DAY 1: Thursday March 19, 2026 @ Lula Lounge
9:15am: Registration
10:00am: Opening Remarks
Jonathan Bunce + host Emilie Hanskamp
10:15am: Middle Power: Inside Canada-EU Export Pipelines
This panel will discuss Canada-EU music export initiatives that will be of interest to artists, presenters, and industry. It will talk about current partnerships between Canadian and European festivals, as well as the role of diasporic communities in music networks, and will be of particular interest to artists looking to break into the EU touring market.
Panelists: Sebastian Buccioni (Estonian Music Week, Toronto/Tallinn EE), Trisha Carter (Canadian Independent Music Association, Toronto), Gugai MacNamara (Róisín Dubh / Galway International Arts Festival, Galway IE), Bob Van Heur (Le Guess Who? Festival, Utrecht NL)
Moderator: Jutta Brendemuhl (Goethe-Institut Toronto)
11:30am: Meet Toronto’s Persian Underground Scene
This artist and presenter-centred panel puts the spotlight on the exciting independent Persian electronic and experimental music scene in Toronto, drawing insights on navigating underground diaspora music genres, especially during times of global unrest.
Panelists: Salar Ansari (Detroit US), Cinna Peyghamy (Paris FR), Mahmood Schricker (Link Music Lab, Toronto)
Moderator: Jennie Punter (Musicworks, Wavelength Board of Directors, Toronto)
12:15pm: Lunch
1:00pm: Radio Silence? The Future of Music Media
What are genres in the age of streaming? With traditional arts and music coverage all but dried up, and music blogs an endangered species, this panel brings together media professionals to explore the future of both critical discourse and review coverage around independent music.
Panelists: Cam Gordon (author, Track Changes, Toronto), Kwende Kefentse (Memetic Media, Ottawa), Brandon Stosuy (The Creative Independent, Brooklyn NY), Melissa Vincent (freelance journalist, Toronto/London UK)
Moderator: Emilie Hanskamp (freelance journalist, @emilie.theaux, Toronto)
2:00pm: Self-Employed, Self-Care: DIY Music Entrepreneurship (powered by Wave)
What does it really take to be a music entrepreneur? This panel unpacks the realities of being a freelancer or small business owner, plus insights on financial literacy and wellness. Presented in partnership with Wave, a Canadian digital financial services platform.
Panelists: Misha Artebyakin (DROM Taberna, Toronto), Lawrence Levinson (Wave HQ, Toronto), Bee Ramesh (Cartel Madras/Birthday Cake Records/FRNRZ Media, Toronto), Amanda VanDenBrock (Psychotherapist, Toronto)
Moderator: Liisa Ladouceur (freelance media producer)
3:00pm: Sharing is Caring: DIY Workshop Hour
During this time delegates will have a chance to make new connections, meet guests from out of town, and engage with new ideas in the community. We will be joined by our friends from Wave, who’ll be sharing info about their Canadian digital finance platform used by small businesses and entrepreneurs.
4:00pm: Networking Hour
DAY 2: Friday March 20 @ Lula Lounge
9:15am: Registration
10:00am: Opening Remarks
Jonathan Bunce + host Emilie Hanskamp
10:10am: Keynote with Mark Davyd: Advocating for Grassroots Music Venues
UK charity the Music Venue Trust has led the way for grassroots music venues worldwide — even popularizing the term — through innovative, industry-disruptive projects such as the Own Our Venues campaign and their push for a Grassroots Levy on major arenas. The Keynote will be followed by a fireside chat with Andrew Cash, President and CEO of the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), the voice of Canada’s independent music sector.
Speaker: Mark Davyd (Music Venue Trust, London UK), Andrew Cash (CIMA)
11am: Pulse Check on Canada’s Festivals + Touring Landscape
What’s the current state of Canada’s festival landscape, and what does it mean for touring artists and the recording industry? This panel gathers presenters from a range of Canadian music festivals to share insights from the ground. The panel will explore how economic shifts, audience trends, programming and production considerations are shaping festival planning, and what artists, labels, and managers should keep in mind when planning tours and navigating the touring circuit.
Panelists: David Barnard (Department of Canadian Heritage, Toronto), Julie Fowler (BC Music Festival Collective, Penticton BC), Shuvanjan Karmaker (EVERYSEEKER, Halifax – Kjipuktuk), Colleen Krueger (Music Calgary / Landlocked MGMT, Calgary), Daniel Seligman (POP Montreal, Montreal)
Moderator: Moira DeMorest (Kingston Music Office)
12:15pm: Lunch
1:00pm: Curating with Authenticity
The Canadian music industry has made strides in recent years to better reflect the changing demographics of audiences, artists, and music professionals. This panel engages presenters and artists to explore how curation in the independent music sector can help create more seats at the table – and space on stage – for equity-deserving communities.
Panelists: Tiffany Fukuma (UNESCO, Sarajevo BA), Daniela Nardi (TEMPO Fest, Toronto), Cheldon Paterson (SlowPitchSound, Toronto), Rachel Weldon (Debaser, Ottawa)
Moderator: Menon Dwarka (MPD Culture Consultants)
2:00pm: City of Toronto Music Update
The City of Toronto Music Office will provide an overview on their work to support the local music sector, as well as the Toronto Music Advisory Committee (TMAC), policy initiatives, highlights from the Music Strategy, and opportunities for feedback from the public, artists, and wider industry. This presentation will be followed by a town hall-style discussion.
Presenters: Mike Tanner (City of Toronto) and more
3:00pm: Location, Location…? The role of place in modern music
Iconic festivals and indie labels have often been associated with places, from Glastonbury and the Isle of Wight to Sub Pop in Seattle and Merge Records in Chapel Hill. In the digital age, is location still important in driving narrative? Does where you’re from still matter? This panel will explore how some festivals and labels are still keeping things local while thinking globally.
Panelists: Michaël Bardier (Heavy Trip/OK LÀ festival, Montreal), Lauren Down (End of the Road Festival, London UK), Grettel Killing (Tallinn City of Music, Tallinn EE), Jesse Northey (Victory Pool, Toronto)
Moderator: Eryn Maloney (University of Toronto)
4:00pm: Networking Hour
