This week in RCS Music News Weekly: Live music is almost back (and some area venues are looking for bands), new data reveals Facebook may not be where your audience is actually hanging out, and Canada announces $1.9 billion to help arts and sports recovery. But first…
More People Now Allowed in Royal City Studios’ Rehearsal Studios!
ICYMI: Under Step 2 of Roadmap to Reopen, Royal City Studios can now have more people in their rehearsal studios:
- Small Studio – 2 people max.
- Medium Studio – 3 people max.
- Large Studio – 5 people max.
Visit royalcitystudios.ca to book online. Email info@royalcitystudios.ca, call (226) 314-2177, or DM Royal City Studios on social.
COVID protocols remain in effect under Step 2, meaning masks must be worn in studios. And RCS cleaning and sanitization procedures remain in effect to help ensure your visit to RCS is a safe one.
Questions? Concerns? Please don’t hesitate to contact RCS.
Live Music Is Almost Back!
Some Area Venues Now Looking for Bands
Fifteen months after COVID restrictions shuttered live music venues (and turned some people into frenzied toilet paper hoarders), some area venues are now looking for bands, meaning live music is almost back.
Tim Ross, for example, recently posted on the Ontario Musicians Facebook page, “I’m looking for some bands for an outdoor event near Mount Forest on a beautiful spot by a lake sometime this summer. This will be a family festival-style event, so I’m looking for some fun, groovy bands. Thinking rock, funk, soul, folk flavors, but open to all.”
Other venues are offering live music on the Canada Day weekend. Awnish Srivastava, for example, recently posted to Southern Ontario Live Music, “Live music is back! Excited to have Dave Stevens perform live on our patio on Canada Day” at District Kitchen + Bar in Burlington, Ont. “Come spend the afternoon with us for great food, cold drinks, and awesome live music!”
To promote all things live music in the Guelph area, Music Lives! (Guelph’s online music listing site for the past 10 years) recently invited area bands, “Send us your upcoming live music listings in the Royal City so we can list it on our calendar,” adding, “Long live live music.”
RCS Music News Weekly couldn’t agree more.
Dave Langguth, Andy Narsingh, and Anthony Della Croce cover “Spirit of Radio”
Drummer Dave Langguth (Kim Mitchell, Nelly Furtado), bassist-vocalist Andy Narsingh (Dave Barret Trio, Arsin Band) and guitarist Anthony Della Croce (The Headpins, Jerry Doucette) recently collaborated online to release a stellar version of “The Spirit of Radio,” the classic 1980 release by Rush.
For a great reaction video to the original Rush recording, check out Rob Squad Reactions’ WE NEEDED THIS, which leaves the squad near-speechless over the lyrics and musicianship—and with a whole new appreciation for radio.
Which Social Channels Do People Now Spend Most Time On?
New Data to Help Promote Your Band
Facebook remains the social media platform with the most user accounts (2.8 billion users, or about a third of the world’s population.) But that doesn’t mean you should focus all your efforts on Zuckerberg’s big blue behemoth to promote your band because Facebook may not be where your audience is actively hanging out.
It’s a Question of Demographics and Platform Usage
According to Statista: Worldwide as of April 2021, adults age 25-34 made up the largest group of Facebook users (12.6% female and 18.9% male), which may be your ideal audience demographic. Yet the report does not say how often adults age 25-34 use Facebook, and that’s an important consideration in your promotions.
Overall, Facebook use has been declining in Canada and the U.S. over the past few years because of fake news, cyberbullying, algorithms that have strangled organic reach, a general sense of irrelevant noise, and more user complaints. Facebook use with Millennials (age 24-40) has particularly declined, and Gen Z (age 6-24) are abandoning Facebook. So where does this place Facebook in terms of actual daily use?
According to April 2021 research by Statista, Facebook ranked fifth in use (tying with Twitter) with Gen Z and Millennials after Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
In other words, it’s all well and good for Facebook to imply they have the hottest social ticket in town. Yet if their numbers are solely based on accounts that users may only check sporadically (or have ditched altogether), you may want to slide Facebook lower on your promotions list and focus your efforts more on platforms where users are actually showing up each day.
Canada Commits More $$$ to Arts and Festival Recovery
The Canadian government announced the commitment of $1.9 billion in Budget 2021 to further assist the recovery of arts, culture, heritage, and sports organizations in Canada, and Canadians working in these sectors.
Key components of the investment:
- The Recovery Fund for Arts, Culture, Heritage and Sports Sectors will leverage existing programs to provide $300 million over two years to organizations that are still struggling due to the pandemic. This will also contribute to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in these sectors.
- The Reopening Fund will provide $200 million over two years through existing programs to help Canada’s festivals, cultural events, outdoor theatre performances, heritage celebrations, local museums, amateur sports events, and more. The fund will support organizations and projects that deliver in-person experiences or events that draw visitors to communities.
Have a Great Canada Day Weekend!
We’re releasing this week’s edition of RCS Music News Weekly a bit early due to the Canada Day long weekend. Next week, our editorial team is taking a well-deserved break, meaning there will be no RCS Music News Weekly on July 9th. Yet RCS Music News Weekly will return the following Friday (July 16th).
Also, Royal City Studios will be closed on July 1st for Canada Day. RCS will be open on Friday, July 2nd for rehearsals and recording and also be open through the weekend (July 3rd and 4th)
Lastly, stay cool this weekend, however you choose to stay cool.
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