Jury Process
There are two levels of juries involved when assessing applications. The first is a Genre Specific Jury and the second is a Super Jury.
A Genre Specific Jury is comprised of three to five industry professionals, all representing the same genre. Applications reviewed at the Genre Jury level are; Demo's (Option A only), Marketing and Promotion for Non- FACTOR Supported Sound Recordings and the Juried Sound Recording programs (FACTOR Loan and Independent Recording Loan).
Applications are processed at FACTOR and are distributed to FACTOR's Regional Affiliates coast to coast to coast. Each Regional Affiliate is then responsible for selecting qualified jurors and facilitating the Genre Jury process. Jurors review the applicant’s music, marketing plan and expected goals/results of the project. If recommended, the application will go through the same process a second time with a new set of jurors. In the case of Demo’s and Marketing and Promotion for Non-FACTOR funded Sound Recordings, if recommended both times, the project will receive an offer of funding. In the case of Juried Sound Recording Loan applications, if recommended both times, the application proceeds to the Super Jury (details below).
The Super Jury is a panel that consists of between ten and twelve music industry professionals, each highly experienced and representing a different genre. Applicants proceed to a Super Jury once they have successfully made it through two Genre Specific Juries. Only Juried Sound Recording Loans proceed to a Super Jury.
Based on information provided by the each Regional Affiliate, FACTOR will select the Super Jury panel ensuring there is representation from all facets of the industry. Jurors will have an open discussion about the applicant’s music, review the marketing plan and make the final decision as to whether or not the project is approved for funding.
The Super Jury exists to ensure funds are available for each sound recording deadline in FACTOR’s fiscal year. Because Genre Juries are conducted simultaneously across Canada, FACTOR has no concept of how many projects are recommended in each province until they are returned. Therefore, FACTOR has no option but to take recommended projects to a Super Jury due to budgetary constraints. Otherwise, the Board would prorate all recommended files from the Genre Jury making FACTOR’s contribution insignificant.
**Please note that for Genre Specific Juries, the jurors are not aware of whether they are the first jury group, or the second. This is to eliminate the possibility of one jury being influenced by the decision of the other jury**