Tag Archives: officer column

Secretary-Treasurer

News and Notes from the Secretary-Treasurer’s Desk

2016 AFM Budget

The AFM International Executive Board (IEB) held its third quarter board meeting in November. As per the AFM Bylaws, the third quarter is the budget meeting, and according to the Bylaws the IEB is required to have a balanced budget. The IEB approved a balanced budget for 2016.

FMSMF Annual Report

The Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund (FMSMF) Annual Report, for the year ending March 31, is available for your viewing. FMSMF represents funds collected for musicians working on motion pictures. These funds are the aftermarket. This year revenue collection for musicians was reported to be $93,049,068.
You can visit the fund’s website (www.fmsmf.org) to view an online copy of the 2015 Annual Report, and a letter that accompanied the July 1 distribution packets to the participants.

Tis the Shopping Season

Here are three reasons why you should consider using a Union Plus Credit Card this year.

  1. Union Plus Credit Cards offer competitive rates, US-based customer service, and more.
  2. Union Plus Credit Cards have 100% fraud liability, if your card is lost or stolen.
  3. Union Plus Rewards Credit Card offers 1.5% cash back on purchases.

UnionPlus Mortgage Assistance Pays Off

Have you ever thought about what would happen if you were injured and could not work, or if the orchestra you work for was to go on strike? I’ve often written of the Union Plus Mortgage Assistance program that provides interest-free loans and grants to help make mortgage payments when you’re disabled, unemployed, locked out, or on strike. The program has provided more than $10.6 million in assistance to union members.

Recently I came across the story of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Principle Oboist Yvonne Peterson, a member of Local 148-462 (Atlanta, GA). When the orchestra was locked out over a contract dispute, Peterson was thankful that she was eligible for Union Plus Mortgage Assistance. She received a grant of more than $7,000 that paid her mortgage for three months during the lockout.

You can read more of this heartwarming story at:

https://www.unionplus.org/blog/union-issues/despite-contentious-lockout-afm-member-keeps-her-home-thanks-to-union-plus-mortgage-assistance.

I would like to wish all AFM members and officers a happy and safe holiday season, and prosperity in the new year

Officer Columns, Vice President from Canada

New Hope for Labour and the Arts Under Canada’s Liberal Government

One of my duties as AFM Vice President from Canada is to sit as a Vice President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). In that capacity, I attend the executive committee meetings. At the last gathering, those in attendance were treated to a question and answer period with Canada’s new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.

This marked the first time that a prime minister had visited with the CLC in at least 50 years. Trudeau was well received and spoke in a light-hearted manner, but with a positive message to the labour community. The new PM was astute enough to know that he was in a room filled with New Democratic Party (NDP) supporters, traditionally the party of choice for working class Canada. But in this instance, he was also aware that many attendees had voted, and advocated voting, strategically. In other words, votes were cast not necessarily for the party of preference, but for the candidate who had the best chance of defeating the Conservatives. As we now know, what was originally a very tight three-way race ended up in a stunning majority government for the previously all but dead Liberal Party of Canada.

Trudeau showed his charm early in his address. Playing to his audience, he quickly affirmed his pre-election statement that the new government would repeal Bills C-377 and C-525. The announcement was met with a standing ovation and loud applause. Grinning from ear to ear, the PM then asked innocently, “Why are you applauding? Don’t all politicians keep their promises?”

The ease in which he moved through the meeting and the eloquence exhibited in an obvious outreach to organized labour speaks well of a promising future between government and Canada’s unions for the next four years. Clearly, there has been a concerted effort by the Liberals to move farther left. There were additional assurances that all stakeholders would be consulted before Canada decides whether to sign on the just-revealed TPP agreement.

In terms of value for musicians, the Liberal Party put forward the strongest platform on Arts and Culture. That platform is detailed in the chart on page 7.

Also of note, of course, is the Liberal promise to restore $150 million of funding to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC) operating budget. While the CBC has used the Harper administration cuts as an excuse for a vastly-reduced use of musicians, we now ostensibly have leverage at the table during the next round of negotiations to insist on restoration of the music budget to pre-Tory levels in order to fulfill the CBC mandate as a public broadcaster.

