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Bruce Allen's Advice To Young Managers

"When someone who’s been in the game a while takes time to talk to you, just listen."

Bruce Allen's Advice To Young Managers

By External Source

What’s the one piece of advice you would give to a young manager today?


"Listen.

"When someone who’s been in the game a while takes time to talk to you, just listen.

"Also, you gotta trust each other. I have never, never, never had an act under contract. When I left Martina McBride, there were no lawsuits, no nothing, I was gone. I’ve had acts, like Tom Cochrane, where I just couldn’t work with this person anymore. No contract is gonna hold that together. I don’t need to sign a contract with anyone.

"I don’t have side deals, I look after my people and I’ve never had any complaints. Listen, if I wasn’t able to do the job, I’m sure I’d be fired. But I don’t care what anybody says, my track record speaks for itself.

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"I’ve been here a long time, I’ve broken five acts, I don’t need to sign a contract, I shake your hand and that’s good enough for me."

Manager Bruce Allen in an interview published Jan. 15 by Music Business Worldwide

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Charlotte Day Wilson
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Charlotte Day Wilson
Concerts

CNE 2026 Bell SOUNDSTAGE Lineup: Charlotte Day Wilson, JoJo, Finger Eleven and More

As part of its partnership with NXNE and a renewed focus on live music, CNE will also welcome a special soon-to-be revealed global headliner presented by Billboard Canada on Aug. 28.

The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is embracing its musical roots with a high-profile lineup for 2026.

The beloved long-running fair, baptized The Ex by Torontonians, has unveiled the full list of artists who will be headlining the newly-named Bell SOUNDSTAGE at the Bandshell to celebrate the event's 147th edition. Canadian stars like Charlotte Day Wilson and Finger Eleven as well as international pop star JoJo have been added to this year's programming, which reflects a diverse mix of renowned names and rising stars across a multitude of genres including pop, hip-hop, Punjabi music and soca, among others. They join previously announced acts like Lights, Lupe Fiasco, Shaggy and more.

This year, the exhibition is partnering with Toronto music festival NXNE, to modernize its musical programming with chart-topping artists and newer acts, and revamping the Bandshell as the Bell SOUNDSTAGE. “Music is such a massive part of who we are,” Mark Holland, CEO of the CNE, told Billboard Canada in April during his Executive of the Week interview. "Connecting everybody to that is a democratic mission that we are really invested in."

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