Is London living up to its UNESCO music designation? Some say the city's out of tune

Nearly four years after London was named a UNESCO City of Music, some of the city's music insiders say there needs to be a bigger push to attract and retain talent.

However, they say the effort needs to come from people outside of the local music scene, including the City of London, the provincial government and other local businesses.

"I think we are missing some political will," said Graham Henderson, the president of the London Chamber of Commerce on CBC's London Morning this week.

"Most of these cities of culture are treated like gems by the jurisdictions in which they reside, and cities around the world have leveraged this designation to get tons of funding to support it," said Henderson, who was the former president of Music Canada.

London was named Canada's first and only UNESCO music city in 2021, joining 74 other cities worldwide, including Salvador, Spain, and Daegu, Korea.

Embracing the City of Music designation will help London's economic development, community engagement, job creation, talent retention and urban growth, Henderson said, which in turn can help brand the city.

London has held the title of Canada's only UNESCO City of Music since 2021. But what does it take to live up to that designation? The London Chamber of Commerce is urging local leaders to take a long-term, strategic approach to grow music infrastructure. London Morning host Andrew Brown spoke with Graham Henderson, the president and CEO of the London Chamber of Commerce.

"It's about the support of an ecosystem," said Cory Crossman, the director of the London Music Office. "Music is the catalyst that we use to break open the door for all the creative industries."

In order for the music industry to thrive, Fanshawe College Music Industry Arts (MIA) program coordinator Dan Brodbeck said municipal, provincial and federal governments need to support it financially through grants and special projects.

"You need money to do stuff like this," said Brodbeck. "It takes people, government, etc., wanting to invest."

"Investing in the city is what you're doing," he said. "Art funds the city, it brings people to the city, it keeps people in the city."

When applying to be a City of Music, cities have to detail the educational opportunities, major events, relevant venues, special projects and key communities that already contribute to the local scene, according to the latest UNESCO Creative Cities Network application. They also need to outline goals they would like to complete at both a city and international level.

Some of London's goals include supporting student music talent, working with the film industry, participating in international exchanges and hosting major music conferences.

Despite those initiatives, Brodbeck said many artists who started out in London are leaving.

"The centre of the music industry itself is in Toronto. That's just reality," Brodbeck said. "That used to be the only route back in the old days, and I think that's why so many people come through the [MIA] program and instantly leave because…they'll say, 'I've got to go where it takes me.'"

Crossman said there is a difference between being a UNESCO City of Music and a popular music destination, using fellow music city Hannover, Germany, as an example.

"The epicentre of the German industry is in Berlin, but Hannover is using the designation as a commitment," he said. "It isn't the centre of the music industry, but they're playing an incredibly important role in developing that music identity and the music economy for Germany."

The same can be said for London in comparison to Toronto, Crossman said, with London's role as a post-secondary music education hub and a region where musicians are paid to be part of city-run festivals and campaigns.

Brodbeck said amplifying these and other artist-focused initiatives can keep talent in the city, especially in a time when remote work opportunities and at-home recording is more accessible.

Henderson said the city needs more spaces to perform and foster music, including a primary hub in the downtown core.

"A hub brings people together," Henderson said. "So it's a buzzy place where there would be recording studios, rehearsal spaces, performance places and so forth."

He said a mid-size city like London needs to have a venue "ladder" to entice different levels of artists to come through.

That's currently a challenge for Jones Entertainment Group (JEG) president Brad Jones when it comes to booking big-name international artists in the city, who only want to play to large crowds.

JEG is partnering with the London International Airport and the Western University Students' Council to host a new 25,000-person capacity festival at the airport in September, as one solution.

"It just gives us an opportunity to bring in larger entertainers for people here in Southwestern Ontario," he said.

Jones said the city also needs to upkeep the downtown area, as larger artists have the opportunity to bring concert goers from out of town.

"I think we can showcase ourselves, but we just need to put the time and effort into cleaning up," Jones said.