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Awards

Billboard Women In Music Expands to Canada in 2024

This June, Billboard Canada is recognizing the trailblazing women making waves in the Canadian music industry and nominations are open now.

Billboard Women In Music Expands to Canada in 2024

Billboard Canada is recognizing the trailblazing women making waves in the Canadian music industry.

With Billboard broadening its reach in Canada, its esteemed Billboard Women In Music event is coming north. This prestigious initiative celebrates and acknowledges the contributions of women and gender-diverse individuals in the music industry, fostering inspiration across generations. In 2024, this highly anticipated accolade will be introduced to Canada, featuring a celebration event in June.


As Women’s History Month gets underway, nominations are now open. The deadline for nominations is April 25, 2024.

Awards will be given to trailblazing women and gender-diverse members of the Canadian music industry in a variety of fields, from management to publishing, rights orgs to live music.

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Billboard’s Women In Music recognizes women inspiring change both behind-the-scenes and onstage, with major artists gracing the ceremony’s stages over the years.

Billboard Canada will choose a Woman of the Year for 2024, a recording artist who has exemplified leadership and social progress in the changing music business.

Other categories include the Rising Star award, the Impact award (won in 2020 by Brampton’s Jessie Reyez) and Producer of the Year, among others. The Icon award, given to an artist who has made historic contributions to the industry and artistry, has been given to two major Canadian artists: Shania Twain in 2016 and Alanis Morissette in 2019.

Major industry figures will also be in the spotlight. Canadian executive Golnar Khosrowshahi, the founder and CEO of Reservoir Media, one of the biggest independent music companies in the world, is an Executive of the Year hall of famer, and this year offered this piece of advice: “Pivot to a path that allows for growth equally across your professional and personal lives. You should not have to compromise, but rather be empowered to find the route that allows for the multitudes present in you.”

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Billboard’s Women of the Year is peer-nominated, with final selections made by the staff at Billboard Canada. Nominations are now open at this survey link.

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Dakota Tavern
Courtesy Photo

Dakota Tavern

FYI

Music News Digest: Toronto's Famed Dakota Tavern Shuts Down, Juno Week Is Here

This week: Warner Music's independent distribution arm ADA signs a deal with Sincerely Management, The Toronto Symphony Orchestra announces a major European tour, NXNE adds to its lineup and more.

The Toronto live music scene has just taken a hit with the news that the Dakota Tavern is no more. The small basement venue at Dundas and Ossington may have been small (130 capacity), but it played an important role in the city's scene for nearly two decades. There were hopes it could continue as a music venue, but that seems unlikely with word that it will now operate as a sports bar under the name Mickey Limbos.

The Dakota was launched in 2006 by business partners Shawn Creamer, Maggie Ruhl and Jennifer Haslett. It focused primarily on roots-oriented groups and singer-songwriters, and it hosted shows by such big names as Broken Social Scene, Gord Downie, Ron Sexsmith, Blue Rodeo, Kathleen Edwards, Serena Ryder (a regular patron) and Whitehorse. It was also a popular hangout for local music industry types and musicians alike, and it will be greatly missed.

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