The negotiations with the National Film Board have concluded, and the ratification notice will be in the mail shortly. We now begin bargaining with the Institute of Communication Agencies and the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ICA/ACA) for a successor General Production Agreement for Commercial Announcements. We expect, once again, for new media to be the most contentious issue.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all CFM/AFM members and their families peace and love during the upcoming holidays, and throughout the year, as well as health and prosperity in the New Year.

Secretary-Treasurer

A Combination of Sun Tzu and Will Rogers

Needs to be said and I’m the one to say it! I remember the AFM Convention in 1983 very well. First, because it was when I first ran and became a member of the AFM International Executive Board (IEB), and secondly, because it’s when I first met my friend Ray Hair. You know when you meet someone with that extra something. Ray was a delegate with a purpose, then as he is now.

As members you should understand who you have as your president—a successful organization needs a leader who leads and can articulate the mission. President Hair is that leader. Ray lives to negotiate.

President Hair leads our negotiating team. The negotiating team is made up of rank and file members, vested in the contract, along with a blend of AFM staff, IEB, and local officers. It became apparent at the first negotiations of a national contract that President Hair was different—a rare combination of Sun Tzu and Will Rogers—war and colloquial wit.

And just a warning when you sign one of our AFM contracts, be prepared to adhere to the terms and conditions. I pity the companies that do not. Look at the companies currently that have cheated our members. They are now in litigation.

Ray carries our mission to improve the life of working musicians in all that he does for the Federation and we are better off for it! You go, my friend and brother.

Legislative Update

AFM Helps Establish the Ultimate Music Industry Standard on Capitol Hill

The American film and television industry took center stage on Capitol Hill, October 8, when the US House of Representatives Creative Rights Caucus, co-chaired by Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) and Representative Doug Collins (R-GA), in cooperation with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), led by former Senator Chris Dodd, sponsored the second annual “Beyond the Red Carpet: Movie and TV Magic Day” event in the House Cannon Caucus Room.

This high-caliber, highly publicized event saw labor and creative talent, including the AFM, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), join forces with industry leaders such as The Walt Disney Company, NBC Universal, 21st Century Fox, Viacom, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Deluxe Entertainment, Creative Future, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. to educate lawmakers and staff from the House and Senate about the intricacies of film and television production.  The Federation was the only film scoring organization participating in the event.

Pollard-2

(L to R) Recording Musicians Association (RMA) President Marc Sazer, Representative Mark Takai, and AFM Legislative Director Alfonso Pollard.

With support from AFM International President Ray Hair and members of the AFM International Executive Board, our team showcased hundreds of current and legacy television and film recording works created by AFM musicians across the country, including in Los Angeles, New York City, and Nashville.

The AFM booth was staffed by me, Recording Musicians Association (RMA) President Marc Sazer, Local 802 (New York City) Executive Board and RMA-New York member Gail Kruvand, and Local 161-710 (Washington, DC) President Edguardo Malaga. Throughout the event, Sazer performed a medley of themes from past and present American films. He was well received and praised for the high caliber of his solo violin performance.

A number of other AFM staff and support organizations, including Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund Executive Director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth, and Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) members Booker White (Walt Disney Music Library) and Mark Graham (Joann Kane Music Service) contributed support materials, scores, and cue sheets from top film and TV titles. In addition, Bruce Dukov, a member of Locals 47 and 802, created an original arrangement of the march from Indiana Jones films, while AFM West Coast Office Administrator Andie Childs compiled and shipped hundreds of AFM soundtrack CDs for display and play in our soundtrack Listening Station. We also highlighted work done in the community by our organization, which included support of the Harmony Project, Education through Music Los Angeles, as well as Mostly Mozart.

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Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) addresses the Beyond the Red Carpet audience as Representative Doug Collins (R-GA) looks on.

Our primary mission was to clearly define the highly technical skill level that AFM musicians exhibit daily in the studios. Many of them achieve a middle class living through this work while also reaching out and contributing technical and artistic support to their respective music communities.  Even more important, members of congress now clearly understand that it is the talent and commitment to high industry standards set by AFM recording musicians that help bring thousands of films and memorable television shows to life. Memories of films, both on the big and small screens, are often manifested in the remarkable music that supports the acting and behind-the-scenes technical skills.

