In Canada: Latin Music petition calls for increased support. One Direction Songs Re-Enter the Charts

Latin music may be one of the fastest-growing genres in Canada — but Latin artists still face a number of barriers to success in the country.

A new national music exhibition delves into the rapidly changing community while highlighting its need for support in the music industry.

Commissioned by Non-English speakinga new organization dedicated to promoting Latin music in Canada, the report addresses a knowledge gap: As Latin music gains in popularity, there's a lack of data on how to help the developing species.

The exhibition — titled “Understanding the Obstacles and Opportunities of the Latino Music Community in Canada” — identifies structural and financial challenges in the Canadian music ecosystem and the need for increased support and representation of Latino artists and industry professionals.

There is a lack of award recognition for Latin music here, the report argues, especially at the Juno Awards, where Latin artists compete in the broad “world music album of the year” category. There is also a lack of Latin music executives in relation to the success of Latin artists.

“The Latino community has grown significantly over the last 10-15 years in Canada, but remains largely untapped.” Martin Anonco-founder/resident of Speaking Non-English, says Billboard Canada. “We hope more industry leaders and stakeholders will reach out to the Latino community and understand what a huge missed opportunity it is for Canada not to support and invest in the development of music from the diaspora.”

Añón — together with his co-founder and chairman of the board Mauricio Ruiz and vice president Andres Mendoza — worked with researchers at Toronto Metropolitan University's Creative School to conduct research for more than a year, with support from Ontario Creates and Mitacs.

“By creating more inclusion in our ecosystem, it will ensure greater prosperity at all levels,” he says Dr. Charlie Wall-Andrewsassistant professor in the Creative Industries department at Metropolitan University of Toronto.

Head to Billboard Canada for the biggest quotes from the report.

Several One Direction songs and albums re-enter Canadian charts after Liam Payne's death

Canadian fans mourn One Direction's Liam Payne. The record-breaking band re-entered the Canadian charts this week following Payne's death at age 31 on October 16.

“Night Changes,” which previously spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and peaked at No. 21, re-entered at No. 33. The song is from the band's fourth album, Fourwhich was also their last album as a five-piece before the departure of Zayn Malik.

Elsewhere, “Story of My Life,” from the group's 2013 album Midnight memoriesreturns to No. 39. The song originally peaked at No. 3 on the chart for 29 weeks.

Neither song is the group's biggest hit, but both are reflective and somehow mournful, considering loss and change as time passes. Fans turned to these songs as they mourn Payne, a child star many of them grew up with. YouTube comments for both songs reflect how fans are finding new meaning in them after Payne's death.

On the Canadian Albums chart, all five of the band's studio albums have re-entered: Four is at No. 28, Midnight memories is at No. 34, fifth album Made in AM is at No. 47, debut album All night long is at No. 63, and sophomore effort take me home is at No. 74.

All five of those albums have re-entered the Billboard 200, as well. One Direction's albums have also seen a resurgence in the UK charts and a rise in sales and streams.

Also on the Canadian Hot 100, Shaboozey held the top spot for one 22nd week recordwhile ROSÉ and Bruno Mars debuted at No. 2 with 'APT'.

Find the full breakdown of this week's Canadian charts here.

Oak View Group is hiring a senior booking manager for the Canadian Alliance as it expands its presence in Canada

Oak View Group (OVG) continues to expand its presence in Canada.

The sports and entertainment company named Alex Patton as senior director of reservations, Canadian Alliance; Patton offers booking experience at major Canadian festivals including Boots & Hearts, WayHome Music & Arts, NXNE and Toronto Jazz Fest, as well as a network of relationships across the country.

The announcement comes as OVG continues renovations to Hamilton's FirstOntario Center (formerly Copps Coliseum), taking over a $280 million project to convert it into the planned 18,000-seat Hamilton Arena, scheduled to open in late 2025.

OVG, one of the world's largest developers of sports and entertainment venues, launched its Canadian division in 2022. Patton will work with promoters, agents, managers and other stakeholders on programming, booking and content development at the company's Canadian Alliance venues : Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada Life Center in Winnipeg and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

“With her industry relationships and experience, Alex will lead the expansion of live event programming across Canada, as well as event bookings for our latest venue development property in Hamilton. We are delighted to welcome Alex to our team in this critical role,” said OVG Canada President Tom Pistor in a statement.

Having previously worked at Live Nation, Agency Group and IMG, Patton joined the TD Toronto Jazz festival in 2022 as director of operations, marketing and strategy. A release from OVG Canada highlights its ability to develop creative brand strategies and strategic partnerships.

“I will be working closely with our OVG Arena Alliance & OVG 360 venues to bring world-class shows to arenas across Canada,” Patton said on LinkedIn. “I will focus on developing content, creating strategic partnerships with promoters and developing new business opportunities that enhance the fan experience at OVG venues.”

This summer, OVG Canada as well acquired Canadian Music Week in partnership with Loft Entertainment, indicating the company's interest in expanding its footprint in the Canadian industry beyond single-venue events. Although the company has only been in Canada for a few years, it seems poised to become a major player in the Canadian landscape.