Downtown Toronto will soon be the home of Canada’s Music Hall of Fame, which is set to be located in a tourist heavy area, just north of the Eaton Centre shopping mall.
After inducting 57 artists and music-industry leaders since 1978, the hall of fame, dedicated to Canadian musicians including rock singer Neil Young and band leader Guy Lombardo is scheduled to be opened in 2007, and will share it’s location with a Virgin record store.
The Toronto location beat out bids from Hamilton, Ontario, and Winnipeg, Manitoba, because it's in a high-volume tourist area, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences said in a statement.
“Our mandate is to promote Canadian artists internationally too, so the fact (the Eaton Centre) is the top tourist destination in Canada, drawing over 17 million tourists annually, was also key,'' said Melanie Berry, president of the academy.
Details regarding funding for he project and its cost have yet to be disclosed.
The CARAS has utilized a makeshift hall of fame for almost three decades by posting photographs on the wall at the academy's Toronto offices and on their website. Other members of the academy include the rock groups Rush and the Guess Who, pop singer Joni Mitchell and folk singer Gordon Lightfoot.
CARAS is also responsible for supervising the annual Canadian music awards, called the Junos.
The idea behind this project isn’t to create a mausoleum like shrine to Canadian artists, filled with guitars in glass cases and sheet music in archives. Rather, plans for the hall of fame are for it to be a highly interactive tourist attraction, similar to the Experience Music Project in Seattle, with a performance area and "youth-friendly," hands-on activities.
Our Thoughts
There are many Canadian artists who have made instrumental contributions to the music industry, we’re glad to see their talents are going recognized.
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