During March, people can catch live music at dozens of downtown Halifax businesses. March is for Music, hosted by the Downtown Halifax Business Commission, is back for a second year. Downtown Halifax Business Commission’s Jayme Lynn Butt says they started Music is for March after the Junos and the ECMAs came to Halifax. “We saw how interested the businesses in downtown Halifax were in those events, so we wanted to bring live music downtown and help bring business into those locations.” Butt said this year there will be 49 live performances at 24 downtown locations over 18 days. “It so important, especially now. The board has given us the OK to start investing more into the arts in downtown because of the cuts,” said Butt. “Music is what heals people and what people want to come down for most of the time.” A lot of the businesses that signed up for the event are restaurants, but Butt says other businesses have also joined in this year. “We got some out-of-the-box locations. A lot of the art galleries are doing special music concerts this year,” she said. Butt said downtown businesses tell her the event helps to offset some of the costs during the quieter season. “It’s not such a busy time downtown right now so this is extra for them and they love it,” said Butt. The full Music Crawl Map and listings for March is for Music is available online. With files from CTV Atlantic’s Paul Dewitt For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page