As Canadian Music Week begins its 42nd anniversary, the festival and conference are undergoing a major change.
The major music event, which brings artists and industry to Toronto each year for a week of performances and panels, is changing hands. Founder and president of the festival Neil Dixon announced his retirement today (June 3) at the welcome address for the CMW conference, with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow in attendance.
The festival has been acquired by Toronto-based Loft Entertainment and US hospitality and sports company Oak View Group, who plan to expand its offerings while maintaining Dixon's vision.
Recently named one of Billboard Canada's Power PlayersDixon was on hand at the inaugural Power Players event on June 2, presenting Gary Slaight with the Power Players Impact Award as his final public appearance before announcing his retirement.
Under his leadership, CMW has grown into a major hub for industry events, hosting the Live Music Industry Awards, The Indies Awards, Jim Beam National Talent Search, Radiodays North America and more.
“It's been an incredible journey to see Canadian Music Week grow from a small gathering of music lovers to one of the most important music festivals and conventions in the world,” says Dixon.
Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group (OVG) will maintain the event's headquarters in Toronto as they look ahead to its future. Loft is a new venture from industry titan Randy Lennoxformer CEO of Universal Music Canada and president of Bell Media, released in 2023;
The creative services company's partnership with OVG on the acquisition bolsters the latter's expansion into Canada. OVG already has partnerships with Canadian sports organizations Canada Basketball and Great Canadian Gaming, and currently leads a major renovation of Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre. (It was also recently embroiled in the US Department of Justice's antitrust complaint against Live Nation).
With an American partner, it seems likely that Canadian Music Week will look to increase its international footprint while remaining a home for Canadian music activity. Details on the 2025 edition, the first under new ownership, are coming soon.
CMW is active now, until June 8th. Find festival and conference programming at event website.
This article was originally published by Billboard Canada.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/canadian-music-week-acquired-loft-entertainment-oak-view-group/
