Rosie Long Decter

2 weeks ago | ca.billboard.com | Richard Trapunski |Rosie Long Decter |Peony Hirwani |Stefano Rebuli

As top execs at Live Nation Canada, Erik Hoffman, Riley O’Connor and Melissa Bubb-Clarke are orchestrating one of the most ambitious stretches in the company's history. Together, the trio claim the No. 1 spot on Billboard Canada Power Players 2025. Already the biggest players in the Canadian music business, Live Nation is just getting bigger – and they’re on track for a record-breaking summer.

1 month ago | ca.billboard.com | Rosie Long Decter

It’s every starry-eyed artist’s dream to sign a record deal — or so the conventional wisdom goes. The recorded music industry has been built on the label model from its earliest days, with record companies providing funding to artists in exchange for rights to the music. As recording has become cheaper and more accessible, though, the whole paradigm is shifting.

1 month ago | ca.billboard.com | Rosie Long Decter

It's no secret that Canadian festivals have been facing hard times. The post-lockdown years have seen high profile festivals filing for creditor protection, like Montreal's comedy behemoth Just for Laughs; scrambling to reorganize or downsize programming, like Toronto Jazz Festival and Calgary's JazzYYC, after TD withdrew sponsorship; or cancelling editions altogether, like Toronto food and culture festival . Of course, major festivals closed before the pandemic too, for a range of reasons.

1 month ago | billboard.com | Richard Trapunski |Kerry Doole |Rosie Long Decter

Billboard Canada is getting ready to spotlight some of the most vital players in the music industry: music managers. Managers to Watch — Billboard’s spotlight on the teams behind music’s biggest breakout artists — will expand to Canada for the first time at this year’s NXNE festival. A special invite-only Managers to Watch reception will take place on June 11, directly before Billboard Canada Power Players.

1 month ago | ca.billboard.com | Rosie Long Decter

Also delivering new music this week is Barenaked Ladies keyboardist Kevin Hearn, with Portland Parish, recorded in Jamaica. He has long maintained a career as an acclaimed solo artist alongside his BNL work.