Canadian Music Week is undergoing a major identity change.
For the first time since 1982, the music festival and conference will have a new name: Departure. The newly christened Departure Festival + Conference will take place from 6 to 11 May 2025.
Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group (OVG) bought the festival from the retired founder Neil Dixon this year. They announced the changes at a cocktail reception on Tuesday (November 12) at the festival's new Toronto venue, Hotel X.
“The departure honors where we came from and celebrates where we're going,” he said Kevin Bartonexecutive producer of Loft Entertainment. “We're creating a launch platform that opens doors to deeper, more inclusive conversations and showcases the richness of Toronto's cultural scene, celebrates Canadian creatives and welcomes global artists.”
In speeches and a fireside chat, Barton along with Loft co-founder Randy Lennox and chief operating officer Jackie Dean became president of OVG Canada Tom Pistor to share the new vision for the festival.
Lennox and Barton pointed to the ambition of the event, which will expand to include comedy, technology and food in its first year — as well as film, fashion and other topics in the near future. They will make big changes, which may mean they may have setbacks along the way, they acknowledged.
This year's festival will feature a songwriter showcase, comedy acts, food trucks and a new app and digital infrastructure.
The goal with Departure is to expand and modernize, they said, while honoring the history of Canadian Music Week. Next year, they will honor former CMW leader Neill Dixon with a lifetime achievement award.
Comedian Russell Peters opened with his own less-than-rehearsed speech and shared his hopes for the festival. He's both a comedian and a DJ, but says he and his friends have avoided CMW in the past “because it was soup — full of crackers.” He joked that the festival's idea of diversity was Kardinal Offishall and that was it.
Burton emphasized the mandate of participation and said they have met with diverse communities seeking equity in the Canadian arts industry. Over 160 languages are spoken in Toronto and the goal is to represent this multiculturalism.
Pistore said the departure is part of Denver-based Oak View Group's expanded footprint in Canada, which includes new hires and a $280 million project to convert an arena in Hamilton, Ontario. There is an aspiration to be bigger, “but rooted in a Canadian institution.”
The response on social media and at the industry event was mixed. Some were hopeful the long-running convention would change and evolve and provide a greater platform for Canadian artists. Others hoped the new ownership, including the American Oak View Group, and the removal of “Canadian” from the name, would not sacrifice Canadian identity or focus on domestic industry.
Karan Chahal is a music and business attorney and agent at LSC Law. A former musician and engineer himself, he now collaborates with independent artists, especially in Punjabi music, including producer Deep Jandhu.
Chahal has been attending CMW for years and credits it as one of the most important conferences in Canada. He particularly appreciated last year's edition, which included spotlights on India's music industry and Punjabi music in Canada, he says.
“It's an amazing platform because everyone is there for the same reason: the music,” he says. “The music industry in Canada is still growing and artists need support. There is so much incredible talent here and CMW is a place where artists, labels, agents can get those relationships in the industry.”
Chahal's hope is that Departure's expanded focus on other areas won't diminish support for music, in particular.
“I think we need more eyes on it, we need to grow it. Getting more strategic people on board will only help,” he says. “I just hope we don't lose what it originally stood for and stick to the duty of supporting culture.”
Rudy Blair is a freelance music journalist and interviewer who has covered Canadian Music Week for nearly 30 years. In recent years, he also worked for the festival under Dixon as a convention host.
Blair says the new name will take some getting used to, but believes growth can only be a good thing.
“We always have to move forward, and as long as it shows respect for what came before, change is a good thing,” he says. “Moving forward, looking at things differently, presenting things differently, that should always happen. Departure is part of this evolution.
“The mandate from Day 1, 42 years ago, to 2025 is the same,” he continues. “It's all about the fans, the artists, educating people and making sure the rest of the world knows Canada has some of the best talent in the world. “As much as they look at other things, I hope they keep the dream that Neal (Dixon) had, which is promoting Canadian talent.”
This story was originally published by Billboard Canada.
