Music PEI – Investment Programs (Recording, Marketing & Tour Support)

Music PEI's Investment Program is the Island's core funding for making and moving a record. The Artist Development side has three components — Commercial Recording, Marketing Support and Tour Support — and you may only apply to one of them per deadline, with one open project at a time.

Everything is tiered by Artist Level I, II or III, which you establish or upgrade with the Programs Manager at least fourteen days before a deadline. Recording covers 80% of your eligible budget, capped per deadline at CAD 2,000 for Artist I, 3,500 for Artist II and 8,000 for Artist III, with annual ceilings of 4,000, 7,000 and 8,000. You find the remaining 20%, and Music PEI plus any other public funding cannot exceed your total budget. Record labels cannot apply; a signed artist can, but must incur the costs directly. Managers, producers and publishers may fill in the form, though the artist is always the named applicant.

For Recording you submit a demo track with lyrics, an artist bio and recording plan, a budget, and — at Levels II and III — a release and marketing plan. Money has to go to third parties, ideally on PEI, with only CAD 250 claimable as your own donated services; if you do not plan to pay anyone outside yourself, you are not eligible. Per diems, manufacturing, merchandise, equipment purchases and marketing costs are all excluded from this component.

Deadlines are 30 June and 30 January at 11:59 p.m., and results take four to six weeks. The scoring rubric is published: 45% artistic merit judged on the demo, 35% (30% at Levels II and III) on the recording plan and artist history, 20% for the release plan where it applies, 15% presentation for Artist I, and 5% for jurors' gut feeling. Three quarters of the award is advanced on signing; the balance follows an accepted final report with receipts and a delivered track.