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Music City Updates by Priority and Tactic - Edmonton
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Last updated October 1, 2025
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Music Driver | Infrastructure
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1. Priority Direction | Increase use of and access to available spaces in Edmonton for diverse music activities
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 1.1 Create a music spaces directory
1.2 Expand subsidized access to city and province-owned spaces for musical performances, rehearsals and work
1.3 Facilitate private facilities in making spaces more accessible for use by individual artists and musical groups
1.4 Build capacity for expanded arts and cultural programming of outdoor spaces—leveraging the combined attraction of the outdoors and music events
1.5 Review incentives and concessions for developers incorporating community arts and culture spaces
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UPDATES
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 1. Venue updates: Loss of SOHO and Starlight Room building up for sale in early 2025 (article 1; article 2) new additions with Marigold Rooftop (source 1) and The Fort Pub & Grill hosting regular live music (source 2).
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Link: Article 1
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Link: Article 2
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Link: Source 1
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Link: Source 2
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 1.2 & 1.3 Arts Habitat, with support from the municipal and federal governments, has worked to make two new arts spaces (Arts Hub Ortona and ArtsHub Creative Studios) available to local professional artists and not-for-profit professional arts groups. While the addition of these spaces (with programs that offer affordable rates such as project studios in Ortona) is positive, we're still waiting to hear back on how music friendly these spaces are (use restrictions would currently exclude for-profit music businesses and groups).
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Link: Arts Hub Ortona
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Link: ArtsHub Creative Studios
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Link: project studios in Ortona
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 1.4 The Edmonton Downtown Business Association hosted a second Summer Block Party Series on Rice Howard Way. On select Saturdays the avenue shuts down for that block and turns into one giant patio with live entertainment, family-friendly activities, and the whole area is licensed allowing folks to wander the block with their food and beverages in hand. The use of a retrofitted sea-can as a stage enhances the useability of this avenue for performances. This is possible through the "entertainment district" designation.
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Link: Entertainment District
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 1.4 Edmonton's noise exemption permits, while required for amplified events that exceed standard daytime or evening sound limits, are free to obtain (making applying less of a hurdle for music groups/events).
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Link: Noise Exemption Permits
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 1.4 The William Hawrelak Park Rehabilitation project continues on time and on budget, with expected reopening in winter 2025/2026. This site has been a very successful place for many music heavy festival sincluding heritage Days and is anticipated to provide access to quality outdoor entertainment and culture space.
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Link: William Hawrelak Park Rehabilitation
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 1.4 Potential implications for outdoor performances: under Edmonton's new Public Spaces Bylaw (approved in February 2025), they have expanded the permit requirements for special events to all City-owned property, however, this is now for events with 100 or more attendees (up from 50). Interestingly, an early version considered banning megaphones and loudspeakers entirely from public spaces.
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Link: Public Spaces Bylaw
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2. Priority Direction | Maximize the positive impact of digital tools, particularly for sharing industry information and resources
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 2.1 Create an annually updated, search-friendly database of music industry funding opportunities
2.2 Consolidate and centralize show listings, annual music festivals, and music events information to a single online source to streamline the audience experience of finding shows (for both locals and visitors)
2.3 Create an annually updated, search-friendly database of professional development opportunities (locally and online) for different roles and career stages within the music industry
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UPDATES
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 2.1 West Anthem is supporting the Rozsa Foundation to expand and enhance their Alberta Grant Calendar. This resource is for all Albertan arts organizations and artists and provides an organized overview of upcoming funding deadlines from public funders (municipal, provincial, and federal levels) and private foundations. The intention is to establish a new website or widget that allows for better integration of the tool into various websites while improving searchability and useability.
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Link: Alberta Grants Calendar
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 2.2 There remain a plethora of city-level "Event Calendars" available (e.g., Explore Edmonton, Edmonton/Events, EDify, Edmonton Downtown Business Association, Taproot), but only a few focus on music specifically (e.g. Bandsintown, Songkick, etc.)
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Link: Explore Edmonton
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Link: Edmonton/Events
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Link: EDify
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Link: Edmonton Downtown Business Association
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Link: Taproot
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Link: Bandsintown
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Link: Songkick
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 2.2 CKUA continues to dedicate resources toward their Events Calendar: "a listing of music, arts, and culture happenings for the whole province."
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Link: Events Calendar
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 2.3 No centralized list currently exists. General searches of "professional development in music, opportunities Alberta" bring up workshops and training focused on music educators and teachers and "music career training opportunities Alberta" bring up postsecondary or private training programs in various roles.
