Bow Valley Music Club – Alberta Room at 2018 Folk Alliance

The Cause

The Bow Valley Music Club (Bow Valley) is a non-profit society with the primary objective to provide an opportunity for the Calgary area and surrounding communities to attend a series of quality live musical concerts, in a friendly participatory environment, together with related cultural, intellectual and social activities. We offer musicians the opportunity to perform before an appreciative audience, who listen!

Along with the concert series of 10 shows each season, Bow Valley hosts a showcase room at the Folk Alliance International Conference in February every year. The “Alberta Room” has built up the reputation as a purveyor of the finest musical talent from Alberta. We provide multiple performance opportunities as well financial support for export-ready Alberta acts (18 groups for the February 2017 conference) to attend the event and present their talent to the music industry. We hold special fundraising concerts leading up to the conference that all artists participate in, and have produced four compilation albums in past years that also help to raise funds. We plan to continue these fundraising and marketing initiatives. Successes to date include our support for world touring artist Lindsay Ell, JUNO-nominee Chloe Albert, international award winners PEAR, and more.

At Folk Alliance International, Bow Valley promotes the showcases and artists in a variety of ways. We take out digital adverting space on the screens throughout the hotel. We print and distribute postcards with the full schedule. We have secured the right to wrap elevator doors with our large format vinyl posters. We share information and videos via our social media platforms, using artist and Folk Alliance mentions and tags throughout. These methods have proven successful in bringing important industry participants to the showcases that result in bookings and deals for the Alberta artists.

Bow Valley will return to Kansas City, Missouri in February 2018 to bring a host of Albertan musical acts in celebration of Folk Alliance’s 30th anniversary. We are requesting funding to help cover production expenses so that the financial impact on each musician is lower next year. It is an expensive event to travel to, from airfare to substantial hotel costs, registration fees, and promotional materials.

Who Will it Benefit?

We have selected Calgary and Southern Alberta as the Community Market that benefits, since this is where we are based, but in truth we bring artists from all across Alberta to Folk Alliance.

Each Alberta artist that Bow Valley supports and presents in the Alberta Room is greatly impacted. Not only does it give the musicians the opportunity to perform their music for new audiences, it helps bring important music industry personal into the shows. From labels, to radio DJs, to festivals and venue bookers, the attendees of Folk Alliance are delighted at the music Alberta presents and they are eager to promote or present it.

The artists are impacted immediately, through feedback and discussions with audience members during and after performances. They are also impacted over the long term, as new business relationships form as a result. Musicians can secure a label, management, booking agent, or publishing deal. They can also make contacts for bookings at folk festivals and venues for touring in future seasons.

The musicians who attend are surrounded by the very best in folk music from across the world. They connect with other musicians and performers and become inspired by new music they hear. The event is truly collaborative and serves as artistic inspiration for individuals while building connections amongst attendees.

We have selected the project start and end dates as September 1st and May 31st, since September is when the planning starts and by May we’ll have feedback from the artists on results achieved such as bookings for the summer season.