{"id":24881,"date":"2020-07-25T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-25T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/?post_type=interviews&p=24881"},"modified":"2020-07-27T12:22:30","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T16:22:30","slug":"jordan-officer-pt-2-three-albums-one-petition-two-interviews","status":"publish","type":"interviews","link":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/en\/interviews-panm360\/jordan-officer-pt-2-three-albums-one-petition-two-interviews\/","title":{"rendered":"Jordan Officer (pt. 2): Three albums, one petition… two interviews"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Photo: Genevi\u00e8ve Bellemare<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Jordan Officer, the COVID-19 pandemic was an opportunity to realize the extent of the damage caused by the dramatic decline in revenue from physical and digital recordings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales no longer mean much, streaming has become the norm for good, but it still needs to be made economically viable and sustainable for the musicians, creators, and performers who fill the platforms every day. For the moment, streaming revenues are negligible for artists, with only a small minority of them benefiting from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Has my status as a musician declined with streaming? Yes, that’s for sure. Back when you were releasing an album and you could sell thousands of albums, you could plan your life based on one income from performing and one from recording. That doesn’t exist anymore. My fellow musicians and I are all used to that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Gradually, we saw the recording as a tool to make ourselves known. But since the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve realized that it doesn’t make sense to accept the disappearance of income from recording. Right now, we can record albums while waiting for shows to resume… and that could certainly be more profitable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make Streaming Sustainable is the headline of a petition launched by Officer,<\/a> which collected more than 6,000 signatures before being presented to the House of Commons in Ottawa. Already, Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, has shown his sensitivity to the demands of the signatory musicians, who have been mobilized by several Facebook posts by Officer on the issue of streaming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=EqdtgbKtMWc\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to explain this situation to the Canadian Heritage department?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I had a first connection with Steven Guilbeault when he was president of \u00c9quiterre, because our daughters were enrolled in the same class in elementary school. In addition, my sister-in-law is a lawyer and knows him well. We had virtual meetings with him and his team, we also participated together in a panel discussion on P\u00e9n\u00e9lope McQuade\u2019s show. I found it really interesting that the Minister of Canadian Heritage was listening. I was then able to discuss this with a lot of people, and I am still in conversation with some very committed musicians on this issue. I am thinking in particular of David Bussi\u00e8res, Ariane Moffatt and Laurence Lafond-Beaulne (Milk & Bones).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any short-term results?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt gave visibility to the issue, but not much happened,\u201d says Officer. \u201cSince the pandemic, we’ve been in crisis-management mode a lot to help musicians. As far as streaming is concerned, it’s a longer-term project, we\u2019ll have to change laws, but we shouldn’t wait until later to start doing it. This subject must remain in the news.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awareness of this issue is recent for many artists, although others have been reporting on it for years. So why is a Jordan Officer lighting up in 2020 rather than 2010?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor everyone,\u201d he answers, \u201cthe challenges of digital technology are difficult to grasp, it’s still a new reality that remains abstract. For my part, I took the time to understand the streaming issue in order to offer a credible, honest and thoughtful voice. As I researched the issue, I realized that if I brought my voice to the debate, it could help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, Jordan Officer has launched a 6,000-name petition that is gathering new members every day, to become one of the leading musicians in this vast issue:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve tabled the petition in the House of Commons, we’re waiting for the official response… In the meantime, we’ve seen other emergencies, that of accompanying musicians and technicians, not all of whom are eligible for assistance programs. I, for one, am fortunate enough to be able to apply for grants and propose projects. Generally speaking, it\u2019s difficult, whether at the provincial or federal level. Elected officials are doing their best, I think, but…so much is happening at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n