The provincial government has launched a new plan to promote Alberta’s music industry. Alberta’s current artist-in-residence John Wort Hannam was among the performers on hand Thursday at the National Music Centre. The plan includes the creation of the Alberta Music Commission. The government says it will build on the success of Alberta’s film commission. The new group’s purpose is to champion the voices of the music industry, strengthen cross-sector coordination and promote Alberta’s strength on the world stage. “With an industry primed for significant growth, our government is committed to taking Alberta music to the top of the charts,” said Tanya Fir, Alberta’s Minister of Arts, Culture and the Status of Women. “This is a crucial step that we’re taking as a province, and it’s groundbreaking for artists, retention, economic growth, culture and identity as well as community,” said Tyson Boyd, the owner of the Starlite Room in Edmonton. The province says it invests an average of $15 million annually into the music sector and the industry employs more than 23,000 people provincewide.