The MPAA notes that the American film industry helps generate and support more than 1.9 million jobs in the US. AFM President Hair notes, “The American film and television industries are second to none and lead the way in all international markets.  AFM musicians provide the talent that helps assure the success and longevity of American film and television product. We continue to challenge federal and state legislators and industry professionals to push for strong recognition of AFM member achievements in post-production work here in the US.”

We look forward to our work in Washington, DC, as we help bring the skills and commitment of professional musicians in television and film to the attention of policy makers tasked with making decisions that bring value and longevity of our industry.

Vice President from Canada

Trans-Pacific Partnership—Harper’s Deal with the Devil

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has eclipsed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as being the new “gold standard” of global trade. And while it may take years to sign, ratify, and implement, the final agreement remains carefully under wraps. Once signed, the TPP will become the world’s largest economic trade agreement, encompassing more than 40% of the world’s GDP. The 12 parties to the TPP are: the United States, Canada, Chile, Australia, Peru, Mexico, Vietnam, Malaysia, New Zealand, Japan, and Singapore. What does this mean for us?

Negotiating practically in secrecy, the Harper administration continues to execute the plans of 2007 in a methodical destruction of arts and culture and the labour movement. While zealously pursing the privatization of publicly-owned entities, all in favour of the insatiable corporate greed of his big business buddies.

The most sinister aspect is that the TPP erects a “one size fits all” economic system designed to advantage the largest transnational corporations. Once documents had been obtained through WikiLeaks, UNIFOR was the first to respond realizing that 20,000 jobs were in jeopardy due to forcibly relaxed Canadian content requirements in the auto industry. Those same documents reveal that all State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) must be subject to “commercial considerations,” while abandoning their role of providing the public good. SOEs are not allowed to get government support or noncommercial assistance, support that is often essential for SOEs that provide public functions that are not profitable or are even loss-making.

That means the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), National Film Board, and Canada Post are vulnerable, and under the yet-to-be-revealed terms of the partnership, may be subject to forced privatization or even foreign ownership. Can Hydro and the Health Care Industry be far behind? Then there is the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), already privatized by the government in 2012. The CWB is now owned by G3 Global Grain Group, a Winnipeg-based partnership between US agribusiness giant Bunge Ltd. and Saudi Arabia’s SALIC Canada Ltd. SALIC Canada is a subsidiary of Riyadh-based Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company, Saudi Arabia’s main agriculture investment vehicle.

But even in this witches brew of deceit of Canadians lies some good news. Canada’s negotiators were forced to completely cave on issues of intellectual property. A leaked draft of the TPP mandates that countries create “legal incentives” for Internet service providers (ISPs) to do their own copyright policing online, deleting outright any online content deemed to be unfavourable—including the removal of entire websites—and even terminating access to the Internet. However, Canada’s “Notice and Notice” regime is being allowed only because it was already in existence, and no other country had the largesse to include such weak provisions.

If ratified, the TPP also extends copyright on works created by individuals from life plus 50 years to life plus 70 years, and by corporations from creation plus 50 years to publication plus 95 years, or creation plus 120 years. The TPP would also bring in tougher rules for “fair use” exceptions from copyright law, making it much more difficult for teachers to copy parts of books for educational purposes, and for journalists to quote copyrighted materials in news articles. In other words, the US influence on the negotiations was the stronger in terms of IP, resulting in a closing of the gap between Canada’s so-called “balanced copyright” approach (in other words, screw the creators) and the much more stringent Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of the US.

The IP section continues with a general ban on the circumvention of Digital Rights Management (DRM), or the supply of devices for doing so.

Air Travel

On a more positive note, the CFM has been actively lobbying government and the aviation industry for parity with the US policy for instrument carry-on that was achieved by AFM President Ray Hair and Legislative-Political Director Alfonso Pollard. While the request for parity is still under review and on the agenda, Air Canada has apparently been listening and has voluntarily amended its policy.

