Music News Digest: CIMA Criticizes TikTok for Merlin Boycott, Barenaked Ladies & Billy Talent Play the 20th Andy Kim Christmas

Awards news

The Toronto Blues Society recently announced that the annual event it presents, The Maple Blues Awards, will not take place at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on Jan. 15, 2025, as previously planned. The TBS is currently revisiting the Awards' nominating process and voting procedure, and The Phoenix will be closing in the near future. Look for news on a new date and venue soon. The MBAs are the most important event on the Canadian blues calendar.

– Yesterday (Oct. 15), The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced that the 2025 Juno Awards Submissions are now open. These will be accepted at junosubmissions.ca until Nov. 7, at 11:59 PM ET. The early-bird submission deadline is Oct. 22. To be eligible, national music release dates must fall between the period of Sept. 1, 2023 - Nov. 1, 2024. For specific Juno Award category criteria, please visit Criteria by Category. For a complete list of Juno Awards categories, eligibility rules, and voting criteria, visit junoawards.ca/submissions. Judge applications for the 54th Annual Juno Awards are now open. Apply here until Nov. 7.

Featuring over 50 artists across the city, performing for fans, media and the music industry, JUNOfest will be held in Vancouver, starting March 29, 2025. Applications are open to solo artists and/or full bands, apply today.

– The deadline to submit a nomination for the Prince Edward Island Arts Awards is now passed. The Awards have been launched by Innovation PEI to celebrate excellence and artistic merit across the province. The first edition of these annual awards was held in November 2023 and included a celebratory event at which the awards were handed out. The second edition of the PEI Arts Awards will take place shortly. More info here.

Industry news

– Announcements of upcoming Christmas concerts are speeding up, and few will attract as much interest as Andy Kim's well-known Christmas concert fundraiser in Toronto. Fittingly, given the milestone nature of this year's event, the just-revealed lineup for the 20th annual Andy Kim Christmas at Massey Hall in Toronto is filled with notable Canadian acts. Set for Dec. 4 and hosted by the popular Hall of Fame hitmaker, it will feature Barenaked Ladies, Alex Lifeson, Broken Social Scene, Billy Talent, Dan Hill, William Prince, Molly Johnson (celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Kumbaya Festival) and more to be announced. All concert proceeds will be donated to CAMH’s Gifts of Light. Tickets for the sure to sell out concert go on sale this Friday (Oct. 18) at 10 am local time at ticketmaster.ca

– Mac’s Record Label, the indie label headed by celebrated Canadian singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco, has announced the signing of Mock Media, a new four-piece rock band from Vernon, BC. The group's new single, “Hooked,” is out this week, and you can stream it here. Additionally, Mac’s Record Label will re-release the band’s debut album, Mock Media II, in North and South America on December 6. Mock Media play shows with Shannon and the Clams in the U.K. and Europe next month.

– CIMA (Canadian Independent Music Association) has announced the Board of Directors nominees for the 2024-2027 term. See the full list of nominees here. Voting will take place at the org's Annual General Meeting which will be held virtually on October 24, 2024 at 3 PM (ET). Register here.

– In other CIMA news, last week the trade org issued a statement that it "stands with the global independent music community in opposing the decision by TikTok to walk away from the negotiating table with Merlin, the licensing agency for over 30,000 independent music companies around the world." TikTok has stated that, from October 31, it will negotiate with rights holders on an individual basis rather than deal collectively with Merlin.

“The TikTok decision should act as a wakeup call to Canadian policy makers and politicians engaged in regulating the tech sector,” says CIMA President/CEO Andrew Cash. “Governments must resist the pressure from global platforms to weaken or dismantle regulation that supports fair markets and fair pay for artists."

– The spate of film documentaries on Canadian artists continues apace. On the heels of the recently premieredFanatical: The Catfishing Of Tegan & Saraand Peaches Goes Bananas, a biopic portrait of Peaches (read the Billboard Canada recap here) comes news of the release ofPlay It Loud!-- How Toronto Got Soul. This explores the life and career of Toronto scene veteran Jay Douglas, his odyssey north from Jamaica, and his pivotal role in the evolution of Jamaican music and culture in Canada.

The Canada Black Music Archives presents a special advance screening of the film on Oct. 23 (6.30 p.m.) at The Royal Theatre in Toronto, and the event includes a live Q & A with Douglas himself, Jackie Richardson, Everton “Pablo” Paul, the filmmakers, and others. The acclaimed filmmakers include director Graeme Mathieson (Sounds and Pressure: Reggae in a Foreignland), producer Andrew Munger (Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band) and executive producer Clement Virgo (Brother, The Wire). There are limited public tickets to the screening here. Play It Loud!-- How Toronto Got Soul is available for streaming Canada-wide here.

– Change The Beat, a non-profit organization founded by noted DJ and producer Sydney Blu, is designed to empower women and gender-expansive producers in the dance and electronic music industry, providing critical mentorship, production tools, and career-building opportunities. The inaugural Change The Beat Tour is now under way, visiting 11 Canadian cities, from Oct. 4 to Dec. 20. The live dates will feature acts like Maya Jane Cole, BAMBII, DJ Minx, and Joanna Magick, coinciding with workshops that Sydney Blu will lead at select Long and Mcquade locations. More info and itinerary here.

Artists news

– Fast-rising and Juno-winning Toronto R&B artist, songwriter and producer Dylan Sinclair has announced details of his first headline tour, one spanning North America, the UK, and Europe, in support of his debut album, For The Boy In Me, out via Five Stone Records/The Orchard. The trek will begin in the UK on January 31 in Bristol and will feature stops in London, Paris and Amsterdam. The North American leg will kick off on February 27 in Seattle, followed by March shows in Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York City, and Chicago, before wrapping in his hometown of Toronto on April 12. Check itinerary and ticket info here. Sinclair's sound is rooted in the classic sounds of 90s and early 2000s pop, R&B, and gospel. Last year, Billboard showcased his track "Fly Girl."

– Polaris and Juno-winning Montreal singer-songwriter-film composer Patrick Watson has returned after completely losing his voice for nearly three months. A brand new single, "Silencio," features the rising French artist November Ultra and reflects upon that stressful experience. Patrick Watson and the FILMHarmonic Orchestra have upcoming shows at Meridian Hall in Toronto (Nov. 2) and at Place Des Arts - Maison Symphonique - in Montréal (November 20, 21, 28, 29, 30).

– Now splitting her time between Los Angeles and Toronto, acclaimed alt-folk/pop singer-songwriter Jadea Kelly has just released a new album, Weather Girl, and she'll launch it via a Toronto concert in Hugh's Room Green Sanderson Hall on Oct. 23. Tickets here. A L.A. release show is set for Nov. 1 at The Hotel Cafe. Both gigs feature her full band. Earlier work has earned Kelly honours at the Toronto Independent Music Awards, Canadian Folk Music Awards, Oshawa Music Awards and Hollywood Independent Documentary Awards. Here's her new single.