If you had to guess which Canadian city had the highest growth rate for new musicians, what would you choose? Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Toronto, Montreal, or Halifax maybe?

According to data collected in 2021 from SOCAN, Toronto holds the top spot for new music creators in Canada. In particular, the Dufferin-Dovercourt Village neighbourhood (postal code prefix M6H) located in the west side of Toronto.

But it’s the rest of the list that perhaps holds the most insight.

Canada’s Fastest-growing Centres of Music Creation

1. Dufferin-Dovercourt Village, Toronto (postal code prefix M6H)
2. Brampton North, Ontario (L6P)
3. Downtown Toronto CN Tower/King & Spadina/Harbourfront West/Bathurst Quay (M5V)
4. Brampton West, Ontario (L7A)
5. Outremont, Montréal (H2V)
6. Brampton Northwest, Ontario (L6R)
7. Brockton-Parkdale Village/Exhibition Place, Toronto (M6K)
8. Hochelaga, Montréal (H1W)
9. Centre-Sud North, Montréal (H2K)
10. Petite-Patrie Southwest, Montréal (H2S)

Why it matters

The report comes just months after the Canadian government introduced the Online Streaming Act, which aims to modernise the country’s outmoded regulations around Canadian Content, including music.

The list shows that the fastest growing centres are now located in mostly suburban areas surrounding Canada’s largest cities.

“Canada’s songwriters and composers are your next-door neighbours,” said SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown. “They live and work among all of us, helping to drive our economy with their incredible talent. Canadians might not realize that music creation is all around every one of us and, even through the pandemic, they’ve been working to elevate our local and national culture and identity with their invaluable work, amplifying Canada’s global reputation for creativity.”

What about the rest of the country?

Arranged by province and territory, the data highlighted each areas fastest-growing music creator regions.

• Alberta: Midnapore-Sundance, Calgary (T2X)
• British Columbia: NE Downtown/Harbour Centre/Gastown/Yaletown, Vancouver (V6B)
• Manitoba: Minto/St. Mathews/Wolseley, Winnipeg (R3G)
• New Brunswick: Dieppe Moncton East (E1A)
• Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John’s North (A1A)
• Northwest Territories & Nunavut: Yellowknife (X1A)
• Nova Scotia: Halifax Upper Harbour (B3K)
• Ontario: Dufferin-Dovercourt Village, Toronto (M6H)
• Prince Edward Island: Charlottetown Southeast (C1A)
• Quebec: Outremont (H2V)
• Saskatchewan: Saskatoon South Central (S7J)
• Yukon: Whitehorse (Y1A)

Don’t pack your bags for the suburbs just yet

There was another interesting data point was which neighbourhood had the highest rate of successful music creators per capita.

The list shows opportunity is still linked to Toronto and Montreal:

1. Petite-Patrie Southwest, Montréal (H2S)
2. India Bazaar/The Beaches West, Toronto (M4L)
3. Davisville North, Toronto (M4P)
4. The Annex-North Midtown-Yorkville, Toronto (M5R)
5. Christie, Toronto (M6G)
6. Studio District, Toronto (M4M)
7. Dufferin-Dovercourt Village, Toronto (M6H)
8. Plateau Mont-Royal North Central, Montréal (H2J)
9. Amherstburg, Ontario (N9V)
10. Centre-Sud South, Montréal (H2L)

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Michael Vincent

Michael Vincent is the Editor-in-chief Ludwig Van and CEO of Museland Media. He publishes regularly and writes occasionally. A specialist in digital media for over 15 years, he has worked as a senior editor and is a former freelance classical music critic for the Toronto Star. Michael holds a Doctorate in Music from the University of Toronto.

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