Community Conversations: Breaking Barriers in Toronto’s Music Industries
By Denée Rudder
This past summer, Black and racialized musicians and industry professionals came together to share their experiences navigating Toronto’s music industries. Across four powerful sessions, participants opened up about the challenges they face, including systemic barriers, discrimination, and lack of access to resources.
“From what I’ve experienced lately, it seems like a lot of artists and organizations are coming together to understand, strengthen and improve the music sector. I love that! I think circles like this, where artists come together and share their experiences, are the first important steps towards improving the music scene,” said Paula Morales, Incubator co-coordinator at Small World Music.
Photo credit: Paula Morales
These four sessions, known as “Community Conversations,” marked the launch of the Mapping the Music Industries (MMI) research project—a collaborative research project, led by Drs. Miranda Campbell and Cheryl Thompson, from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). The project aims to assess, document, and develop strategies to improve the inclusion of Black and racialized individuals in the music industries.
Many Black and racialized artists often face ongoing inequality and discrimination in the music industries. One participant in the Community Conversations shared that, “the opportunities may exist but they're not necessarily for us… We don’t even know that these resources exist.”
This is an unfortunate reality for many Black and racialized artists in the city and showcases the importance of creating safe and inclusive spaces where folk can openly discuss their experiences - spaces like the ones created during the Community Conversations.
Funded by a Partnership Development Grant (PDG) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the project uses community-based, relational research methods to build trust and gather meaningful insights. MMI draws on Dr. Campbell’s background in equity issues and the creative industries, combined with Dr. Thompson’s background in Black history and Black creative industries, and is coupled by their common interest in music.
The Community Conversations were held in collaboration with Toronto-based music organizations including AfroWaveTO, Small World Music, and Community Music Schools of Toronto. As the name suggests, the Community Conversations provided participants with a community-centred forum to openly speak about their issues, and any barriers or challenges or discrimination that they have experienced in a safe space.
Upon arrival, participants were warmly welcomed and invited to share a meal together to connect and set the tone before diving into the research questions.
“Our team at AFROWAVETO had a fantastic experience with the Community Conversation session. The food from the caterer was absolutely incredible and added a welcoming atmosphere to the event, shared Alliston Davis, Event Manager at AFROWAVETO.”
Walking into a research project, participants often don’t know what to expect, but this shared experience was crucial in building relationships and trust with the participants before diving into the heavy and emotional discussion.
The four sessions were facilitated by Moyo Mutamba, a musician himself, who used a holistic approach with concepts such as the River of Experience and World Cafe activities. Mutamba guided participants through art-based activities and thoughtful prompts to encourage dialogue about their experiences in Toronto’s music industries.
To ensure everyone felt seen and heard, a stone sculpture from Zimbabwe was passed around as a talking piece signifying whose turn it was to speak. This helped create a safe space where participants could share their reflections without interruption.
Participants began individually reflecting on their experience through drawing, then moved to small groups for intimate conversations. The sessions concluded with a roundtable discussion, where everyone had the opportunity to share their experiences with the larger group.
“By the amount of conversation, input and willingness to present their findings, it was clear to me that they were very comfortable and in a welcoming, open space that valued their perspective,” shared Jasper Gahunia, Student Development Manager at Community Music Schools of Toronto.”
Photo credits: Miranda Campbell and Nala Haileselassie
Some of Mutamba’s prompts encouraged participants to think about the following:
Instances of discrimination, prejudice or bias in the music industries..
Existing industrial practices, policies or structures that either support or hinder diversity, equity and inclusion for Black and racialized individuals.
Existing community supports, programs, or resources that are beneficial or effective in supporting Black and racialized music musicians
Strategies or initiatives that could help address some of the challenges
Funding challenges in the arts and empowering artists through financial literacy
The questions and prompts sparked collective understanding and meaningful discussions on discrimination, mental health, financial barriers, and limits to resource access in the music industries.
“I feel like the challenges that I faced in Canada were lack of representation, lack of venues, lack of presenters for Arabic music and I assume any other music that’s not mainstream,” one participant shared. “There was a lack of information and resources. I came in 2017 and I didn’t know where to start.”
The discussions and reflections revealed that inequality and discrimination remain ongoing, systemic issues in the music industries. Despite the heavy topics and sensitive issues that were discussed, the structure of the Community Conversations created a supportive space for artists to share their common experiences and showcased the power of coming together.
By the end of the night, individuals meeting for the first time were exchanging contact information with one another, and connecting on social media.
“We deeply valued the opportunity to engage directly with our community in breakout groups, where we had meaningful discussions and learned about what they’d like to see more of from us, as well as areas where we could improve or help support them. The art portion of the workshop was a highlight for us, encouraging thoughtful reflection on different aspects of our past and future and how these shape our creative spaces,” shared Davis, Event Manager at AFROWAVETO.
Through a holistic approach facilitated by Moyo Mutamba, someone who can relate to the participants, the sessions gave participants the opportunity to engage in personal reflections, and openly express themselves in both small and large groups about their experiences.
Although Toronto is known as a vibrant city, many Black and racialized artists often face ongoing inequality and discrimination in the music industries. The launch of Community Conversations was just the beginning of providing a community-centred and safe space for Black and racialized artists to share their challenges and experiences in the music industries.
As the MMI project continues, Drs. Campbell and Thompson aim to spotlight and amplify the role of community music programs that foster inclusive opportunities for participants to engage in music making, alongside providing platforms and support to develop music industry careers. The discussions and insights shared in the Community Conversations will help shape the ongoing MMI research project.
