Ontario’s Independent Musicians Set to Have Record Breaking Year Financially Due To CERB

By Quentin Millet

Toronto - With independent musicians in Ontario being eligible for $2000 per month in CERB payments from the federal government, many artists across the province are set to have banner years in 2020, with many increasing their income by over 100%.

Indie folk singer, Misty Breeze from Barrie, tells us, “Pre-pandemic, my average week would include attending open mic’s on Tuesday and Thursday’s where I didn’t make anything other than great exposure for my original music from the same 7 people who attended every week. With bars being closed, I am now able to concentrate my free time on writing new music, which I’d describe as very similar to a Joni Mitchell sound, just without the good vocals and lyrics.”

Kingston country artist, Curt Reed is also enjoying the new windfall from COVID-19. 

“Although I haven’t been able to get out to promote my new single, ‘Driving a Truck While Drinking a Beer and Looking at Girls in Jean Shorts’, I have been able to find some time to write some new songs for my upcoming EP, Drinking Beer By The Campfire With My Truck.  

In the seven months since the release of ‘Driving a Truck While Drinking a Beer and Looking at Girls in Jean Shorts’,  the single has remarkably received over 50,000 streams on Spotify, equating to almost $200 in royalties.  

And although Curt will not be able to play at local Ribfests across the province this year, he has recently realized that, in fact, not playing Ribfest will benefit his bottomline. 

After paying all seven members of his band $50 each, purchasing a half rack of ribs and a local craft beer, Ribfest gigs normally end up costing Curt an average of $310 to play. 

“I will miss them, but to be honest I don’t really even like country music, I’m just trying to appeal to the southwestern Ontario University crowd. Once they cut off my CERB, if I got rid of Jeff the fiddle player and snuck in my own brewskis I could probably break even. I don’t even know why Jeff is in the band.” 

The $2000 a month has been estimated by industry insiders to be approximately $2000 a month more than most musicians made from pursuing his dreams prior to the pandemic.

Phuck The Man, a local punk band from Hamilton, is poised on having their best year since forming in 1992. Front man Johnny Danger, who has never had an actual job, cannot believe the benefits of having a regular income.

“Most of my income I had before came from whatever the old lady gave me,” Johnny remarked. “This new freedom has opened my mind to new possibilities. Like getting a job and a new old lady.”

The bands new bass player, Chad White, who joined in February of this year and only started playing bass several days prior to that, couldn’t be more thrilled with the idea  he is receiving income from CERB. 

The twenty-fifth bass player in the past twenty-eight years of Phuck The Man, has yet to actually play with the band but tells us, “How hard can it be? I’ve been spending most of this whole corona thing trying to learn how to actually play the bass.”

The federal government has stated that individuals are able to continue working, but are no longer eligible for CERB is they earn more than $1000 per month, which won’t be an issue for most artists in Ontario. 

This article was submitted anonymously.