The organization founded by Canadian DJ-producer Sydney Blu is looking to help rising artists secure label opportunities, pledging to support 600 artists in five years and 1,500 in 10 years.
Change the Beat is expanding its support of female and gender-diverse musicians in a major way.
The nonprofit organization has made a pledge to sign at least 300 of its community's artists to a label by 2028, furthering its commitment to increasing diverse representation within major labels and music spaces. It also pledged to reach 600 signings in five years and 1,500 in 10 years.
Founded by Canadian DJ-producer Sydney Blu, Change the Beat champions rising female, gender-diverse and underrepresented artists by providing them with business knowledge, resources, career development, among many other tools and opportunities. The remix contest program has connected members with labels like mau5trap, Anjunadeep, HE.SHE.THEY and more, signing over 100 artists. Blu says that under 5% of artists signed to electronic labels identify as women or gender diverse, and she's looking to fill that gap.
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“Over the course of my career, I’ve learned that talent alone isn’t always enough. Artists need access to mentorship, industry relationships, education, and opportunities to be seen and heard. Change The Beat was created to help provide those pathways,” she says.
As part of the new pledge, Change the Beat has also launched The Demo Room, a new A&R initiative connecting its Discord community of producers to labels, allowing them to directly submit music and demos and receive feedback. Through the program, labels will outline what sound and music they are looking for prior to accepting submissions. The initiative will also run alongside its new remix contest, in which members having a chance to earn a release on the Trace Amounts music label, as well as the Native Instruments Komplete 15 Collector’s Edition virtual instrument and production bundle.
Blu launched the #23by23 campaign, which had a similar goal of increasing the representation of women on dance labels, to 23%. With nearly three decades of operating in the music scene, from DJing and producing to making music, she recalls a time where that percentage was much smaller. In a 2024 interview with Billboard Canada, she recalled how just 2% of DJs were female when she started out, and that it grew to around 16% by then, which she aimed to increase.
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Change the Beat creating opportunities for rising artists through projects like the Going Global accelerator for career development, as well as the Change the Beat tour across Canada, which hosts live DJ performances and combines them with mentorship workshops. The inaugural 2024 tour featured rising Montreal DJ Molyness as well as Toronto's own Bambii, who is currently fresh from collaborating with Zara Larsson and playing a slew of major American festivals, including an upcoming set at Osheaga 2026, one of Canada's biggest festivals.
“We’re not here simply to talk about the challenges facing women and gender expansive artists – we’re here to be part of the solution. Every signing, mentorship, contest winner, showcase slot, and industry introduction helps move the needle and creates a stronger future for the next generation of artists," Blu says.
