LUCIDMEDIA

The Canadian Music Industry and Kae Suns perspective

Written by Lisa M. Knapp Wednesday, 07 May 2008 05:49

The Canadian Heritage Government website clearly states that between the years 1999 and 2003, the ‘music sold’ value dropped 28 per cent, from $1.3 billion to $946.4 million, a drastic decrease in what was a huge profit margin for musicians. This is when the Canadian music industry saw a huge change. Our newer artists, such as Avril Lavigne and Shania Twain saw an increase in sales rather than the expected decrease, and this was not occurring anywhere else. The Canadian Heritage site further states that Millward Brown conducted a survey in which displayed that more than 90 per cent of Canadians said they consider the quality of the music produced by Canadian artists is notably equal or in many cases better than that of foreign artists.

But I disagree after speaking to a foreign hip hop artist who has been living in Canada now for six years: Kae Sun. Having moved here from the distant land of Ghana, he agrees that as long as the artist has drive, enthusiasm, motivation and cares deeply about what it is he or she is doing, it will show in the music.

When it comes to the music industry it is a hard road; I can vouch for that. Often artists think they have to escape the beauty of Canada and go elsewhere, whether it is to the States, Europe, or elsewhere, they think that their audience is waiting in other parts of the world. This is not at always true. Take Kae for example, he moved here from Ghana, meaning that people are coming here for our industry.

Canadians like me have a deeper appreciation for new musical talent, tastes and sound that is untouched by anyone else. We want to go out and hear new things. We want to pick up the CD at the show; it makes for a more memorable experience and gives you, the artist, word of mouth promotion because if we like what we hear we’ll tell our friends.

This is what generates your audience and it’s just around the corner. I spoke to Kae on this subject and he gave his opinion saying that “You don’t have to physically leave, but you have to work on finding an audience as much as possible. It’s just a matter of building up your musical reach in order to succeed.”

 
So many people strive to show off their talent, but some aren’t able to expand on their talent or promote it, thinking that they can instantly become a star after the first take. The popular television show Canadian Idol is a perfect example of how people think they can take advantage of the industry and simply slip on by the side lines to become the next big thing. But there’s more to it than that, Canadian Idol can build up your fan base, it’s true, but it will be a fan base based on what the judges want you to sing not based entirely on what you personally want to sing.

There are contracts involved as well. It’s a totally different avenue to take when it comes to the industry. As an artist, Kae personally would not go on the show stating with conviction that, “I wouldn’t go on the show to simply improve my career.”

This is not his aim, he further mentioned, “There is no place for what I’m doing on a show like that; it’s a totally different avenue to take.”

Kae Sun, as a true artist, chooses to stay on the road and simply deliver his message to the audience. “My music is more about what I’m singing, the lyrics, the style… it’s more about the message,” he says.

So what is your underlying message, I asked? “It changes as I go,” he replies. “There is an underlying belief in God and the human spirit. There is an underlying desire for peace and love. There is an attempt in the way I see it and the way it is, and that will always change as I grow.”

Having a message in your music and your art is something very important to not only Kae, but to any artist that wants to make a living out of his or her artistic abilities. They have to have something that drives them to continue and for Kae, that something is God. “God keeps me going. There is a purpose to everything, life, music, waking up, living… everything has a purpose and God is what drives me to continue to do what I do.”

For artists and musicians alike, what they do is a hobby, for Kae though it’s a full time career. “Music is one of those natural things; a lot of kids sing and joke around about it but some find it a means of expression that just works,” Kae says. Musicians and bands need to expand, travel, and play shows, he adds. This seems simple enough but the industry almost seems unfair to new patrons of the game and doesn’t seem to offer enough support. “Fair…” Kae jumped in as I was speaking to him on this subject “the music industry in general is not fair. An artist should not have to beg for anything and should not expect anything. Getting started as an independent artist it is defiantly fair, but when it comes to the industry itself, the structure, the rules, the politics, it’s not fair anywhere. The industry doesn’t make sense.” The industry is very much disorganized, I agree with him. I wondered if because he moved from out of the country, if he found it more difficult making it to where he is today? “No,” he says, “it took time, but I have a great fan base and lots of support behind me.”

The difference between Kae Sun and other artists is that he wanted to take the time and energy to make music his full time job. “I did perform regularly in Ghana,” he recalls happily, “but the industry there is totally different. There, you are seen as an outcast, music is not a respected career choice. People in Ghana love music and their musicians, but it’s not something that they think is a life long thing.


“There is a lot of energy involved in it, I wouldn’t say it is an industry, but there are defiantly a lot of great artists,” Kae continues. “The industry there is untapped. There are no record labels or anything like that, it’s just untouched.” This is one of the reasons Kae came to Canada, to expand his horizons and tap into our evolving musical market. Good choice on his part considering where he is today.

I took the time to look up exactly what the industry was about online, and came up with countless hits of government grants that state that one has to have a CD made, and some proof of an existing band. They have to have built up a fan base of sorts, or even have proof that they have taken vocal lessons or did workshops to improve on their voice. I also came across outdated information on the Industry and the Industry Standards. The best site I found for information on the industry was www.cirpa.ca. This is the Canadian Independent Record Production Association, a portal for Independent artists; this is where music is headed in my opinion. Record labels are a tool of yesterday and independent labels is where the industry and musicians alike are headed. With independence comes freedom; with freedom comes more variety in what we are beginning to hear in music. And of course with independence come less rules and politics for the artist to deal with. CIRPA has tons of information for the new artist to take advantage of from websites to radio stations; this site is where one should start when trying to outsource their talent. It’s really quite overwhelming the amount of information available to musicians and artists just starting out in the game. If one has the drive and enthusiasm one will succeed no problem in the music industry. Finding the drive is the beginning and from there the avenues to explore are endless.

For more information on the Canadian music industry, grants and other information check out www.canadianheritage.gc.ca, www.canadacouncil.ca/grants/music, and www.cirpa.ca.

Also check out Kae Sun at one of his shows on Friday May 9th at the Westside Theatre in Hamilton, or Tuesday August 1st at Yonge and Dundas Square in Toronto. His website can be found at www.kaesunmusic.com and he’s on Myspace at myspace.com/kaesun