Departure Festival + Conference, Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group’s “reimagined” Canadian Music Week (CMW), has announced that CMW founder Neill Dixon will be honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dixon, who was at the helm of CMW for 42 years – up until his retirement and sale of the business to Loft and Oak View last June – is set to be recognized at Departure Honours on May 7, a reception celebrating “notable changemakers, emerging voices, and milestones within the music industry.”
The festival says Dixon will be honoured “for his longstanding contribution to the industry,” while Dallas Green of City and Colour will accept the Independent Achievement Award, recognizing his success as an independent artist on the 20th anniversary of his debut album, Sometimes. SOCAN will receive an Industry Achievement Award, marking the organization’s 100th anniversary. The Trailblazer Award, going to a woman in broadcasting who has had a great impact on the industry, will also be handed out at the evening event at Hotel X Toronto. Green and Tia Wood will perform, alongside a special presentation by Tegan and Sara, highlighting their foundation’s mission to invest in the potential of 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
“In building Departure, we wanted to ensure there was a moment for us to come together to toast some of our industry’s most impactful artists and changemakers,” said Kevin Barton, Executive Producer, Loft Entertainment, in a festival announcement. “These individuals are instrumental in helping to create the vibrancy of Canada’s arts and music culture and we are proud to host them at our event in May.”
It’s unclear whether Dixon will be at the event to accept the award in person, following filing of a lawsuit earlier this month that alleges Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group have yet to remit the full purchase price of $2 million for CMW.
Key partners and sponsors for the inaugural Departure Festival include Amazon Music, Anthem Entertainment, Beatdapp, Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), Exclaim!, Hotel X Toronto, Live Nation Canada, Music Canada, Paquin, Pattison Outdoor, Plugz, Seeing Red, Slaight Music, SOCAN, Sony Music Canada, Ticketmaster, Toronto Star, Universal Music Canada, and Warner Music Canada.
Running from May 6-11, the event will span 40+ venues across Toronto and showcase 100+ emerging and established artists.
