From the plethora of art galleries to the flourishing theatre scene, Ottawa is bursting with culture. But music is definitely not the city’s forté.
Connecting Ottawa music is a report released earlier this month that examines the state of the city’s music scene.
The report was produced by members of the Ottawa music industry. It found Ottawa lacks the infrastructure for a thriving music scene. The report recommends building a mid-sized music venue to remedy this.
The report is right. Ottawa’s live music scene reads much like the Three Little Bears: venues are either too big or too small, but none are just right.
While bigger acts can enjoy TD Place or the Canadian Tire Centre (about 19,000 people), bands that outgrow the capacity at venues such as Ritual or Babylon (about 300 people) don’t have many options.
Ottawa had the Capital Music Hall on Rideau Street, which had a capacity of 1,000 people, until 2006 when it closed down for condo developments.
With no place to play, many local musicians are forced out of Ottawa.
“Once you get to a certain point you can’t play bigger shows in Ottawa until you’re basically playing the Canadian Tire Centre that is expensive,” says Alex Harea, singer for Harea Band, a local indie pop group.
So how can local artists master their craft without a proper venue?
Amy Terrill, vice-president of public affairs at Music Canada, an organization that promotes Canadian music, says a live music scene is essential for artist development. “If you want to incubate talent in your community you have to have the spaces to perform,” she says.
This not only affects local musicians, but also touring international artists who often skip Ottawa due to the lack of venue
Harea points to the Arkells, who could fill a 1,000- person venue, but would have trouble filling a bigger such as the Canadian Tire Centre.
With touring artists bypassing Ottawa, local artists also miss out on the chance to play as an opening act.
Touring artists also often attract larger plays in the music industry that could improve Ottawa’s music scene, says Terrill.
As the nation’s capital, it’s important for Ottawa to support local music.
A look at Toronto, a major Canadian city bursting with venues of all sizes, shows just how much Ottawa’s music scene lacks. Toronto has more than 17 music venues with upwards of 300 person capacity, giving both local musicians and touring artists’ ample opportunities to perform.
In fact, Toronto’s tourism website actually details the city’s “thriving music scene” and lists venues for the different music genres – Ottawa has no such thing.
A mid-sized music venue with a 500- 700-person capacity built in the downtown core could foster local musicians’ talent, create jobs and, most importantly, breathe life back into Ottawa’s music scene.
“Music crosses all boundaries: language, culture, age and race,” says Terrill. “Music is a way to unite people and it really bridges people differences.”
Music should be the heart of the city. It’s time Ottawa builds a much needed live music venue to get in tune with the city’s musical needs.