Canadian Music Week wraps up, starts planning for next year

With the success of Canadian Music Week 2002 still fresh, plans for next year's event have already begun to take shape.
The dates for Canadian Music Week 2003 - CMW's 20th Anniversary - are February 27 to March 1. The event will continue to be held at The Westin Harbour Castle Hotel at the foot of Yonge Street in downtown Toronto.

Canadian Music Week remains by far the largest single music industry event in Canada. The CMW Executive Conference is the only Canadian event that draws all the segments of the music industry together in one place at the same time— broadcasters, major and independent record companies, retailers, music associations and organizations, as well as performers themselves and the infrastructure of managers, attorneys, agents, publicists, and music promoters and presenters.
Significant keynote speakers at the Conference included multi-platinum recording artist Moby, Sympatico-Lycos chief operating officer Bob Mountain, MTV COO Greg Ricca, researcher, pollster and best-selling author Micheal Adams, as well as Brian Becker, head of the large — and growing — Clear Channel Entertainment organization.

Awards Ceremonies are CMW Highlights
With the bulk of the industry gathering together only once a year, CMW hosts five awards ceremonies to celebrate outstanding achievements — including the Canadian Music Industry Awards Gala, which this year honoured broadcaster Alan Waters and the best-known of all Canadian bands, The Guess Who, into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame.
The Radio Marketing Bureau held its annual Crystal Awards marking achievements in creative radio advertising, and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters held its fifth annual Canadian Radio Music Awards, honouring new artists who received significant airplay in the year 2001. The Ontario Association of Broadcasters once again held their annual gathering in the context of Canadian Music Week with the OAB President's Luncheon.
The star power of CMW was demonstrated by hosts at the event — including broadcasting personalities Peter Kent, Rick Mercer, Ted Woloshyn and Carla Collins, with musical contributions from the likes of Kim Stockwood, Jimmy Rankin, Jelleestone, Sugar Jones, Staggered Crossing and Tom Wilson.
Music Festival puts spotlight in Canadian artists
At the same time that the music industry was gathering at the Harbour Castle, there were significant events for musicians and the huge Toronto-area fan base which supports them. The second annual Canadian Independent Music Awards drew a packed house as independent recording artists in 17 different musical categories were presented with ‘Indie Awards’ — the event kicked off Canadian Music Week.

CMW Music Festival - The Hotbed For Canadian Talent
The following three nights featured close to 200 bands at 20 different venues in the city’s downtown area during the CMW Music Festival, and most clubs were packed — indications are that the total attendance exceeded that of the previous year, when more bands were showcased at even more venues. Pulling back this year was a move to increase the focus of the showcases, and make them more accessible for music industry people seeking new talent.
The emphasis during the CMWMusic Festival was placed firmly on those three words — the event was certainly festive, the music covered all genres of popular music — from hiphop to folk — and the vast majority of the performers were Canadians. To add spice, however, there were also "visiting players"— from the United States, Australia, and a contingent of varied groups from Belgium.
Contest events draw huge crowds
Canadian Music Week also featured the National Songwriting Competition — which drew 10 finalists to Toronto from across the country, chosen from hundreds of applicants. And CMW's Saturday night event, the XTREME Band Slam, was another packed-house show that saw the Toronto band Grindig and eight other finalists from across Canada walk away with $50,000 in prizes.

Investing in The Talent of Tomorrow
CMW's final event was Tune Up 2002, a day-long collection of seminars and exhibits focusing on music education that drew more people in a single day than attended the previously-held three day event last year. It was, in fact, another way in which Canadian Music Week "pulled back" in order the gain added focus and accessibility — and it worked brilliantly.

What's on the agenda for the 20th annual Canadian Music Week next year? Answer: A more concise music festival, an enlarged Tune Up 2003 event, major players at the annual Executive Conference, and enough star power to light up Toronto's late winter doldrums.

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