It’s been a tough slog for musicians in the digital age. The marketplace is overcrowded and the value of recorded music has eroded. As a result, placing songs in movies and TV shows has become an increasingly important way to put money in artists’ pockets while exposing their work to wider audiences.

And that’s why the profile of the Canadian Music Café, running its fifth annual installment in conjunction with TIFF, continues to rise.

This year’s Café puts the spotlight on 15 musical acts, nearly all from the Canadian indie scene. The likes of modern popsters Spiral Beach, moody rockers Jets Overhead and hip-hop artist Saukrates will each play a 25-minute set, with country singer Terri Clark the only major-label artist on the bill. The hope is that music supervisors in town for TIFF will come out and be wowed, and subsequently place the artists’ tunes in films and TV series.

When it came to whittling down the 225 artists who applied to just 15 participants, diversity was a key consideration.

‘We want to show a few different genres of music from Canada, so we’re not going to have all singer-songwriters on the bill,’ explains Michael Perlmutter, back for his second year as Café coordinator. ‘We want something that’s fresh. We want music that these supervisors haven’t heard before.’

Perlmutter knows just what supervisors are looking for, since he is one himself, with credits ranging Degrassi: The Next Generation to the feature Saint Ralph.

The principle target is Hollywood decision-makers, and this year organizers have confirmed a dozen, the most ever. Among those scheduled to attend are music supervisors Rudy Chung (CSI), Jim Dunbar (The Hangover), Liz Gallacher (Bend It Like Beckham), ABC Studios’ Tony Von Pervieux and Alicen Schneider of NBC Universal Television.

‘It’s a rare opportunity for the film and TV community and music supervisors to get together, network and listen to music, and also for the musicians and managers and other Canadian music people to meet a bunch of American supervisors, producers and directors,’ says Perlmutter.

There is no shortage of evidence illustrating the effectiveness of the Café, which is an initiative of Canadian music industry groups in partnership with TIFF. Of last year’s participants, band Thunderheist landed songs on The L Word and Ugly Betty, Two Hours Traffic’s ‘Jezebel’ played on Castle, while Royal Wood heard their tune ‘Mirror Without’ on Grey’s Anatomy.

Performers play Toronto’s Hard Rock Café in the afternoons Tuesday through Thursday — open to anyone holding a TIFF industry pass.