Billboard Canada Partners with Music Managers Forum

Billboard Canada is teaming up with Music Managers Forum (MMF Canada) to highlight vital, yet often under-recognized, drivers of the music industry.

Behind many great artists is a dedicated and strategic music manager working tirelessly. For nearly three decades, MMF Canada has been the voice of music managers and self-managed artists in the country. The organization builds community and empowers managers with opportunities and mentorship.

MMF Canada also presents the Honour Roll, an annual celebration of outstanding Canadian music managers and self-managed artists. This award acknowledges the critical role managers play in shaping the success of Canadian artists and celebrates those who have made a lasting impact. This year, the honour will be presented during NXNE, the longstanding and well-loved music festival that is also beginning a strategic partnership with Billboard Canada.

"We are excited about this partnership with Billboard Canada and NXNE," says MMF Canada Executive Director Amie Therrien. "One of our goals at MMF Canada is to ensure that the work managers do, largely behind the scenes, is recognized and celebrated. As the artist's representative and support system, the contributions of managers is crucial for a thriving and sustainable music industry. To have a partner that understands and champions that work is invaluable."

The organization has a thriving network and community of managers representing some of the biggest success stories of Canadian music, and some artists who are well on their way to joining them. The partnership with Billboard Canada will amplify their work on to Billboard's global platform, the international voice of the music industry.

"At Billboard Canada, we recognized a significant gap in the industry: a lack of industry-wide support and recognition for the vital work that music managers do every day," says Mo Ghoneim, President of Billboard Canada and Artshouse Media Group, the co-owner of NXNE. "Understanding their role as the foundation of the music industry, we felt a responsibility to fill that gap by creating a space to tell their stories, highlight their contributions and provide them with the recognition they deserve."

The MMF Honour Roll has been presented annually since 2007, and this will be the first year it will move to NXNE. The award is given to a Canadian music manager for outstanding career achievements. Previous recipients have included industry legends and current stalwarts from Bernie Finklestein, Bruce Allen and Ray Danniels to Jake Gold, Chris Smith, Susan de Cartier, Sandy Pandya and Lascelles Stephens. Whether or not you know their names, you do know the results of their work. Together, they've guided the careers of artists like: Nelly Furtado, Bruce Cockburn, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Bryan Adams, Rush, Colin James, Sarah MacLachlan, kd lang, The Tragically Hip, Haviah Mighty and many more.

Part of MMF's mission is to create an inclusive and accessible community for everyone from veteran artist managers to people brand new to the industry, and that will extend to this year's event at NXNE in June 2025. It's one of many major additions to this year's festival, which will also include the Billboard Live stage at Sankofa Square, the influential Billboard Canada Power Players event and more to come.

Stay tuned for another big announcement related to the new partnership with MMF Canada in coming weeks.