At a live music concert, what you see on stage is just the tip of the iceberg. From booking the talent, to managing the tour, to overseeing the sound and the venue, there are numerous opportunities in this sector that help bring to life the magic of the live music experience.

The live music industry is an ecosystem of different roles that all come together to make concerts possible. Erin Benjamin gives a bird’s eye view to how the live music sector operates; there are a multitude of career opportunities that exist in this industry, most of which you don’t see on stage with your favourite artists.

President & CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association since its creation in 2014, Erin Benjamin has worked in the music industry for over 25 years - first as a touring and recording artist and then as executive director of both Folk Music Ontario (2001) and the Canadian Arts Presenting Association (2008). Erin sits as a board member for the Ottawa Film Office, the Ottawa Board of Trade, the RBC Ottawa Bluesfest, and the Unison Benevolent Fund. In 2017, she enjoyed roles as both the vice-chair of the Ottawa JUNO Host Committee and co-chair of Canadian Music Week. Erin has been honoured with the United Way’s Community Ambassador of the Year Award for her work in producing the impactful “After the Storm” benefit concert, raising tens of thousands of dollars for victims of Ottawa’s devastating 2018 tornadoes. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Erin has produced a livestream concert out of her home every week, helping to raise over $115,000 (and counting) for local charities.