Kevin Barton says he is moving on to "focus on a broader portfolio of work" after two editions of the conference, which was acquired by Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group and rebranded from Canadian Music Week.
Kevin Barton has stepped down from his role as executive producer at Departure .
Barton held the role for both years of the conference and festival since it was bought by Oak View Group and Loft Entertainment in 2024 and rebranded from Canadian Music Week. Barton remains a partner and shareholder at Loft, the Toronto-based music company co-founded by former Bell Media and Universal Music Canada executive Randy Lennox and film producer Jeffrey Latimer.
"I'm concluding my role as Executive Producer of Departure Festival + Conference," Barton tells Billboard Canada. "After spending the past two years helping guide its evolution, it feels like the right time for me to begin a new chapter."
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In March, shortly before the second edition of Departure, the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA) announced Barton would be taking an expanded role as chief strategy officer. At the time, Barton clarified on Instagram that he would continue in his roles at Departure and Loft.
Barton says his decision to move on from Departure was not driven by his expanded role at CAFA, rather by a desire to focus on new projects.
"I've reached a point where I want to focus on a broader portfolio of work, including CAFA, strategic advisory projects, and developing new initiatives around culture, business and innovation," he says.
Throughout his career, Barton has bridged the worlds of music, fashion and art, building the Urban Music department at Universal Music Canada and also working in film and photography.
Canadian Music Week's transformation into Departure also shifted from its longtime identity as the Canadian music industry's leading conference into one that focused also on media, technology, film, fashion and other cultural subjects.
"When I joined, one of my priorities was helping reimagine the festival's identity to better reflect where culture was heading," Barton says, expanding across creative sectors to reflect "how today's artistic communities actually collaborate and create."
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Departure was initially sued for nearly $500,000 by former Canadian Music Week owner Neill Dixon for breach of contract over sales terms, but settled the dispute before the first edition began. Dixon accepted the lifetime achievement award at that year's Departure Honours event. This year's edition featured honourees including Bruce Allen, Lilly Singh, Sarah McLachlan, Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney, KPop Demon Hunters creator Maggie Kang and others.
Billboard Canada learned there were layoffs following this year's edition of Departure. Barton attributes that to seasonal staffing, which he says is common across the live events industry. "Organizations expand to deliver the festival and then realign afterward as they transition into planning, partnership development and long-term strategy for the next edition."
Remaining in his partner role at Loft, Barton says he is excited for Departure's future and will "continue supporting future opportunities involving Departure."
