Departure Festival + Conference Toronto Adds Dallas Green, Shaggy, Merck Mercuriadis, Bob Lefsetz, Tom Windish

The latest round of speakers and performers has been announced for Toronto’s Departure Festival + Conference, May 6-11, which supplants the 42-year-old Canadian Music Week, bought by Oak View Group (OVG) and Toronto’s Loft Entertainment from founder Neill Dixon last year. 

The “reimagined” music conference, which now places more emphasis on integrated verticals art, comedy and tech,  will take place at Hotel X and the festival at more than 40 venues throughout the city.

OVG is the parent company of Pollstar. 

Joining such recognizable names as Bryan Adams, Oak View Group chairman & CEO Tim Leiweke and The Bear actor/restauranteur Matty Matheson as speakers will be multi-platinum artist Shaggy; Hipgnosis Songs Fund CEO Merck Mercuriadis in conversation with industry pundit and CMW regular Bob Lefsetz; Insomniac Events talent buyer Simon Kessler; United Talent Agency Music agent Perry Gilman; Live Nation Canada’s head of industry relations Joey “Vendetta” Scoleri; Wasserman Music executive Tom Windish in conversation with ROSTR co-founder & CEO Mark Williamson; former Island Def Jam Music Group SVP Johnnie Walker; and Universal Music Group’s VP of east coast labels, urban, Katina Bynum.

Radiodays North America (May 6-8), the conference for radio, podcasting and digital audio professionals, which was also a part of CMW, remains part of Departure. Added to the previously announced speakers — like Adams — is NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert host Bobby Carter. 

Departure’s Conference has also booked Sinead Bovell, founder of Weekly Advice for Young Entrepreneurs (WAYE); entrepreneur and Indigenous rights advocate Notorious Cree; Canada’s Queen of R&B Jully Black, reggae DJ Spexdaboss; and painter Justin Bua.

Conscious Economics founder/CEO Rhiannon Rosalind will also lead a session with financial therapist Aseel El-Baba, featuring artists. Dallas Green, frontman for arena headliners City and Colour and Alexisonfire, will chat with rapper Shad about his 20-year-old breakthrough album and the now top indie label, Dine Alone, that was created to launch his solo career.

“The Departure lineup reflects the depth and diversity of creatives and industry leaders shaping today’s cultural landscape,” Kevin Barton, executive producer at Loft Entertainment, said in the announcement. “With top industry decision-makers in the room, our event is where careers will be launched and the next generation of talent gets discovered.”

The music festival will have over 100 showcases, including Canada’s Walk Of Fame RBC Emerging Musician Program Winner Showcase on May 7 at Rivoli, with Gabriel Fredette, Dallas, Mint Simon, Jackie Art, and Tiger Balme. Departure’s “premium events” include Noeline Hoffman, Sadboi, Planet Giza, Bobby Bazini, Lambrini Girls, Koven Wei, PACKS, and Adam Melchor. The SiriusXM Spotlight Series at Lee’s Palace, celebrating the venue’s 40th anniversary, features Canadian acts Death from Above 1979, Noeline Hofmann, Planet Giza, Rural Alberta Advantage, and Papooz.

On the comedy front, there’s How Did This Get Made? – Live, the award-winning podcast that celebrates bad movies with co-host comedians and actors Paul Scheer (The League), Jason Mantzoukas (Big Mouth), and June Diane Raphael (Grace & Frankie); Trevor Wallace; Pete Holmes (Crashing); and Harland Williams (Dumb and Dumber, RocketMan). There will also be two Canadian Comedy industry showcases at Comedy Bar; the Trinidad vs. Jamaica Comedy Clash; and New Arrivals: A Departure Solo Sketch Showcase, in partnership with The Second City. 

The music festival is being booked by festival director Pat Murphy and comedy festival by Bruce Hills, former president of Just For Laughs.

For a limited time, conference passes are $599 and $1099 Canadian dollars (plus fees and taxes) and the music festival pass is $60.