Celebrating it’s 10th year in 2017, Victoria’s Rifflandia Festival has made its mark as one of the best destination festivals in Canada. And this year, Music BC teamed up Do604, Do250, Creative BC and FACTOR to present 3 nights of Rifflandia showcases at The Anian. 12 BC artists/groups played the Music BC stage over the Rifflandia weekend (September 14 – 17) and it was an eclectic mix of musicians attending this year, including: Lazy Ghost, Art d’Ecco, Chersea, Louise Burns, and Zoology. Check out this video to see footage of all Music BC showcasing artists.

Just having the opportunity to play at the Rifflandia Festival is a lot of fun in itself for BC musicians, but the industry networking opportunities are also a bonus for those attending. As its profile has grown each with each passing year, Rifflandia has attracted more and more domestic and international music industry professionals, giving the artists a chance to rub elbows with some key players. The international delegates in attendance this year included: Sian Evans | Sound Diplomacy (UK), Jesse Sachs | Versus Creative (NYC), Elliott Lefko | AEG Worldwide, Andreas Moeller | Konzertbuero Schoneberg GmbH (Germany), and more.

Some of the music industry delegates that attended the festival were on the Free Artist Panels that were a part of Rifflandia 2017. The panels took place over the festival weekend and were presented in partnership with Music BC, Creative BC, Factor, Secret Study and the Music Managers Forum. The panels provided some amazing opportunities for artists and musicians to discuss critical topics in the music industry today.

Vancouver’s neo glam rocker Art d’Ecco travelled to Victoria to play the Music BC stage and was pretty excited about making his first appearance at Rifflandia.

“It was my first time and it great experience all around,” said Art d’Ecco. “It’s a very organized and well run festival. Showcasing at Rifflandia was a great way to play for a whole new audience that would (or could) otherwise take several trips over to Victoria to reach. Not to mention all the publicity and exposure that comes with the festival. It was a great opportunity.”

Rifflandia has always made an effort to be inclusive and diverse with it’s line-up, and it’s fair to say that the 2017 Rifflandia line-up featured the most diverse group of performers yet. In particular, Rifflandia has done a lot of work on closing the gender gap that often exists at music festivals. Their 2017 line-up proudly featured over 50 female based or female fronted artists. And this year, Rifflandia also featured the highest percentage of British Columbia bands in its history, with over 75% of the artists calling BC their home.

Vancouver singer-songwriter Louise Burns played the Music BC stage and 2017 marked her 3rd time playing Rifflandia.  

“The first few times I’d played the festival was back in the beginning, so it was so incredible to see the growth and activity going on,” said Louise. “We had an amazing crowd at Anian, a perfect example of what the Victoria music community has to offer. Playing Rifflandia was great for me as I’m about to go back to Victoria on October 20th for a headlining show at Lucky Bar. Great exposure which will hopefully translate into a more well attended show at Lucky!”

Also returning to Rifflandia for the third time was Vancouver-based soul-pop looper extraordinaire, Chersea. And though it may have been her third time playing the festival, it was her first time playing the Music BC stage and she enjoyed the networking opportunities that this provided.

“There was a section for VIP international delegates in The Anian yard – alongside Music BC representatives – where these industry professionals could catch the showcases from a birds-eye view,” said Chersea. “I snuck into said section many times, getting to network and meet some amazing industry professionals from around the world, all the while catching some friends put on amazing performances. This alone was a very fortunate experience where I handed out some business cards and laughed and debated about music and the business I love so much, with people I can learn from. I’m lucky because I’m good at talking (a lot) so I made the most out of the situation at hand.”

Photo Credit: Christopher Edmonstone Photography

Music BC will be taking part in the Rifflandia Festival again in 2018 and if you’d like to be a part of the Music BC showcase,  sign up for the Music BC newsletter to find out about all upcoming domestic and international showcasing opportunities for BC artists. Music BC would like to thank the Government of Canada, FACTOR and Creative BC for their continued support for BC artists and professionals.