Musicians with carry-on instruments that will fit in the overhead bins will now be afforded priority boarding, so that they may easily and safely stow instruments before other passengers. In addition, those musicians with very large instruments, who normally purchase an extra seat rather then check the instrument as oversize luggage, will be able to do so with a 50% discount.

The CFM will continue to work toward complete parity, as well as to provide assistance to FIM in its efforts to do the same in Europe. I would like to give special thanks to CFM Executive Director Liana White and International Representative Allistair Elliott who worked tirelessly with our Ottawa lobbyist and are directly responsible for this excellent result.

Officer Columns, President's Message

Record Labels Return to the Table: Seeking Successor to Sound Recording Labor Agreement

 

As I write this column, preliminary caucus meetings have just concluded in preparation for the opening round of talks with major labels representing the sound recording industry toward a successor Sound Recording Labor Agreement (SRLA). The existing agreement was reached October 2011, expired February 2015, and has been extended indefinitely while negotiations are in progress. Formal across-the-table negotiations begin September 28 in New York City.

In addition to setting wages and conditions covering musicians performing sessions called by the big three labels (Universal/Capitol/EMI, Sony/BMG/Columbia, and Warner/Atlantic), their owned subsidiaries, Disney’s Hollywood Records, and other covered independent labels, the agreement provides additional special residual payments to session musicians for five years following an original session through the Sound Recording Special Payments Fund (SPF). It also establishes a royalty from sales revenue for the Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF), which is of critical interest to the Federation, our locals, and our members.

The current round of negotiations will convene against a backdrop of litigation recently initiated against the major labels by the Federation and by the American Federation of Musicians’ and Employers’ Pension Fund (AFM-EPF). The pension fund’s legal action centers on the labels’ failure and refusal to make appropriate pension payments on foreign streaming. The Federation’s action concerns Sony Music’s failure to comply with contract provisions that require additional payments for new use, domestic, and foreign licensing. The day of turning a blind eye toward industry’s noncompliance with the SRLA is done; thus, as a last resort and to demonstrate our resolve toward strict contract enforcement, the Federation and the AFM-EPF have turned to the courts for relief from the games the labels play to avoid paying our members the wages and benefits due.

The negotiations will also take place amidst rapid changes in the public’s consumption of music—away from physical products like compact discs and DVDs, and away from permanent downloads, toward web-based digital distribution that includes interactive and noninteractive streaming. In the realm of interactive streaming, digital service providers like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube are paying labels hundreds of millions of dollars for rights to access entire catalogs of tunes, but most featured artists do not have the leverage to demand and obtain a fair royalty from the labels. Session musicians, the unsung heroes behind the labels’ treasure trove of hits, get nothing.

The bottom line is that consumer spending on recorded music and record industry revenue are moving swiftly from physical product and digital downloads to streaming. And as we watch our traditional royalty positions in physical and download sales decline precipitously, threatening the very existence of MPTF and SPF, pursuit of new money for those funds will prompt a new sense of urgency in the upcoming negotiations.

Our negotiating team is an inclusive, well-rounded mix of international officers, local officers, rank-and-file recording musicians, AFM staff, and attorneys. It includes AFM International Vice President Bruce Fife, Vice President from Canada Alan Willaert, Secretary-Treasurer Sam Folio, International Officers Tino Gagliardi of Local 802 (New York City) and Dave Pomeroy of Local 257 (Nashville, TN), Recording Musicians Association (RMA) President Marc Sazer, RMA rank-and-file representative Neil Stubenhaus of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA), Local 47 President John Acosta, Local 10-208 (Chicago, IL) President Gary Matts, Local 9-535 (Boston, MA) President Pat Hollenbeck, Local 10-208 Electronic Media Director Dean Rolando, and Local 802 Electronic Media Director Steve Dannenberg.

Also represented in our SRLA negotiating team are a host of talented rank-and-file recording musicians whose knowledge and experience from the field is essential in building a credible approach toward industry. We will have expert assistance from AFM EMSD Director Pat Varriale, and an invaluable trio of lawyers featuring AFM General Counsel Jeff Freund, Associate Counsel Trish Polach, and In-House Counsel Jennifer Garner.

