For musicians, the post-Napster landscape of the music industry is a harsh one; finding success can be like s a trail of manna which, if you’re lucky, leads to a desert oasis. It’s best to have a guide. For many years, and for many bands, labels, festivals and organizations, Krista Keough has been that guide. She’s championed some of the biggest names in Atlantic Canada in capacities that have ranged from publicist, to grant writer, band manager, board member and more. Her new podcast, Granted, navigates the shifting landscape of funding in the arts and some of the creative approaches her guests have taken.
“The state of the industry is in flux on many levels, as is the nature of the arts I think in many ways,” says Keough. “What’s been interesting to me is hearing about how our guests have faced these challenges and how they’ve created ways to continue to grow their business or keep making art, despite what the industry throws at them.”
With the bulk of human knowledge available in our pockets–largely for free, or $9.99/month in the case of music, if you’re picky–the way we spend our free time and money has radically changed. Bands who once might have beaten the odds of arriving at success through relentless touring now find themselves competing against a night in with Netflix. The gap between unknowns and established headliners continues to widen as aspiring musicians, struggling to find an audience, an angle, a sound, or the time to develop them, instead are juggling a 9-5 and accomplishing neither.
Enter arts funding.
It is a long and complicated process with an abundance of fine print that only the most confident, experienced, skilled, or foolhardy musicians should ever attempt to navigate alone. The benefits are unquestionable; in some cases it is literally the difference between working a deep fryer and working on your album, or touring, or any of the million things an independent artist can be expected to do.
It is a nebulous world: seemingly full of possibilities, with no right answers and an infinite number of wrong ones, but some say it can be navigated.
This is where Krista Keough comes in. Working with producer John Mullane of the Juno-nominated band In-Flight Safety (who also doubles as the podcast’s first guest), Keough intrepidly explores those magical combinations that have worked for her and her guests.
“We’re starting with John as our first guest; I thought it would make for a nice beginning for our listeners to get to know us. […] I’ve been a fan and a friend of John for ten years or so. I managed his band In-Flight Safety in 2015, so we have experience working together too. Over the holidays last year I was listening to a lot of podcasts,” says Keough.
“I thought it would be really cool to have a podcast about funding in the arts. I myself am a grant writer and an artist manager, and I’ve been able to see how funding has impacted my clients and their careers behind the scenes.
“I was texting with John in January and I told him about the idea and he suggested we do it together. I went to his studio and then over the next few months we refined the idea, the plans for the recordings, and the guest list. A friend of mine came up with the name and Sara Russell created the artwork for us. It’s been a lot of fun, I think John and I are very supportive of one another in general, so it makes for a really nice partnership.”
Of course, it wouldn’t only be painting half a picture to discuss the experiences that led to success. To get a full idea of where the industry stands, particularly in Atlantic Canada, it’s necessary to address some of the shortcomings that have held back artists and, arguably, hobbled a huge aspect of our economy.
“What we’re hearing from a lot of our guests is that there simply isn’t enough funding in the arts for the number of people who are applying, for the things they want to apply for. In the East Coast, we don’t have a lot of infrastructure on the industry side,” explains Keough. “There aren’t enough artist managers, booking agents, venues, to support the talent we have and there are artists moving to Toronto in hopes of gaining those resources. There have been a lot of discussions about this topic in particular and some of our guests offer up some interesting insights.”
Fortunately, and despite many new challenges, Keough suggests that the path to success is there, it’s just not as immediately recognizable as it once was. Rather than any single magic bullet, the key to fame and fortune is through diversity, which should at least guarantee plenty of new episodes for a while.
“We haven’t been able to answer the question why end users aren’t paying for the art they want to consume. That’s a big one, I don’t think there’s an easy answer. We do discuss the importance of funding, it’s role in the industry, and how artists are dealing with the fact that they don’t make as much money from traditional means, like selling their art for money. Our guests do say they have to get creative with how they generate revenue; I’ve certainly been inspired by some of their stories.”
Keough’s advice for fledgling musicians: make great art and put yourself out there.
“Make great art. Whether it’s music, theatre, film, dance, that’s where your career begins, with the art that you make. As a new artist you want to practice your craft, learn from others, surround yourself with people who support you. In the beginning, that might be family members or a mentor, a friend or your classmates. The importance of being part of a community is a common theme we’re hearing from our guests as well.”
Keough and Mullane have recorded eight of the ten episodes, with the final two episodes being completed in July. So far, Granted have already announced Christina Martin, T. Thomason, and Tara Thorne as upcoming guests and will be sharing more news in the coming weeks.
“I can tell you that we have a mix of people from different arts disciplines, who have different kinds of careers and different points of view,” says Keough.
“With the exception of T., who has lived in Halifax and Toronto recently, our guests this season are currently living in Atlantic Canada but they’re doing work across Canada and internationally, and they’re applying for grants from national funding organisations too. We’re hoping that artists and industry professionals can relate, no matter what stage they’re at in their career, even if they aren’t from The East. (See what I did there?).”
You can listen to Granted on iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Youtube with new episodes airing every Thursday, beginning this week and running until August 29.