Canadian Music Week reimagined after buyout

Canadian Music Week has been completely rehauled after Oak View Group (OVG) and Loft Entertainment jointly acquired it earlier this year.

Founded in 1983 by Neill Dixon, the Toronto-based event is Canada’s leading industry conference and music festival.

Following the acquisition, it has been reimagined under the new name Departure Festival + Conference and expanded to include music, art, comedy and technology.

The event will also debut an enriched programme including a songwriter showcase, comedy performances and an enhanced culinary experience with boutique food trucks and outdoor activations.

In the near future, the programming will include film and fashion, according to the announcement made by OVG and Loft in Toronto yesterday (13 November).

The announcement says the new event will include live performances, thought-provoking panels and the return of Radiodays North America Conference.

“Departure honours where we’ve come from and celebrates where we are going”

Furthermore, the annual event will be moved forward from its usual spot in June to 6–11 May. Next year’s event will take place at Hotel X in Toronto.

“Departure honours where we’ve come from and celebrates where we are going,” Loft executive producer Kevin Barton said in the announcement. “We’re creating a launchpad that opens doors to deeper, more inclusive conversations and showcases the richness of Toronto’s cultural scene, celebrates Canadian creatives, and welcomes global artists. We invite industry professionals, music and arts lovers and festival-goers to experience the event in a whole new way.”

CMW was launched in 1983 by David Farrell and his wife Patricia Dunn-Farrell–then co-publishers of the weekly Canadian music trade, The Record. It began as The Record Music Industry Conference and was modelled on competitor RPM Weekly’s “Three Days in March” conferences in the late ‘60s and ‘70s.

Dixon’s marketing company Chart Toppers was initially hired in 1983 to book speakers, and organise panels for the annual event. Over the next few years, the convention morphed into Canadian Music Week, and Dixon became a co-partner a couple of years after it began.

This year’s CMW drew some 3,000 delegates and hosted over 300 performing artists at 25 venues.

OVG, the Los Angeles-based venue development, management and hospitality company led by Tim Leiweke, made its first foray into Canada in 2021 with the Hamilton Arena Project, which recently broke ground.

Loft Entertainment is a Canadian entertainment company helmed by industry veteran Randy Lennox, who formerly ran Universal Music Group Canada and Bell Media.

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