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Victoria Banks Reflects On Her Survival...And Success

I feel a bit like a survivor who is holding on somehow despite the odds. When I signed my first deal in 1998, royalty streams were alive and well.

Victoria Banks Reflects On Her Survival...And Success

By External Source

I feel a bit like a survivor who is holding on somehow despite the odds. When I signed my first deal in 1998, royalty streams were alive and well. I have seen the decline of record sales and the rise of streaming basically obliterate all other income streams except radio play for commercial songwriters.


There are now only 400 people doing what I do professionally in Nashville when there were 4000 twenty years ago.

I’ve also had to deal with the lack of radio play for female artists in the country genre. Even though I naturally gravitate toward writing from a female perspective, I have had to learn to focus primarily on writing with and for male artists in order to stay marketable.

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--- Victoria Banks,Songwriters Association of Canada

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​Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke speaking on State of the Industry panel at Departure at Toronto's Hotel X on May 8, 2025.
Mike Highfield

Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke speaking on State of the Industry panel at Departure at Toronto's Hotel X on May 8, 2025.

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Toronto's Mega-Concert Market is Booming, Say Executives from The Biggest Live Entertainment Companies

At Departure Conference on May 8, major figures from Live Nation, MLSE and Oak View Group gathered to talk about the state of the industry.

Departure arrived last week for its inaugural edition since rebranding from Canadian Music Week. After settling its legal dispute with former owner Neill Dixon shortly before the week began, the conference set up shop in its new home at Toronto's Hotel X from May 6-9, 2025.

Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak View Group (one of Departure's new owners, alongside Loft Entertainment), flew in for a special panel on live entertainment on Thursday, May 8. He joined Tom Pistore, president of Oak View Group's Canada operation; Keith Pelley, president and CEO of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (MLSE); and Wayne Zronick, president of business operations at Live Nation Canada. The discussion was sponsored by Scotiabank Arena and Coca-Cola Coliseum and hosted by Live Nation's Joey Scolari.

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