Toronto to host town hall meeting on city's music scene

Ever since Toronto and Austin joined forces for a "Music City" alliance, not much has happened except some people getting free trips down to Texas for SXSW, and NXNE's Mike Tanner leaving his post to become Toronto's first music sector development officer. This could be an advantage, though - there's still plenty of time for the public to have a say in and about the potential of the new music office.

Whether you're in the camp of thinking Toronto is the best or the city of no fun, if you're even loosely embedded in the city's music scene you've likely been curious about what all this means. April 25th's Toronto Music City Town Hall Meeting will bring one of the first real chance the public will have to meet with the city not only to hear more, but to help shape the fledgling initiative.

Back in January, Wavelength Fest's 2015 Toronto Music Moment panel at Huntclub with Mike Tanner, NXNE's Cheryl Maciver, Harbourfront's Sergio Elmir, author Dalton Higgins, moderator Jonathan Bunce (Wavelength), and, full disclosure, me, sought to answer: "How can the City of Toronto and its new Music Office better serve the independent music community (and vice versa)?" To the surprise of some (me), interest was so high that the event was standing room only.

You can listen to the panel here - what emerged for the most part were more questions. What are the expectations of the Toronto's music community for "Music City"? And, more abstractly - what is Toronto music?

The aim of this first meeting, taking place at Dundas West venue The Garrison rather than an intimidating florescent-lit room at City Hall itself, will be an open floor discussion loosely centered around these topics. Tanner and other city representatives will be on hand to field questions and participate, and programmers expect a sea of notable Toronto faces from all diverse facets of the community (if Joe isn't there, I'll be running through the 6 with my woes forever).

The Toronto Music City Town Hall Meeting is Saturday, April 25, at 2pm at The Garrison. Shaun Bowring, owner of The Garrison (and moderator of last year's NXNE Sucks panel), will moderate. Entrance is free.

The panel will be streamed and rebroadcast on local underground radio station TRP for those who cannot attend.

At this time we cannot confirm Drake's attendance of the music town hall meeting.

Photo: Matt Forsythe