We expect that negotiations with industry will be long and difficult. For the first time in recent history, the Federation and AFM-EPF have initiated legal action to enforce compliance with SRLA provisions. Those actions have served notice to industry that, when we are left without proper paychecks and benefit payments, and attempts to correct those actions are stonewalled, there will be consequences. The industry also knows that the Federation is acutely aware of the rapid changes in consumer spending and how those changes have adversely affected MPTF and SPF.

Your negotiating team will bargain hard to ensure that our successor SRLA will be a progressive agreement and will promote, preserve, and protect the interests of the Federation, our locals, and our talented recording musicians both today and throughout the years ahead.

unity conference
Officer Columns, Vice President from Canada

Unity Conference Offers Valuable Union Insights to Attendees

The annual Canadian Conference, which took place in Windsor, Ontario, August 7-9, was special this year as it was a Unity Conference, held in conjunction with the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians (OCSM). The two conferences normally have significantly different agendas. While the attendees to each come from different backgrounds and have completely different roles, they are all connected by one common denominator— membership in the AFM.

Meeting new people and building relationships is so very important in music, yet much of that personal contact has given way to social media contact. While the Internet is tremendously valuable, it cannot take the place of one-on-one conversations. This was an opportunity to get back to basics, learn each other’s role in the industry, take advantage of the networking possibilities, and learn from diverse thinking in problem-solving exercises.

There were presentations from Local 145 (Vancouver, BC) and Local 406 (Montreal, PQ) to help the delegates better understand the current lack of film scoring in Vancouver and the unique circumstances involved in bargaining in the province of Quebec. Both spawned considerable after-hours dialogue, resulting in at least one resolution to form a committee to address the changing film scoring scene and review the existing scoring agreements. While a primary concern of the Vancouver local, Quebec also has a huge vested interest in the possibility of attracting scoring from Europe and other French-speaking areas. In addition, there are other francophone communities in Canada that are a market for this content.

While many topics were discussed, one of the most urgent was work at festival and trade show events where, while live music is often centric, musicians are largely unpaid, yet recorded and broadcast on cable or Internet. Another was the status of freelance players who are not covered by collective agreements. While they represent the largest sector of the membership, they are also the most vulnerable to exploitation, unpaid gigs, and unauthorized recording, and therefore deserving of far more AFM attention and specific services. That said, our freelance musicians and self-contained bands are the most difficult to organize, since the concept of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) or collective actions are foreign to them. For the most part, they find their own shows, market to their specific fan base, produce and distribute their own recordings, and seldom give a thought to utilizing AFM contracts for any of it.

An area of particular concern to the OCSM delegates was the erosion of CBC remotes. In previous years, each orchestra looked forward to at least a half-dozen broadcasts, which would both significantly increase the revenue on the gig, and generate interest in classical music among listeners. With the government’s slashing of funding and subsequent budget cuts, the CBC is left airing existing commercial recordings. The OCSM Media Committee, along with representatives from the CFM, is looking at creative options.

One of the highlights of the conference was the address by AFM President Ray Hair. An information-packed PowerPoint show began with the formation of the AFM, its roots, opponents, and raison d’être. While touching on the evolution of the Federation, it outlined the current agreements in place with employers—both US and Canada—and progress that has been achieved in the area of performance rights, regulations, and negotiations with other countries, ensuring proper compensation for commercial uses of North American music. Hair continued, describing attempts at union-busting (unfortunately, much from within), as well as the solidarity necessary to overcome, adapt, and prevail. He further used the AFM’s controversy with the Musicians’ Rights Organization of Canada (MROC), in its initial stages, as an example of the benefits to members that could be accomplished with dialogue and patience.

Any Conference loaded with that much information, controversy, and constructive communication must be deemed a success, and the contributing factor, in no small part, was the careful planning and flawless execution by the officers and members of Local 566 (Windsor, ON). Special thanks to Secretary Lynne Wilson-Bradoc and President Chris Borshuk for their hard work, attention to detail, and of course, the presentation of some of the finest musicians in the Essex-Kent area.

It was also pleasing to note many musicians attending as visitors from the local, as well as local officers. Special thanks to Local 802 (New York City) President Tino Gagliardi and Local 5 (Detroit, MI) President George Troia for attending and acting as resources for delegates. Members are always welcome and encouraged to attend these events to gain greater insight and see solidarity in action.

