Corp Comm Connects


Toronto seeks local musicians to serenade residents on hold
The city is looking for tracks by Toronto artists for its 311 customer service phone line.

thestar.com
July 21, 2015

Are you a thrash, metal or hardcore fan? You may be out of luck next time you call the city about trash collection or snow removal.

The City of Toronto is soliciting song tracks from local artists to be used on its 311 customer service line. Called Music 311, the program is an attempt to showcase local talent and move past the mundane instrumental music callers are used to hearing on hold.

To appeal to a broad-based audience, however, the city’s discouraging thrash, hardcore and metal submissions.

“It’s not a this-is-better-than-that-genre kind of thing,” says Mike Tanner, music sector development officer at the City of Toronto. “It’s what is appropriate for the situation.”

The city’s preferred genres? The list is extensive, but includes country, folk, blues, R&B, hip-hop, acoustic and soul.

The artists selected will receive a $50 honorarium for each track used, and will get a bio and photo on the city’s music webpage. The artist and song names won’t be read out to listeners, so those interested would have to look them up afterward on the city’s website.

For now, four acts are being featured during the project’s first run. All have been recently involved with the city’s Music Advisory Council.

Last summer, the North York Community Council named a small alley near Oakwood and Eglinton Aves. “Reggae Lane” in recognition of the neighbourhood’s Jamaican roots. Douglas, a Jamaican immigrant, was asked by local Councillor Josh Colle to write a song for the occasion.

Colle, Douglas says, was concerned that the culture of the area might be affected by the opening of the Eglinton Crosstown. Reggae Lane - both the song and laneway - is an effort to help preserve that culture.

“So many great international reggae artists and other artists came through that neighbourhood,” Douglas says.

This summer, a historical plaque and mural in the laneway will be officially revealed.