Bringin' It Home

Program Overview

The Bringin’ it Home Community Presenters Assistance Program (BIH) puts the program in the hands of the community presenter with support from Music Nova Scotia (MNS), the Department of Tourism Culture and Heritage as well as corporate partners Ticketpro and Molson Canadian. This program creates opportunities to present Nova Scotia artists with MNS assistance and sees participating community presenters “own” their shows resulting in greater attendance and more work for Nova Scotia artists. Under the program, participating community presenters are eligible for pre-approved funding against a financial loss on a presentation, should a loss be incurred.

Program Goals

• To stimulate the development of community music presenters and Nova Scotia musicians both emerging and established;
• To foster and nurture strong artist-presenter relationships in the spirit of artistic vision;
• To increase touring activity and revenue for Nova Scotia musicians during fall, winter, and spring seasons;
• To increase the frequency of attendance by existing audiences, to attract new audiences, and to increase the range of people who attend performances by Nova Scotia musical acts;
• To create a network of Nova Scotia Community Presenters who participate in block booking opportunities;
• To provide Music Nova Scotia members with a database of contact information for Community Presenters and venues to assist members in booking their own engagements;
• To provide Community Presenters with access to information on Music Nova Scotia members;

Funding

Those selected as Bringin’ it Home Community Presenters will be eligible to receive shortfall funding to a maximum of $1500.00 per performance taking place between October 1, 2009 - June 15, 2010. All requests will be subject to available funding.

Eligibility

An eligible applicant is a non-profit organization committed to providing musical experiences for their communities. Some undertake only a handful of performances a year, others may present dozens, but most will stage anywhere from three to eight performances a season. With a few exceptions, the season runs from fall to spring. Some community presenters may have some paid employees on staff, but most rely on community volunteers.

Community Presenters who wish to be recognized as Bringin’ it Home Community Presenters and participate in the program must:

• Commit to presenting at least three shows that meet eligibility requirements;
• Be willing to participate in artist block booking with other Bringin’ it Home Community Presenters;
• Present both emerging and established Nova Scotia artists;
• Set a minimum ticket price of $15.00 for regular Bringin’ it Home branded presentations, and $7.00 for all-ages presentations;
• Provide an artist fee guarantee;
• Commit to submitting all program paperwork in a timely manner as outlined below;

Ineligible Presentations
• Performances taking place at house concerts, bars/night clubs, and restaurants;
• Performances presented by individual promoters or agents;
• Performances with non-Nova Scotian artists, or groups that are more than 50% non-Nova Scotian;
• Music Festivals and industry conferences;

Application Assessment

Qualifying applications will be assessed by:

• Willingness to participate in block booking opportunities;
• The balance of emerging and established Community Presenters;
• The technical capacity of the venue/presenter to stage performances with in-house audio and lighting equipment;
• Geographic location of presenters;

Acceptance into the program will be on-going as funding permits. Not all Bringin’ it Home branded presentations will result in a shortfall during the program. The more presentations that are a financial success allow the opportunity for Music Nova Scotia to include additional Community Presenters in the program. Music Nova Scotia will create a standby list and notify Community Presenters accordingly so all are encouraged to apply.

It is required that Community Presenters who wish to be recognized under the program contact the Bringin’ it Home Community Presenters Assistance Program Officer before their application is submitted.

Guidelines

• Shortfall requests and all other documentation including budgeting templates must be submitted on forms provided by Music Nova Scotia;
• Applicants must submit a copy of the artist contracts for all performances taking place under the BIH program;
• Applicants must submit a completed venue settlement sheet for each performance presented under the BIH program;
• Applicants must submit revenue and expense receipts for all BIH presentations along with the individual presentation budget forms;
• A sales report stating total revenue and attendance must be submitted for each performance taking place under the BIH program;
• All presentations under the BIH program must be branded and promoted as a “Bringin’ it Home” presentation. All collateral and advertising materials must carry the logos of MNS, the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, and corporate partner TICKETPRO;
• Applicants who are pre-approved for shortfall funding from Music Nova Scotia will receive their shortfall payment upon receipt of a final report containing all of the supporting documentation mentioned above. All shortfall requests are subject to available funding;
• Music Nova Scotia will endeavour issue your shortfall payment in a timely manner but shortfall payments will not be issued until all of your BIH presentations for the program are complete and all final reporting documentation has been received;
• Shortfall funding recipients are subject to provincial audit and thus must retain all receipts;
• Applicants must submit proof of not-for-profit or society status;

Deadlines and Activity Start/End Dates

Deadline 1: Pre-Approval

The following documentation must be submitted no less than 30 days prior to your first BIH presentation:
• Shortfall Request Form;
• Projected Financials (1 per presentation)
• Artist contracts;

Deadline 2: Shortfall Guarantee Request

(No more than 30 days after your final BIH performance)
• Venue Settlement Sheets (1 per presentation)
• Actual Financials (1 per presentation)
• Receipts to support all revenue and expenses including sales reports for each performance;

For more information contact:

Alex Meade
Program Officer
alex@musicnovascotia.ca
Phone: (902) 423-6271 ext. 6
Fax: (902) 423-8841
5516 Spring Garden Rd. Suite 302
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 1G6