Indian star Diljit Dosanjh is making history in Canada
Diljit Dosanjh makes more history with his latest tour announcement.
The artist has revealed where his Dil-Luminati tour will be this summer. tour-dates&data=05%7C02%7Cceggertsen%40billboard.com%7C47fdbb8a2055454b79b108dc39615343%7Ce950f25546e44144a778a6ff4f557492%7C0%7C0%7C638448337398899759%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Bo5wM0aJJTodWvZXUsS8%2Bk7g%2FuYb3EhY74CEIBspAgM%3D&reserved=0″ rel=”nofollow” target=”_blank”>adding 12 new dates after his notice field show in Vancouver. The tour promises to be monumental: Starting in Vancouver and ending in Toronto, it marks the first time a Punjabi artist has headlined Vancouver's BC Place and Toronto's Rogers Centre. The BC Place show is set to be the biggest Punjabi music concert outside India, at a sold out capacity of 54,000.
This record-breaking Vancouver show kicks off the tour on April 27, and from there Dosanjh plays three more Canadian cities — Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary — before heading south of the border to the United States for eight shows. Dosanjh then wraps up the tour back in Canada at the Rogers Center on July 13.
The tour looks set to be yet another milestone in the influential artist and actor's career and marks another push for rise of Punjabi music in Canada. In 2023, Dosanjh became the first Indian-born artist to play Coachella, opening doors for artists such as Punjabi-Canadian musician AP Dhillon, who will be performing at the festival this summer.
Dosanjh previously became the first Indian musician to sell out Vancouver's Rogers Arena and Toronto's Scotiabank Arena, and this time he is taking to stages in the same cities.
Presale for the Dil-Luminati tour starts on February 29th. tickets for the Vancouver date are on sale now. – Rosie Long Decter
Major Canadian broadcasters are calling for government support of local radio
Much is at stake for Canadian broadcasters and musicians in the upcoming federal budget.
Canadian media company Stingray, which operates more than 100 radio stations, has joined forces with independent broadcasters to call for strong support from the federal government for the local radio sector. Stingray and the team of broadcasters have made their message clear a letter to the finance minister Chrystia Freeland and Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Ongecalling for measures to help local radio amid declining advertising revenue.
radio industry of Canada, which contributes $373 million in Canadian contenthas suffered as advertisers shift to tech giants like Meta, while consumers increasingly use streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. According to the Canadian Association of Broadcastersin 2023, more than 200 Canadian radio stations were at risk of closing, with 40% of stations operating at a loss.
Bell Media recently announced it was selling 45 of its 103 radio stations amid company-wide cutbacks and nearly 4,800 layoffs. (Billboard Canada recently spoke to three radio experts about how the industry is going through turbulent times).
Stingray's letter suggests that at least 70% of the Government of Canada's advertising spending should be dedicated to local media, across print, digital, radio and television. It also requires a tax credit of at least 20% for advertising in Canadian media.
“Local radio is an integral part of our national identity,” said Stingray CEO Eric Boyko. “Stingray and our respected independent partners are calling on the government to implement these measures, which are critical to the viability of the industry.”
Independent industry partners supporting the letter include companies such as the Atlantic Acadia Broadcasting radio network, which has 16 stations. London, Blackburn Media of Ontario, which has 13 stations. and Western Canadian company Pattison Media, which has 48 stations. – Rosie Long Decter
Canadian Hip-Hop DJ/Promoter Sean Lalla is remembered by Questlove, A-Trak and more
Sean Lalla, a Canadian hip-hop DJ and promoter, has died at the age of 49. His body was found in an Airbnb in Trinidad and Tobago on February 20.
Originally from Trinidad, Lalla grew up in Toronto and then moved to Vancouver in 1996 to study at Cap College. He later told the Vancouver alt-weekly georgia straight, “I hated the slow pace of Vancouver and the lack of things and places to go if you were into hip hop. Instead of complaining about it, I tried to do something about it.”
Lalla founded Spectrum Entertainment and started booking shows. in 2005, Georgia Strait He wrote that was “one of the city's leading concert promoters, and its annual 604 Hip-Hop Expo is one of Canada's most dynamic festivals.”
For his 2005 festival, Lalla booked American star Questlove, of The Roots fame. Upon learning of Lalla's death, Questlove paid tribute on Instagram: “So devastated to hear the news of Sean Lalla's death. Throwing the crappiest parties. Back when touring was my DNA, you always knew you'd be doing his parties 4-6 times a year.”
Under his DJ moniker, Elsewhere Sonido, Lalla traveled to Mexico City, Brazil and Japan to DJ large and sometimes intimate parties. On his Instagram page, Lalla described himself as “a search sample siempre, a rare groove savior and occasional DJ cosplayer”.
On Instagram, famous BBC radio DJ Gilles Peterson, who hosted Lalla earlier this month, called him an “absolute legend” and “humble music fan. We were last together just the other week … digging (for records) early one Saturday morning before my radio show.'
Montreal promoter/producer A-Trak (also one half of Chromeo) recalls Lalla booking him his first show outside of Quebec when he was 15 years old.
“Sean paid attention to the little things, to local talent, and elevated them,” he says Billboard Canada. “We have reconnected many times over the last 5-10 years. I was happy that he was working with Maseo from De La Soul. they were a wonderful couple. I was proud to see the respect it was getting from world-renowned box diggers. His love for music was as deep as his friendships.” – Kerry Dull
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/diljit-dosanjh-canada-tour-history-canadian-music-news/