Promoting Black Music In Canada

5 things to know about the black music business in Canada

Kentya Kurban as a community engagement coordinator plays a creative role in developing a fertile environment where the local talent gets a chance to grow and pursue their dreams. Being the new chair of the regional advisory board, she is determined to explore and deepen the key professional and personal relationships to provide innovative strategies to address the problems concerning the Black music professionals in the province.

It depends upon the local infrastructure which strengthens the inclination of the artists and motivates them to enthusiastically succeed in their fields.

“It is high time that we should develop a network as a community to provide assistance to each other more than ever to get themselves into the positions they have always hoped and dreamed for,” said Kentya Kurban.

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Here are the five important points you need to know:

1. Entrance into the industry: I came to Vancouver to pursue music at a production school in 2015 and that gave me a foot in the door. I started working at music B.C in 2020. My primary duties are to take care of membership, providing them help so that they could see the benefits in things ranging from discounts, travel grants, export programs, and more. I know there are a lot of black music professionals eagerly pursuing their careers but I want to know more. About 20 people all of sudden showed up with their incredible talent and everyone was surprised to make connections they did not have before. We are not in Toronto where the Black people are running a lot of companies but it is really optimistic to know that we are definitely growing.
2. Awareness is key in this field: To grow black businesses and develop artists here is necessary to give absolute recognition to the fact there is a widely-held perception that things only happen in Vancouver. But also there are certain communities in Surrey, Burnaby, across the province that people may not be aware of it. The more people come closer to each other, the more it is better and easier for them to grow in the field of music and art.
3. Education: imagine a person with totally different characteristics working in the music industry and tell you to become a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or like that. If more Black people were offered a chance to perform in the school-level events, then the youth would have known that this kind of career is no difficult task. And I am fairly sure that this kind of treatment is still going on. It is really a direct way to change these practices and perceptions.
4. Advisory Board Selection: I always thought of what kind of background people should have and what kind of their performance should be in the industry and how they could be useful in developing strategies. Some members are well-known in town as entertainers and promoters while on the other hand there are people like Mavis who are running a country-wide company out of Nelson. So in this prospect diversity should be necessarily kept intact in the process of selection.
5. Building an incredible resource base: I feel that the resources Central Canada has are far larger than Western Canada and I would like the talent to grow in this city. For this dream to happen, it is essential to have a resource and contact base that extends from here all the way across the country. Black people should be given resources, platforms, encouragement, incentives, and appreciation in the field of music and art so that they could also play a greater role in this field.