Market Access Fund

The purpose of the Market Access Fund is to support Manitoba artists and music industry professionals in growing their business activities in export markets through showcases at music industry conferences and showcase festivals, targeted and confirmed business meetings, and collaborative songwriting trips.

Before applying, please read the 2023-24 program guidelines and eligibility info and the updated list of eligible showcases and conferences.

The Market Access Fund is made possible by the financial support of the Government of Canada, Province of Manitoba, and Manitoba Film & Music.

Eligibility     eligible activities     deadlines     process     amounts     payments     adjudication     reporting     application & reporting documents    Contact

Market Access Fund Guidelines & Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicant must be a Manitoba resident and have a business registered in Manitoba. 
• Application forms must be completed in full and submitted by the posted deadlines.
• All approved applicants must also apply to the FACTOR Live Performance program and may apply to other sources including Canada Council for the Arts, SOCAN Foundation, if eligible.

Eligible Activities

Applicants may apply for support for the following activities:

A. Performances at approved showcases and conferences 

• An artist showcasing at an approved showcase/conference or a company supporting an artist showcasing at an approved event. 
• The artist must have a confirmed invite for an official showcase.
• Eligible events are artist discovery showcases with a published industry delegate list.

B. Performance at other showcases or conferences  

• An artist showcasing at an event that is not on the approved list of events must provide evidence of company representative support for the showcase, a strong rationale and market development plan, and confirmed business delegate invites.
• Festivals which are primarily for a public audience, and venue dates as part of a tour, are generally not eligible. 

C. Stand-alone showcases 

• In some cases, artists and companies may be eligible for support for stand-alone showcases created purposely to showcase an artist for industry. 
• These events must be produced by an artist representative such as a manager, label, or agency, have a specific target or goal, and have confirmed industry attendance.
• The artist representative must be in attendance at the event.  

D. Business travel 

• A company traveling for business meetings to new markets without an artist showcasing must have an export business development plan with defined targets and goals, and confirmed industry meetings. 
• Collaborative Songwriting 
• Artists traveling for collaborative songwriting trips where the collaboration holds a distinct business development opportunity. Must have at least three confirmed sessions and at least two sessions with a published songwriter. 

Application Deadlines

• August 16, 2023 (Events September 1 to October 31)
• October 2, 2023 (Events November 1 to January 31)
• January 8, 2024 (Events February 1 to March 31) 
• Or 30 days before travel for events not on the approved events list

Application Process

The application and report are submitted through Google Forms. Be advised that you will need a Google account to access this form. The online form cannot save drafts and you will not be able to save your progress and return at a later time, so please have the following collected before you start:

• Information about the artist/company applying
• Rationale, targets, and goals for business development

Please take the time to review the PDF version of the application form on the Market Access website in order to know exactly what to prepare. First-time applicants are encouraged to meet with Manitoba Music prior to applying. 

Fill out the application form and the project budget. 

Funding Amounts

Applicants may receive up to 60% of their eligible budget. Total revenue from all sources cannot exceed eligible expenses. Maximum amounts are capped per person, per region of travel. Company applicants will generally be capped at support for one person.  

Grant caps are calculated at $1,000 for the first person traveling plus an additional $400 per person for the second and third person or $200 for the fourth person. Travel to the USA and Mexico is multiplied by 1.5, travel to the EU/UK is multiplied by 1.8 and travel to the rest of the world is multiplied by 2. 

	CAN	USA/MX	EU/UK	RoW
Solo	$1,000	$1,500	$1,800	$2,000
Duo	$1,400	$2,100	$2,520	$2,800
Trio	$1,800	$2,700	$3,240	$3,600
4+	$2,000	$3,000	$3,600	$4,600

Eligible expenses include economy airfare, ground transportation, budget accommodations, artist fees and per diems, and costs directly related to the showcase or conference. 

Applicants may receive multiple grants in the fiscal year to a cap of $10,000 for artists and $5,000 for companies.

Grant Payments

• Grant amounts are at the discretion of Manitoba Music and may be less than the maximum.
• Approved applicants will receive 75% of the approved funding amount upon execution of the contract and the remaining 25% upon approval of the final report.
• Approved applicants must enter into an agreement that specifies the terms of the grant.
• Payments are made by EFT (direct deposit) and take up to one month to process.  
• Manitoba Music may ask applicants to refund all or a portion of a grant contribution if the applicant is unable to attend the event, incurs expenses below the amount in the application, or receives additional funding from other sources. 

Application Adjudication

All applications will be subject to an industry review panel. Applications will be adjudicated based on the following criteria: 

• artist profile and audience
• track record
• showcase rationale
• strength of team 
• specific business goals and outcomes 

Reporting and Evaluation

• All approved applicants must agree to take part in an evaluation of the program.
• All applicants must submit a final report no later than 30 days after the event. Failure to submit the final report will make you ineligible for further funding from Manitoba Music.
• Applicants must respond to a survey of business results within two years following the event.

Market Access Fund Documents

Application

Program Guidelines & Eligibility Requirements (PDF)

Eligible Showcase & Conference List (PDF)

Market Access Fund Budget 2023-24 (Excel)

Market Access Fund Application 2023-24 (Google Form, login required)

N.B. Hard copy submissions are not accepted, this document is for reference only

Report

Market Access Fund Report 2023-24 (Google Form, login required)

N.B. Hard copy submissions are not accepted, this document is for reference only

Contact

If you would like to know more, or if you have any questions about the program or application, please contact:

Andrea Davis
Manager, Export Programs
andrea@manitobamusic.com
204-975-1299