On the Road with the BC Touring Council

Good day to yee all!  What a whirlwind this last week was….in all ways awesome!  I had the honour of being a part of this all star community that you see in the above photo.  These are the trainer/mentors and participants of a brand new workshop/program called “On the Road.”  It was organized by the BC Touring Council to help artists better understand the world of touring, and how to navigate music conference events such as Pacific Contact.

What is Pacific Contact you say?  It’s a multi-day event, and there are many others around Canada (Ontario Contact, OSAC, CAPACOA, Contact East) where venue and event presenters, agents, managers, and artists come together to see how they can help each other out.  Artists, agents, and managers present their craft and roster, and presenters book who they think will be a great fit for the communities they present to.

It was a fascinating experience to be involved with this event.  The BC Touring Council has been around doing this for 40 years!!!  This year was particularly revolutionary, as it was the first year they opened up a professional development component for emerging and aspiring artists.  This also gave a few of the artists a chance to pitch/perform their art in the actual conference to presenters, something that has never happened before.  On top of that, a youth advisory panel was assembled of young superstars around the province to raise awareness of issues surrounding the next generation of art presenting – an important step in arts world forward movement!

It’s exciting to see more community building initiatives being offered that walk artists through what it means to have a successful career.  Many artists do not know about conferences and programs like these, so if you are an artist or know an artist, please pass this post along, as it this is something every touring artists should at least be aware of.  Also, keep an eye on those in the photo above – they are an outstanding group of talented and dedicated artists, and will be making waves in the future!