It’s been a tense week for music industry professionals in the province as several recent decisions made by MusicNL do not sit well with some recording studio professionals.
In a statement released Saturday by MusicNL, an organization that works to promote the music community in the province, the group explained that CBC NL approached them in January about the possibility of MusicNL members using the public broadcaster’s famed Studio F for recording purposes.
“Preliminary discussions between CBC and MusicNL regarding the proposed project have been held,” the statement read. “On Wednesday, March 14, 2018, a private event was held to gauge interest and inspire excitement about the potential upcoming partnership. This event did not mark a public launch of this project, but an information session for a small number of stakeholders.”
MusicNL’s statement also said the group will be consulting with stakeholders to determine what sort of impact the proposed partnership with CBC NL might have on local recording studio owners.
“It is our hope that a partnership such as this can strengthen the recording industry and add new capabilities to our studio members’ existing capabilities.”
Studio owner Jason Whelan said MusicNL set this up with CBC NL without first consulting him and other local studio owners who have been working in the business for decades.
“Local studios will be competing with a Crown corporation,” he said.
He said even if it is not a finalized decision, there should have been consultations before the event that was held on Wednesday, which was attended and publicized on Twitter by Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry, and Innovation Christopher Mitchelmore.
“They say this was a private event,” said Whelan. “Right, with public tweets from the minister. Why would he be involved if this was all preliminary?”
“Why announce anything?” Whelan asked. “Why not consult, and then work out some deal if people and members are on board, and then announce it? I think they did it so it’s a done deal. The old ‘easier to ask for forgiveness than permission’ tactic.”
MusicNL stated that it would not proceed with the CBC NL partnership if it can’t address the concerns of stakeholders.
MusicNL also addressed concerns industry professionals have raised about a recent economic impact study commissioned by MusicNL and completed by BDO Canada in January. The report has not yet been released to the public.
“The draft study expressed that there were gaps in the recording industry and made an erroneous assertion that final album mastering services are not available in Newfoundland and Labrador,” read MusicNL’s statement.
“In light of this and other input from the community, MusicNL returned to the consultant and requested a second round of consultations, in order to amend and add to the study. For context, the draft economic impact study is a separate piece of research that has been ongoing for over a year and did not precipitate the proposed partnership initiated by CBC NL.”
The Telegram received a leaked copy of the report, titled “Music Industry Study & Economic Impact Assessment.” The report does not indicate that it is a draft version. It has an executive summary, provides various data, makes conclusions and thanks the input of several musicians “who lent their time, expertise, and insights to the project.”
The report’s conclusion states that “the resources and especially the professional experience of sound engineering and recording are significantly lacking” in the province.
Whelan is concerned that the report did not consult such sound engineers and recording studio owners such as himself.
“(There was) no consultation on this report, which makes outlandish statements that are easily disproven,” he said.
Whelan called the report “insulting” and said MusicNL appears to be “back-peddling” in Saturday’s statement in which the organization states it will be reaching out over the coming months to gather further insights and recommendations from the community about the proposed partnership with CBC.
Meanwhile, MusicNL said in the statement that it looks forward to the community’s input over the coming months.
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