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 2.3 Alberta Music news page and newsletter share information on upcoming training offered by Alberta Music and other organizations in Alberta.
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Link: Alberta Music news page
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3. Priority Direction | Forge connections between music and other industries
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 3.1 Integrate music into Edmonton’s place brand and enhance Edmonton’s reputation for cultural tourism experiences
3.2 Expand connections between the local music community and the broader business community
3.3 Explore the creation of a program focused on musical scoring (for film, television, and gaming)—building on Edmonton’s world class gaming companies and Alberta’s expanding film and television industry
3.4 Seek and support collaborations between music businesses/organizations and AI technology and innovation companies to develop key digital tools or databases with advanced searchability
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UPDATES
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 3.1 Indications that locally, Edmontonians see themselves living in a creative and cultural space: 52% of Edmontonians say that some of the best arts and culture they have personally experienced was found where they live (compared to only 44% of Albertans) and 84% of respondents agreed that a strong arts and culture scene is essential to a vibrant city or community (2025 Spotlight on arts audiences: Wave 4 – winter 2025, Edmonton results). This aligns well with findings in EAC's 2024 public survey of 1521 Edmontonians showing 87% of respondents agree that arts and culture make their communities better places to live and 85% agreed that arts and cultural experiences help bring people from diverse backgrounds together as a community. So the local reputation is strong, but it's less clear how well this reputation is communicated outside Edmonton.
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Link: Spotlight on arts audiences: Wave 4 – winter 2025
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 3.1 Unique story of an Edmonton-based choir (Belle Canto) taking home the Grand Prix at the 2025 International Choir Competition in France—some pretty stellar representation of Edmonton abroad.
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Link: Unique story
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 3.2 Metro Cinema using funding from Edmonton Arts Council to program three events where local musicians perform film scores live alongside the selected movie.
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Link: Metro Cinema
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 3.2 The West Anthem Music Cities Grant Program funded Chinatown Live Music Series produced by artist, Jyn-Ting Ying. They organized a collection of experimental music events in unconventional venues (i.e. small businesses that don't usually host live music) in Edmonton's Chinatown. Part of the project is helping small businesses build capacity and confidence to host live music events while connecting them with talented local musicians.
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Link: Chinatown Live Music Series
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 3.3 Raymond Baril, the chair of MacEwan University's music department, shared that their programs intentionally expose students to technology, business of music courses, career management, marketing etc. to prepare them for the varied aspects of music careers—not specifically targeting musical scoring, but an example of post-secondary programming responding to the lived reality/needs of musicians/music industry members (CBC Listen, Sept. 5, 2025)
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Link: CBC Listen
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 3.3 Re: Alberta's expanding film and television industry—2025 is the second year that Alberta Music has put on a small showcase of Alberta-based artists for music supervisors at the Banff International Film Festival.
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 3.4 Stagehand is an Alberta-based business creating innovative ways for organizations and artists to work together. Their platform connects artists to performance opportunities and venues to artists. Additionally - they support public spaces (e.g., malls, airports, etc.) in hosting live music. Scheduling, payment and contracts and even widgets that organziations can embed on their websites are taken care of through the platform, making a smooth process.
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Link: Stagehand
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 3.4 A recent CBC article talked about AI radio hosts, including Edmonton’s SONiC 102.9 "Sarah" hosting Sundays from 10pm to midnight. Some stations use them to cover unhosted or difficult ot fill time slots, some critics worry about job losses to AI. (CBC News Edmonton, Aug. 30, 2025)
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Link: CBC News Edmonton
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 3.4 Recognize that AI poses several risks alongside opportunity for music in Alberta (e.g., promoting in-house AI bands reduces the royalties companies like Spotify need to pay to real artists)
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Link: promoting in-house AI bands
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Music Driver | Regulatory & Government Support
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4. Priority Direction | Implement Music-Friendly Bylaws, Policies, and Programs
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 4.1 Work with the music community to identify liquor and business licensing issues that impede business growth
4.2 Address parking issues around music venues and recording studios in high traffic areas
4.3 Consider adapting a form of the Agent of Change principle that can support existing music venues amidst densification and changing land uses
4.4 Ensure music is integrated into Edmonton’s forthcoming Nighttime Economic Strategy and actions
4.5 Pursue the development of a Cultural Infrastructure Plan with input from the music industry (see Cultural Infrastructure Plan Reviews for guidance)
4.6 Utilize the expanding Arc Card system to encourage engagement in musical events, performances and showcases through a transportation reward programs
4.7 Review and update Edmonton’s busking guidelines and application process
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UPDATES
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 4. COPTER (Community Organization Property Taxation Exemption Regulation) - with the review complete, changes to COPTER will take effect Jan 1, 2026 expiring on December 31, 2030. The continuation of this program and additional clarity around the inclusion of NPOs primarily serving "disadvanatged people" is great news. The City of Edmonton had 1,476 property tax accounts exempted under COPTER in 2018. While these are not all music organizations, non-profit arts groups benefit from a reduced tax burden, particularly with increasing costs elsewhere.
