SPÉCIMENS CANADIENS returns for 2023. Founded through the collaboration of many partners, including the FME, Fondation Musicaction, and FACTOR, in collaboration with the Festival d’été de Québec, Printemps de Bourges, and SODEC, this inclusive initiative invites European music industry professionals to discover Canadian music trends, both live on stage and behind the scenes.
Printemps de Bourges takes place April 18-23 and attracts 50,000 spectators, 600 delegates, and more than 500 French and foreign journalists annually. The Spécimens Canadiens showcases, with the collaboration of SACEM and SCPP, will take place April 19-21. In this year’s format, each of the three partners will present one Canadian artist in the showcase per evening, two francophone and one anglophone.
In addition, Spécimens Canadiens are looking for an English-speaking Canadian DJ as part of the afterparty at La Prairie, the destination for hundreds of professionals. DJs are invited to submit their application by ticking the appropriate box in the form.
Deadline for applications: 5:00pm ET on February 22
Eligibility criteria:
- Artists must be Canadian;
- Artists must have released an album or EP within 24 months prior to the showcases or have a release scheduled within three months following;
- Artists must have a contract in place to commercialize their music in France or demonstrate potential to be commercialized in that target market;
- Artists must be affiliated with at least one professional European organization or have a Canadian team prepared to support their development abroad;
- Artists must be accompanied by a professional representative for the duration of the event;
- Artists and their teams must respect all Canadian public health directives, as well as those of all countries involved with the showcases.
Interested artists can submit their application by completing the following form here.
Any and all questions may be directed to specimenscanadiensPDB@gmail.com.
An independent jury bringing together Canadian and European professionals will be in charge of selecting the artists for the showcases.
Chosen artists may also benefit from financial support from FACTOR, Musicaction, or other provincial programs, if eligible.
SPÉCIMENS CANADIENS seeks to draw applications from the broadest diversity of Canadian cultural expression and encourages submissions from artists who identify as coming from equity-seeking groups.
Collaborators on this collective initiative include the Festival de Musique Émergente (FME), the Festival d’été de Québec, Fondation Musicaction, FACTOR, SODEC, and the Printemps de Bourges (PDB).