S LIVE MUSIC Method; Donny Parenteau, Americana; Zachary LUCKY, FOLK ALLIANCE; Danny OLLIVER, Canada VS POLAND; TEX Emery (WITH BLAKE Berglund), SCMAS; THE DEAD SOUTH, FOLK ALLIANCE; GUNNER & SMITH, FOLK ALLIANCE; RICH MCFARLANE, SCMAS; Joanna DEE, ELSA GEBREMICHAEL, AND Lucas JOHNER, SONGWRITING master CLASS; ANDINO SUNS, FOLK ALLIANCE PRESIDENT’S REPORT BY DAWN WORONIUK It is with mixed emotions that I write my final President’s Report for SaskMusic. These past seven years have seen so many ups and downs that I don’t know where to start. I want to start by thanking every board member that I have had the pleasure of serving with since 2009. Every one of you made contributions to the success and growth of this organiza- tion that has gotten us to be one of the top, if not the top, MIA in the country. Special shout out to my VP, Ryan Gullen, he and I were a wonderful pair and I couldn’t have done the past couple of years without you. Special recognition needs to go to Mike MacNaughton for his support over the years. Mike was our fearless leader when I first started on the board and together with our CEO, JP Ellson, and the board at that time, a supersized SaskMusic was envisioned. We lost JP to that vision, which we know today as Creative Saskatchewan. JP definitely had vision and then some! JP, SaskMusic would not be where it is today without your passion and commitment. We may have agreed to disagree at times, but we pushed each other to be the best we could be, and look at some of the success that came during that time. Thank you for everything. With JP going over to create something new and exciting at Creative Saskatchewan, his shoes needed to be filled. As we all know, our beloved Derek Bachman took over as Executive Director in April 2014 and we lost him tragically and way too soon on the morning of De- cember 10, 2014. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of you and miss you Derek. Love you DB! After the loss of Derek, the SaskMusic staff were strong and amazing, not missing a beat, all while working with broken hearts. The task now was to find a new Executive Director. I swear that Derek was looking over us as he sent Michael Dawson back to us. Michael and I had served on the board together when I first started and then he left for Vancouver. Mike, I can’t thank you enough for coming back home! Mike has done amazing work for SaskMusic this past year and we could not have asked for a better leader to be in those shoes. Thank you so much Mike for everything, I wish we had more time to work together. Not only have we had success within the office with our leaders, we have great contributions from all the staff. SaskMusic would not be where it is today without the dedication of Lorena, Kaelen, Brittany, Bethani, Rebecca (who just moved to Germany) and our newcomer Ben as well as previous staff over the years. All those who have worked at SaskMusic were passionate people who loved the industry. Speaking of the industry, thank you to all of our members. It is because of you that this office works tirelessly to help you achieve your goals. From watching The Sheepdogs making it in the big leagues, success stories for Slow Down Molasses, One Bad Son, Jess Moskaluke, Codie Prevost to name a few and the list could go on and on (sorry I can’t mention you all), we have seen our members on the cover of Rolling Stone to winning national awards on the CCMA televised broadcast. Congratulations to you all. This past year has also been a year of change for myself. After 25 years in broadcasting, I have now moved on to work on two totally dif- ferent spectrums: concert promoting, working for Sakamoto Entertainment; and into the not-for-profit world as Executive Director of the Saskatoon Zoo Foundation. Change is good for everyone and I know the new SaskMusic President and their board will work together to continue growing our industry and having success stories to write about year after year. However, I won’t stay far from the organization as we will be working very closely on PotashCorp Country Music Week 2017, which I am very proud to Chair. Please save the date in your calendar to join us in Saskatoon, September 7-10, 2017. Again, thank you to everyone I have had the chance to work with, the artists, members, staff and everyone else who is involved in this industry. It’s a pleasure to be part of SaskMusic and to have served on the board, and for the past 3 years as President. I wish the new board and the staff of SaskMusic all the best for the future; keep up the amazing work and thank you for all you have done and all you will do! 3 SASKMUSIC ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT BY MICHAEL DAWSON At this point last year I had only been the Executive Director of SaskMusic for a few weeks. That feels like an eternity ago…The last twelve months have been so deeply rewarding, satisfying, and inspiring. I’m truly thankful for the opportunity to get to know so many of our members on a professional and personal level. It’s proven what we’ve known all along - music might be Saskatchewan’s greatest export, but people come in as a close second. As I glance back, it’s truly astounding the number of artists who have taken control of their careers in the face of an evolving industry. All of which have shown commendable results. There are more Saskatchewan artists performing internationally than I ever remember in my lifetime, and doing so with focused, long-term strategies. Reading through these pages you will see many instances of SaskMusic’s commitment to export missions. It should also be noted that over 80 artists released albums in 2015! That’s incredible. Saskatchewan art- ists won distinguished awards including WCMAs and CCMAs across a wide swath of genres from metal to Francophone and country to hip hop. On a personal note, I have been heavily invested in a few key trends with regards to the state of the industry. One major area of focus has been digital streaming services, and ensuring that I have a deep understanding of where it’s heading. As a result, I’ve taken meetings with Spotify, YouTube, Shazam, and more. With revenue streams shifting in the face of digital consumption, one major push globally has been onto live performance. This has played a major role in many artists breaking new markets, but late in 2015, an important conversation began to emerge focused on music and mental health. Intensive tour schedules certainly lead to career results, but grueling travelling - coupled with a lack of “whereness” can take its toll an individual’s physical and mental health. This is a vital conversation, and we intend to play a key role in addressing it. There have been no changes this year to our Saskatoon office. Kaelen and Bethani continue to hold down the fort there. However, Rebecca parted ways with the Regina office shortly after the end of this fiscal year to pursue other professional opportunities in Germany. She is greatly missed and we wish her all the best. In her stead, Brittany has moved up to the Program and Education Coordinator position. And as of May 2016, Ben Valiaho has joined us in the Regina Administrative Assistant position. He brings with him a wealth of experience, knowledge, and positivity. Lorena continues to be our anchor as the Communications and Operations Manager. I also must use this opportunity to thank our incredible Board Of Directors. This year’s AGM marks the end of Dawn Woroniuk’s term as President. Her commitment to the organization over the past years does not go unnoticed and her hard work has forever changed the organization for the better. In many instances, I have the honour of being the “face” of SaskMusic but the sincere truth is that it’s the passion, dedication, and hard work of our staff and Board behind the scenes that enables the organization to flourish and support our members. SaskMusic continues to be funded by Creative Saskatchewan for both our core operating, and much of our program funding. With their support, 2015 marked another successful year of export market initiatives, educational workshops, and assistance to our members. Moving forward, we will continue to tailor and direct our programming in an effort to support all Saskatchewan artists at all stages of their career.