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Link: Changes to COPTER
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Link: 1,476 property accounts exempted
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 4.1 Enacted in 2024, Bill 80 allows municipalities to create "Entertainment Districts" supporting local businesses by reducing red tape for event organizers and making streets more dynamic spaces that allow patrons to take their beverage (including alcohol) from a licensed establishment out into the defined district. Edmonton Downtown Business Association has used this to energize Rice Howard Way with their Summer Block Party series and the Downtown Farmer's Market at 104 St. In terms of musical impact, these spaces and the accompanying activations offer paid performances opportunities and new outdoor performance locations.
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Link: Entertainment Districts
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Link: Summer Block Party Series
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Link: Downtown Farmer's Market
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 4.1 Edmonton Folk Music Festival obtained all-site licensing starting in 2022 and overall reported success with the implementation. All-site licensing can create a more relaxed atmosphere for patrons while allowing people to purchase alcohol without missing out on performances (i.e., having to stay in a beer garden).
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Link: All-site licensing starting in 2022
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Link: Reported success with the implementation
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 4.1 Edmonton music scene discussion of younger music scene members drinking less, impacting music venues/events that rely on liquor sales for viability. Tyson Boyd, owner/operator of the Starlite Room, shared that the reduced profits aren't necessarily replaceeable with profits from non-alcoholic options. (CBC Edmonton AM, Sept. 5 2025). These observations are supported by Statistics Canada data from a 2023 survey finding younger Canadians drinking less alcohol and less frequently (CTV News, Oct 2024).
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Link: CBC Edmonton AM, Sept. 5, 2025
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Link: CTV News, Oct. 2024
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 4.2 Edmonton's Curbside Management Strategy work continues. Is there potential to address some of the parking issues within this work (e.g., load-in and load-out zones, etc.)?
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Link: Curbside Management Strategy
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 4.4 Conversations with the Nighttime Economic Strategy team resulted in music and music industry representatives being expressly included in the strategy text. The strategy was presented for informational purposes to Edmonton City Council April 2024 but no specific progress has been noted or published since then.
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Link: April 2024
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 4.5 Arts Habitat continues their work to develop an Edmonton Cultural Infrastructure Plan, currently with a community survey underway (still available as of Oct 21, 2025). Head over there and make sure they get input from the music community!
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Link: Develop an Edmonton Cultural Infrastructure Plan
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Link: Community Survey
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 4.6 Exploring the relationship of music events and transit systems: this article describes how tickets for The Weeknd’s July 19, 2025 concert at Commonwealth Stadium included a $1.50 surcharge from Edmonton Transit Service (encouraging attendees to take transit and simplifying fare enforcement). Ideally this can act the other way as well, where frequent transit riders can collect "points" to access musical events and spaces.
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Link: Article
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 4.7 Potential implications for buskers: New Public Spaces Bylaw expressly states "A person must not offer or stage a live musical or other performance in a transit vehicle or transit station unless the person is within an area designated as a performance space." (p. 17)
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Link: Public Spaces Bylaw
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5. Priority Direction | Protect music-dedicated funding
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 5.1 Maintain funding for musicians and music organizations—engagement revealed a positive view of Edmonton’s support for artists in general and that this is attractive, particularly to new and emerging artists
5.2 Expand funding options to music businesses (e.g., venues, recording studios, promoters, music publishers, artist managers, record labels, etc.) to increase capacity in Edmonton’s music industry
5.3 Collaborate and advocate across all three levels of government to increase dedicated funding to arts and culture, in particular music
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UPDATES
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 5.1 Canada Council for the Arts launched Alberta Focus Initiative with two Alberta Liaisons - potentially increasing access to funding as more people are informed on existing funding and how to apply (not focused on music, but including music)
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Link: Alberta Focus Initiative
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Link: Alberta Liaisons