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FYI

Billboard Canada FYI Calendar of Festival and Funding Deadlines: East Coast Music Awards 2025, Canadian Starmaker Fund

A roundup of deadlines for festivals, grants, conferences and other music business opportunities.

M for Montreal

M for Montreal

Courtesy Photo

With summer music events just around the corner, here's a roundup of opportunities and deadlines for festival and conferences, grants and more.

Festivals and Conference Submission Deadlines

CIMA Road Gold certification. Awarded to artists selling at least 25K tickets during their Canadian tour(s) over a 12-month period - now open


Full info here

Grants and Funding Deadlines

Canada Council Grants - now open

Full info here

FACTOR Songwriter Development Program - now open

Full info here

Applications for SOCAN Foundation Relief Fund - now open

Full info here

Applications for SOCAN Foundation Travel Grants - now open

Full info here

Application deadline for Canadian Starmaker Fund - May 3-24, 2024

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Full info here


Other Conferences and Business Opportunities

CMAOntario Festival & Awards, Mississauga, ON - May 31-June 2, 2024

Full info here

Canadian Music Week, Toronto, ON - Jun. 3-5, 2024

Full info here

North By Northeast festival, Toronto, ON - Jun. 12-16, 2024

Full info here

CCMA Country Music Week & Awards, Edmonton, AB - Sep. 11-14, 2024

Full info here

Reeperbahn music conference, Hamburg, GE - Sep. 16-21, 2024

Full info here

AmericanaFest, Nashville, TN - Sep. 17-21, 2024

Full info here

BreakOut West festival and conference, Saskatoon, SK - Sep. 24-29, 2024

Full info here

Global Toronto 2024 conference, Toronto, ON - Sep. 27-Oct 1, 2024

Full info here

Folk Music Ontario conference, Mississauga, ON - Oct. 3-6, 2024

Full info here

Mundial Montreal conference, Montreal, PQ - Nov. 19-22, 2024

Full info here

M for Montreal conference, Montreal, PQ - Nov. 20-27, 2024

Full info here

East Coast Music Awards and Festival, St, John's, NL - May 7-11, 2025

Full info here

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From left: GIVĒON, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Simon Gebrelul photographed by Diwang Valdez on December 20, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. Styling by Yashua Simmons. Barbering by Moe Harb. Hair Braiding for Gilgeous-Alexander by Alysha Bonadie. Grooming by Teresa Luz. On-Site Production by Laela Zadeh.

From left: GIVĒON, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Simon Gebrelul photographed by Diwang Valdez on December 20, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. Styling by Yashua Simmons. Barbering by Moe Harb. Hair Braiding for Gilgeous-Alexander by Alysha Bonadie. Grooming by Teresa Luz. On-Site Production by Laela Zadeh.

Features

Meet the Force Behind the Canadian NBA MVP Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and R&B Star GIVĒON

In this Billboard Canada Toronto's Simon Gebrelul's strategy to make Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a one-of-a kind sports star — and disrupt the music world.

It’s mere days before Christmas, and Paycom Center is unusually quiet.

The arena — home of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning 2025 NBA champions — typically holds 18,000 roaring fans, but today, you could hear a pin drop. Yet even in silence, the Thunder’s accomplishments speak loudly. Division title banners hang proudly from the rafters. Scan past those banners and across the empty arena, and three words in bold orange and blue come into focus: Committed. Community. Together.

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