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Billboard's 40 Under 40 Is Coming to Canada

The prestigious list and celebration of the music industry's young leaders will launch in Canada on November 20, 2025. Nominations are open now.

Billboard's 40 Under 40 Is Coming to Canada

Billboard Canada is celebrating the next generation of music industry leaders.

Billboard’s prestigious 40 Under 40 has long recognized the young executives and innovators shaping the global music business. Now, for the first time, Billboard Canada is bringing this recognition north of the border — highlighting the next wave of leaders driving the country’s evolving music industry.


Billboard’s 40 Under 40 list is coming to Canada. The inaugural edition will be unveiled in a special editorial package and exclusive launch event on November 20, 2025 in Toronto. Tickets are available here.

This evening will gather honourees, artists and key figures from across the industry for an evening dedicated to honouring achievements and fostering connection throughout Canada’s music ecosystem.

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The exciting new edition will spotlight a cross-section of young executives, visionaries and leaders making an impact across the Canadian music industry — across labels, management, live music, streaming, radio and other sectors.

“Canada’s music industry is thriving with new energy and ambition,” says Richard Trapunski, National Editor of Billboard Canada. “The Billboard Canada 40 Under 40 list will recognize not just the established music industry figures, but the impressive new voices whose innovation and vision are pushing the industry towards the future.”

The expansion of 40 Under 40 follows successful launches of other Billboard franchises in Canada over the last two years, including Power Players (an extension of the Power 100), Billboard Women in Music and Music Managers to Watch.

Like those achievements, 40 Under 40 will give a global platform to the people making an impact within Canada. It’s a very competitive achievement, and honourees will be chosen based on nominations from industry peers and colleagues, recent achievements, market impact and measurable metrics, including the Billboard charts. Nominees should be 39 or younger as of November 20, 2025.

Nominations are open now. The deadline to submit is Friday, October 24, 2025. Submit via this survey form.

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Note: multiple nominations of the same individual are not necessary and will not increase a nominee’s prospects.

Tickets for 40 Under 40 are available here.

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Dave Ball
Courtesy Photo

Dave Ball

FYI

Obituaries: Synth-Pop Hitmaker Dave Ball of Soft Cell, Pioneering Bass Virtuoso Anthony Jackson

This week we also acknowledge the passing of American guitar maker Ken Parker.

Dave (David James) Ball, one half of the hitmaking Anglo synth-pop duo Soft Cell, died on Oct. 22, at age 66. A cause of death has not been announced.

The group’s singer, Marc Almond, called Ball a “wonderfully brilliant musical genius” in a lengthy tribute in which he praised his musical partner of 46 years. “He was focused and so happy with the new album that we literally completed only a few days ago. It’s so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work,” Almond wrote, adding that Ball’s recent compositions were “better than ever.”

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