Small festivals in Quebec are sounding the alarm: they are concerned about the takeover of Metro Metro and Fuego Fuego by the CH Group's Evenko subsidiary. The giant's control over cultural events and a large part of the million-dollar subsidies are denounced.
• Also read: Olivier Primeau sells his two music festivals to Groupe CH
“The public money is there, it is just poorly distributed. The bigger your festival, the more you get,” laments Patrick Kearney, who represents La Grande Nuit de la voix de Saint-Venant-de-Paquette and the MURAL of Plateau-Mont-Royal.
The president of the group of independent regional arts festivals (REFRAIN) talks about the “Evenko ecosystem”: Just for Laughs, Jazz, Francos, Lasso, Osheaga, îLESONIQ, HEAVY MTL and L'Appel Montréal.
Each of these companies is a nonprofit organization that receives an estimated $7 million in grants in the case of Juste pour Laughs and $1 million in the case of Osheaga. [E]Venko receives a total of $35 million in public money every year, REFRAIN calculates in a document seen by Le Journal.
Screenshot of a confidential REFRAIN document
Now add the festivals purchased on Tuesday from Olivier Primeau. These two are not subsidized, which provokes the admiration of Patrick Kearney.
The resident of Sainte-Thérèse is himself at the head of the Santa Teresa Festival. He knows how the system works well.
The entry of the two NPOs into the “Evenko ecosystem” means that their financing method will be reviewed. Should we continue to subsidize large events that do not offer a free component?
Wouldn't it be in our interest to grant the $10,000 requested by a Gaspésie dance festival where artists are present all year round?
The reality, summarizes the president of REFRAIN, is that the size of the “subsidy pie” remains the same, while Evenko's share grows with each acquisition.
The almighty Live Nation
And every time a piece of the pie gets smaller, it is that of the regions, explains Dominique Malo from REFRAIN. The subsidies ultimately make culture in Quebec less accessible.
Because the $35 million granted to Geoff Molson's company also serves the interests of Live Nation, the global music giant. The listed multinational has been a 49% shareholder in the CH Group since 2019.
- Listen to the Dutrizac – Dumont meeting above QUB :
This steamroller wants to see its international artists perform in an Osheaga or Metro metro, where the promotion of Quebec culture is not systematic.
“It is frustrating for everyone who puts all their heart and energy into surviving,” says the director of REFRAIN.
Sound the alarm
“Back in 2018, the UK sounded the alarm when Live Nation reached 25% of the market,” recalls Julie Bélanger, who has more than 20 years’ experience in event and culture management.
Quebec is not immune to the global concentration of music festival ownership, notes this former head of subsidies at Just for Laughs.
A quarter of the 31 members of the Grouping of Major International Events (RÉMI) belonged to the CH group in 2021. On the island of Montreal it was one in three members.
The REFRAIN sounds the alarm because Metro Metro and Fuego Fuego, “the last two big independents,” are preparing to eat the already limited pie of the Tourisme Montréal and Metropolis Signature Fund programs.
Quebec needs a counterweight to the entertainment giant to preserve the richness of its culture, says Patrick Kearney.
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