Pour la version francaise, cliquez ici.

senza sordino
Organizing

Senza Sordino: Stalwart of Unity

bruce-ridgeby Bruce Ridge, ICSOM Chairman and Member of Local 500 (Raliegh, NC)

Of the many important and indispensable services that the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) provides for its members and the members of the AFM at large, our vital communication network is perhaps the most crucial. Electronic mailing lists and social media give us the ability to communicate instantly with each other, spreading news of opportunities and difficulties, and sharing solutions for issues both old and new that arise for our musicians and their orchestras. Of all the tools that ICSOM makes available, none are more topical and historically significant than our quarterly newsletter, Senza Sordino.

In 1962, ICSOM’s founders knew that, in order for our orchestras to survive and thrive, they must unite, and that a newsletter that could be read throughout the union and the field would be of great importance. For the first time, the issues affecting orchestra musicians could be reported and analyzed by those who knew the issues best—the orchestra musicians themselves. Senza Sordino (Italian for “without mute”) would be the perfect name for this publication.

The first issue was published in January 1963. That issue reported on numerous revolutionary developments for orchestra musicians, including four orchestra summits that had been held in the past year. There were negotiation updates from Los Angeles and Chicago, and a report about how Philadelphia Orchestra musicians were rising up against an unwarranted musician discharge.

One line that jumps off the page in that first issue is from the Cincinnati Symphony, where musicians reported “Last month we were granted the right to ratify our contract.” It is a reminder that so many of the rights that musicians take for granted today were once fought for diligently, and that those benefits and rights are only there to enjoy because of the sacrifices of previous generations.

The complete archive of Senza Sordino is available on the ICSOM website (www.icsom.org). It makes for fascinating reading for anyone who has ever played in a symphony orchestra, or who may one day want to become a member of an orchestra. This archive constitutes a crucial history of symphonies over the past half-century, detailing how orchestras performed, thrived, suffered, and emerged stronger both in our communities and our union.

As a new generation of musicians and leaders joins our orchestras, a reading of any single issue of this newsletter from any year would provide a rich education. Taking the archive in its entirety, it is overwhelming to think of what is represented on these pages and what might have become of our orchestras and our union if not for the work of ICSOM.

Just as the first issue reported on crucial topics, so does the latest. The May 2015 issue includes information on how to utilize new social media platforms, how musicians are serving their communities by organizing benefit concerts, the importance of music education, and how Baltimore Symphony musicians rose up as a beacon of hope for their city at a time of need.

And just as the first issue reported on how the Cincinnati Symphony musicians had gained the right to ratify their contract, the July 2015 issue of Senza Sordino reports on the conclusion of an outstanding negotiation with considerable gains for that orchestra, gains that would have been inconceivable without the actions first reported in 1963.

Now we have other options for our network of communication, and we utilize them daily—Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail. But Senza Sordino remains a stalwart friend of orchestra musicians everywhere. We send each issue to every local office in the AFM, as well as to every member of ICSOM. Each new issue is added to the archive on ICSOM’s website, viewable at http://www.icsom.org/senza/index. We hope that every issue is read with great interest, and we further hope that you will take a moment to read a past issue from the archive. We have no doubt you’ll be amazed at the wealth of information to be found.

Executive Board Members, Officer Columns

Support Fair Play, Fair Pay

On April 13, I had the honor of joining members of Congress Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), many well-known musicians, AFM President Ray Hair, and Local 257 (Nashville, TN) President David Pomeroy to introduce HR 1733, the Fair Play Fair Pay Act of 2015. This federal legislative protection has been a long time coming, and would have a great effect on our members in greater New York, and throughout the country.

Continue reading →

Vice President from Canada

Statistics Canada’s Report on the Economics of Canadian Culture

Statistics Canada just released a paper that outlines the Provincial and Territorial Canadian Culture Satellite Account (PTCSA). The PTCSA provides measures of the economic importance of culture (inclusive of the arts and heritage) across Canada in terms of output, gross domestic product, and employment, for reference year 2010.

Continue reading →