Cafe Dekcuf closure sparks worry over Ottawa's live music scene
Isabel Harder | CBC News | Posted: January 5, 2025 9:00 AM | Last Updated: January 5
'Razor thin margins,' shifting consumer behaviour posing challenges for venues
The closure of a downtown Ottawa music venue is prompting concern from those involved in the city's live music scene.
In late December, Cafe Dekcuf closed after more than two decades in the ByWard Market.
"It is with a heavy heart that we have made the decision to permanently close," the venue posted to social media.
Christina Kevins, who performs as DJ Chimaira, hosted a monthly goth party at the club called Release the Bats! She said those who frequented the venue feel a sense of loss.
"A big part of [Cafe Dekcuf] was just keeping a place for the community to come, and [for] these smaller shows to exist."
Cafe Dekcuf didn't tell CBC why it shut down. Kevins told CBC's Ottawa Morning she'd heard the venue was facing financial difficulties and tensions with the building's owners, but didn't know when — or if — it would close.
"I'm really sad to see them close the place," she said. "They really loved it."
Concern for industry
Cafe Dekcuf isn't the first eastern Ontario music venue to struggle in recent months.
In September, Kingston music club BLU Martini closed after a decade in business. Other local nightlife options have faced challenges too, with longtime ByWard Market restaurant Blue Cactus closing Jan. 2.
"If you don't go out and see music, it's going to die," said James Hyatt, whose Montreal emo-punk band Settle for Sleep had a show booked at the Cafe Dekcuf for mid-January.
The band relocated their planned show to Avant-Garde Bar, but Hyatt said Dekcuf's closure is a worrisome sign of the times.
"In a world where Ottawa is unfortunately known in the music scene to be kind of dead, [the closure] is just another blow to it," Hyatt said.
"And I think it in a lot of ways speaks to how the nightlife is in the city."
Consumer patterns changing
The difficulties facing live music venues are partly due to a shift in consumer patterns, according to Erin Benjamin, president and CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association.
Smaller venues have felt the burden of "razor-thin margins," the weight of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and challenging economic times, Benjamin told CBC Radio's All In A Day last week.
And while concert tourism is at a high, she said younger generations may have missed out on developing the habit of attending local live music due to COVID-19.
Not all bad news
Benjamin pointed to local venues such as Red Bird, The Rainbow Bistro and the Bronson Centre as businesses that are thriving despite these challenges.
A proposed Live Nation venue on the corner of Rideau and Sussex is also expected to open in the coming years, she added.
Live music, she said, makes cities feel safer by populating downtown spaces. And engaging with it will encourage other economic activities in the area — from new restaurants to more music venues.
"Live music pays such dividends in a variety of ways, which is why I think this city is really coming into its own."
Nightlife commissioner could be crucial
In 2024, the city hired a nightlife commissioner and nightlife council to revitalize its reputation.
One of the recommendations for the council is to "identify opportunities to support the establishment of new mid-size venues for events and live music."
Benjamin sees the council as offering a great opportunity.
"We need to make sure the right people are at the table to feed into the conversations that develop the policy," Benjamin said.
"Out the other end comes an incredibly vibrant revitalized downtown ... and a whole city that understands why culture matters."