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Billboard Canada Branding Power Players 2025

By Richard Trapunski, Peony Hirwani, Heather Taylor-Singh

Behind every great artist and unforgettable concert is a network of partners working quietly and powerfully in the background. In Canada, some of the country’s most influential brands are doing more than supporting the music industry. From funding artist development and music education programs to backing major award shows and festivals, these brands have become essential players in pushing the culture forward.

Their involvement goes far beyond traditional sponsorship. Whether it’s building platforms for emerging talent, producing exclusive fan experiences, or investing in live music infrastructure, each brand on this list has contributed to elevating Canadian music at every level.


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This year’s Brand Power List recognizes those companies that aren’t just aligned with music but are actively moving it. They understand that music is more than entertainment – it’s identity, community, and storytelling. And by showing up in meaningful ways, these partners are not only strengthening the industry’s ecosystem but also helping to define what the future of Canadian music can look like.

See the full list below.

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The Weeknd at the "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" U.S. premiere held at Lincoln Center Fountain Plaza on May 18, 2025, in New York.
Kristina Bumphrey/Variety

The Weeknd at the "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" U.S. premiere held at Lincoln Center Fountain Plaza on May 18, 2025, in New York.

Rb Hip Hop

After Threatening to ‘Retire’ The Weekend Persona, Abel Tesfaye Hits Reverse and Says He’s ‘Not Stepping Away From Anything’

It's more like "hibernating" the "Starboy" singer says of setting aside the story he's been telling for the past six years.

The Weeknd freaked out some of his longtime fans last year when he told Variety magazine that after 16 years inhabiting his stage persona, the man born Abel Tesfaye was ready to move on to his next era and retire the character.

Well, after explaining at the time that “it never ends until you end it,” now he’s doubling-down on not ending it. Tesfaye, 36, who has been releasing music as The Weeknd since 2011, told a crowd in Stockholm last month that he’d had a change of heart. “I’ll never disappear. I love this too much to ever disappear. I tested retirement a little bit, and I don’t like the way it feels. I said, Imma be here forever with you, I’ll never disappear,” he said, according to fan video of the statement.

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