ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — St. John’s “could” and “should” be declared “Canada’s music city,” according to an assistant business professor at Memorial University whose research focuses on what creates a vibrant music scene.
Rebecca Franklin says the idea — brought up by St. John’s Coun. Maggie Burton — is “a step,” but she has suggestions on how to really make it work.
After interviewing 60 music industry professionals, including musicians in American and Australian cities as well as in St. John’s, Franklin has drawn some conclusions about what creates a vibrant music scene.
It includes having musicians who collaborate, a music scene with a variety of genres, community radio, supportive venues and helpful government policies.
She said St. John’s has these components, and what’s needed is something that sounds simple but would require a concerted effort: a good story.
“(Burton) might be on the right track in terms of wanting to declare it a music city, and I think now is a good time. I think it’s a great idea, I just think it needs to be well co-ordinated, and well thought-out and done in a consistent way with a consistent message.”
She said if the city declared St. John’s a music city, the declaration would have to be followed with plenty of support and a co-ordinated effort in order for the idea to be effective.
“Whether it’s from the city in terms of creating the story as to why they’re declaring it, and any type of marketing needs to be telling the same story — reinforcing the same story.”
Franklin said now is a good time to make it happen because more people are looking at Newfoundland as a tourism destination with the “Come From Away” buzz.
She said it’s the kind of idea that would involve everyone coming together — not just government, but the entire community — to “think together and think big.”
One thing prohibiting St. John’s from becoming a music city on the scale of Nashville is its geographic isolation, said Franklin, explaining that Nashville largely became what it is today because it’s a convenient location for touring bands.
St. John’s, however, “needs to be a destination.”
“For the size of the town, the music scene in St. John’s is fantastic, and there are a lot of good venues and tons of fantastic musicians, but it’s still not a big city just in terms of population, and so there’s only so far it can go in terms of the size of the audience and the income it generates unless we bring in more tourists, and I think this is a good time for St. John’s to do something like that.”
Franklin said there are many musicians — some she’s spoken with — who would love to come to St. John’s, but need a reason that they can afford, such as a destination concert for major acts.
When Burton originally suggested the idea of dubbing St. John’s “Canada’s music city” on April 15, she referred to how Montreal councillors recently discussed dubbing that city “metal music city.”
“I think that sort of official designation as recognized by the city, or the province, or the country can help to be a tourism draw,” Burton said at the time.
Burton referred the idea to staff and is welcoming a broader discussion amongst the public. Since she suggested the idea, she told The Telegram she’s been connecting with people to discuss it.
Burton is also a musician, and said she has first-hand knowledge of the city’s “fantastic music community.”
“I want to highlight it on the international stage as much as possible.”
Depending on how her informal engagement goes, Burton said the idea could possibly be put forward as a motion at council.
Twitter: @juanitamercer_
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