CIMA and MusicOntario Launch LIVE Music Toronto to Bolster Citys Independent Live Scene

Toronto’s independent venues, festivals and promoters have a new champion: LIVE Music Toronto, the latest brainchild of the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) and MusicOntario. The collective was announced on 10 June 2026 during the annual CIMA and MusicOntario summer day party at NXNE, a gathering that has long been a hub for local music business leaders.

LIVE Music Toronto will operate as a membership tier within CIMA, offering a formal organization for the city’s independent operators. Its mission is advocacy, resource sharing, networking and coordinated policy action aimed at securing the long‑term survival of local performance spaces. The initiative is meant to complement the national advocacy work of the Canadian Live Music Association while creating a Toronto‑specific structure that speaks directly to the city’s operators.

Ticketing platform Tixr joined the effort as a founding sponsor, pledging financial support to help the collective launch outreach and member onboarding. The model follows successful community‑based live‑music organisations elsewhere, such as Les SMAQ in Quebec, the Music Venue Trust in the United Kingdom and the National Independent Venue Association in the United States.

"CIMA members know that a thriving local live scene sets up the entire music ecosystem for success," said Andrew Cash, president and CEO of CIMA. "The membership tier creates a bridge between independent live operators and CIMA’s wider community of labels, managers, publishers, artists and other music companies."

The launch comes on the heels of years of organising by Toronto venue owners and promoters, especially during the COVID‑19 pandemic when independent spaces pressed for government support. Shaun Bowring, owner of The Garrison and The Baby G and promoter of Transmit Presents, highlighted the City of Toronto’s property‑tax exemption for music venues as an example of what collective action has already achieved.

MusicOntario Executive Director Emy Stantcheva stressed the sector’s importance: "The live music industry animates our city day and night, creates countless jobs, drives tourism and hospitality, and is a core feature of any world‑class metropolis."

Camille Neirynck‑Guerrero, programmer of Queen West venue DROM Taberna and its non‑profit presenting arm in•summer, noted that the new collective has already helped operators connect with peers and access resources.

Economic data underscore the sector’s value. The City of Toronto’s 2020 Re:Venues study estimates that local venues generate an estimated $850 million in annual economic impact and support the equivalent of 10,500 full‑time jobs. The Canadian Live Music Association’s Hear and Now report found that Canada’s broader live‑music industry contributed more than $10 billion to the national economy in 2023.

Membership in LIVE Music Toronto is open to Canadian‑owned and Canadian‑controlled independent grassroots venues, promoters, presenters and festivals operating in Toronto. Eligible members must operate outside the major institutional ecosystem and cannot be owned or operated by municipal, provincial or federal governments.

The initiative is supported by the City of Toronto’s Music Office and was developed through consultation with local operators and promoters. CIMA, MusicOntario and Toronto writer Jonathan Bunce, founder of non‑profit Wavelength Music and co‑author of Reimagining Music Venues, helped lead the groundwork.

More than 40 venues, presenters and promoters have already joined as founding members, with additional participants expected throughout the year.

The launch of LIVE Music Toronto marks a significant step toward consolidating advocacy and support for the city’s independent live‑music community. By providing a dedicated platform for networking, resource sharing and policy coordination, the collective aims to strengthen the long‑term viability of Toronto’s grassroots performance spaces.