CLMA watching Trump tariff row ‘very closely’

The Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) says it is monitoring the conversation around Donald Trump’s tariff threat “very closely” amid the potential implications for Canada’s touring business.

The US president has agreed to pause his proposed 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico for 30 days after reaching temporary deals with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum.

Trump previously said he was taking action “to hold Mexico, Canada, and China accountable to their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into our country”. He has imposed a 10% tariff on Chinese imports.

“We are obviously monitoring the tariff conversation very closely,” CLMA president and CEO Erin Benjamin tells IQ. “Whether directly or indirectly, should tariffs come into place, the live music and entertainment sectors will be impacted. We are quickly aligning with the broader tourism industry, and working in close collaboration with others to plan, monitor, and respond/react, as necessary.”

Meanwhile, Ottawa-based CLMA this week released the findings of its economic impact study Here and Now: understanding the economic power and potential of Canada’s live music industry.

The benchmark report found that the country’s live music industry supports more than 100,000 jobs and attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists year over year.

“The numbers in it have been achieved largely in the absence of any dedicated fiscal policy frameworks aimed at incentivising growth”

In 2023, festivals and concerts in Canada together brought in 19.69 million visitors, with live music operations contributing €2 billion (€1.3bn) to GDP. Furthermore, it says the combined impact of live music company operations and tourism spending amounted to an economic contribution of $10.92bn (€7.34bn).

“The incredible small, medium, and large venues, clubs, concert halls, festivals, arenas, and other live music spaces that connect artists with their fans form a vast, complex, indoor and outdoor ecosystem,” says Benjamin. “This is the system that facilitates live music–and its massive supply chain across Canada, be it a national arena tour, or a one-off local show in a 120-cap independent venue and everything in-between.

“Understanding and harnessing this system creates a significant and scalable competitive advantage for Canadians and for all levels of government and is essential for our artists so that they can continue to share the music we love and need. And why wouldn’t we? This study is a benchmark, the numbers in it have been achieved largely in the absence of any dedicated fiscal policy frameworks aimed at incentivising growth. $10.92bn in combined impact from live music and tourism spending – without trying.”

5X Festival co-founder and CLMA board chair Tarun Nayar says the report’s findings “make it clear that protecting and growing Canada’s live music infrastructure directly results in more jobs, major economic impact for cities and towns, and more performance opportunities for Canadian artists”.

“It means more fans choosing Canada when deciding where to spend their (billions of, as it turns out) music tourism dollars,” adds Nayar. “It means sold out hotels, fully booked flights, bustling shops, and restaurants. It means togetherness and social cohesion. It means better mental health. It means thriving downtowns. It means attracting and retaining other industries and talent to our cities. It means more revenue for artists and musicians. It means more music and memories with family and friends that change our lives.”

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