Billboard Power Players Expands to Canada in 2024

Canada is getting a critical boost to its music industry.

This year, Billboard Canada will introduce the first Canadian edition of Power Players. While Billboard’s Power 100 ranks the music industry's most influential executives globally, this list will celebrate individuals pivotal in advancing Canadian music and boosting artists making a global impact.

Billboard Canada’s Power Players celebration will take place on Sunday, June 2, 2024, with an event at the opening night of long-running music festival and industry conference Canadian Music Week (CMW).

CMW founder Neill Dixon expresses his enthusiasm for Canada’s first Power Players and says the timing couldn’t be more perfect. Dixon says he noticed a void within the music industry and was looking for a method to spotlight key industry professionals.

In its 42-year history, CMW has established itself as the central hub for industry professionals from Canada and across the globe. The introduction of Billboard's globally acclaimed Power Players event at CMW is set to provide a significant boost, propelling these industry voices to new heights.

“[It’s] a recognition long overdue for Canada,” Dixon tells Billboard Canada. “It’s a fitting fusion of two industry-leading events, as in any given year at Canadian Music Week, you don't have to look far to find top industry leaders sharing their insights and success secrets.”

Canada’s music industry is in a pivotal moment of transformation. Following the breakout success of artists like Drake, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes over the last decade and a half, a new generation of emerging artists are making their mark on the world stage.

In 2023, Tate McRae established herself as a global star, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and Global 200. Punjabi-Canadian artists like Karan Aujla and AP Dhillon made major waves across the world and signalled the global potential of Canada’s cross-cultural music scene. Those were the focus of Billboard’s first Canadian digital cover stories, bringing a historic editorial and trade voice to the country.

Meanwhile, technology and music have converged, with major firms like Spotify and Amazon investing in hubs in Canada. With Canadian Content regulations and the Broadcasting Act under review for the first time in a generation, the industry is being reshaped and rethought before our eyes.

Those themes could shape the inaugural Canadian Power Players, but the doors are wide open.

The Power Players list will be peer-nominated and selected by the Billboard Canada team. Nominations are set to open in February 2024.

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