Billboard Canada is getting a major headliner for the inaugural Billboard Canada Live Stage.
Khalid will perform at the heart of downtown Toronto at Sankofa Square as part of NXNE’s 30th anniversary. That’s been the site of many of the beloved festival’s most memorable shows, including performances by Wu-Tang Clan, The Flaming Lips, The National, Iggy Pop & The Stooges and many more.
Billboard’s The Stage is known for bringing major chart-topping artists to festivals like SXSW, and Khalid is a perfect choice to expand it to Canada. He’s a major star of the streaming era, and he’ll return to the city for the first time since playing with Ed Sheeran at Rogers Centre in 2023.
Since debuting nearly a decade ago, Khalid has 40 charting hits on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and 5 charting albums on the Canadian Albums chart, including Free Spirit, which went to No. 1 in 2019. He returned after a brief hiatus in 2024 with Sincere, his most mature and personal album yet, which has started a new phase of the R&B and pop artist’s illustrious career.
Khalid has an undeniable connection to Canada, and has collaborated over the years with Canadian artists like Shawn Mendes, Tate McRae, Justin Bieber, Alessia Cara, Majid Jordan and more.
He’s played some huge shows in Toronto, including the city’s biggest arenas and stadiums. This show will bring him to the city’s most bustling intersection for a special moment celebrating his whole career.
Limited VIP tickets are available now, here. –Richard Trapunski
–
Steven Guilbeault Becomes Canada’s New Minister of Culture. What Does That Mean For the Music Industry?
Prime Minister Mark Carney has unveiled his new Liberal Cabinet, which will have ramifications for some key ongoing issues in the music industry.
Steven Guilbeault was appointed as Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, a post with particular interest to the sector. He was also appointed Minister responsible for Official Languages.
The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) wasted no time in outlining its industry concerns and requests to the new Minister. In a statement, the trade org welcomed Guilbeault to the position while issuing an urgent call to prioritize Canadian-owned culture, IP and sovereignty.
“Minister Guilbeault takes on this portfolio at a critical moment for Canada’s cultural sector,” CIMA writes after congratulating the new Minister. “As venture capital, global tech platforms, and multinational entertainment corporations expand their dominance and market share, the future of Canadian-owned culture — and the intellectual property that drives it — is at risk without renewed, dynamic and stable investment in the sector.”
The organization points to three recent events that they suggest threaten independent music in Canada, and says they “all underscore the growing concentration of global corporate power.” They are: TikTok’s withdrawal from global licensing negotiations with Merlin, Universal Music Group’s acquisition of Downtown Music’s assets and legal challenges launched by streaming services against paying into Canadian Content funds.
Andrew Cash, President and CEO of CIMA, stressed that “Canadian-owned music companies are not just players in our cultural economy — they are part of its foundation. They create intellectual property, generate jobs, tell Canadian stories, and fuel long-term economic growth. Without Canadian-owned companies, our culture risks being outsourced, diluted, and devalued.”
CIMA issued a very similar statement two weeks earlier, when the results of the federal election became known. It also urged Prime Minister Mark Carney to “make the investment in and promotion of Canadian-owned cultural businesses a top priority…to secure a strong future for Canadian culture.”
CIMA’s statement comes at a pivotal time, as hearings begin on drafting a new definition for CanCon in the implementation of the Online Streaming Act. A court challenge by major foreign-owned streaming companies like Spotify and Apple will also begin in June, with tech companies (joined by Music Canada) challenging the CRTC’s mandated fee payments for Canadian Content. –Kerry Doole
–
Toronto’s Bowl at Sobeys Stadium Concert Venue Goes Quiet in 2025
Last year, a new concert venue was unveiled. In summer 2024, The Feldman Agency opened The Bowl at Sobeys Stadium, located at the site of Canada’s biggest tennis tournament, the National Bank Open. It was a partnership between Tennis Canada and the Toronto-based talent and booking company.
Now, after one summer of shows, the venue has gone quiet.
“We can confirm that we are hitting pause for summer 2025,” says Jeff Craib, president of The Feldman Agency, in a statement to Billboard Canada. “We will make further comment when there is any news to share.”
In a report by theToronto Star, Tennis Canada also confirmed the news, while saying they will “continue to work with the Feldman Agency with the hope the concert series will return in 2026 and beyond.”
The 9,000 capacity venue hosted a limited series of 2024 shows at The Bowl at Sobeys Stadium, including performances by the Barenaked Ladies, Shaggy, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, The Tea Party and comedian Kevin Hart.
Billboard Canada reported on the launch of the Bowl at Sobeys Stadium in December 2023, and Craib expressed optimism about its potential then. “We will be working closely together with Tennis Canada to provide the best of tennis and live entertainment to Toronto and its surrounding areas,” Craib said, noting that “Sobeys Stadium’s location in North America’s third-largest concert market (after New York and Los Angeles) and surrounding population of more than 6.8 million makes it a well-positioned live entertainment venue for both performers and fans.”
At the time, Craib shared that he expected around 15 shows per year at the open air venue.
Toronto is not starved for major concerts in summer 2025. The demand is high for arena and stadium shows, as stakeholders at the biggest companies have recently reported. This summer will see the opening of another temporary open-air venue, the 50,000 capacity Rogers Stadium, where Live Nation will present a full slate of concerts this summer. –KD
