Canada is well-known for its stability, and its reputation in the music industry is no exception. With a 1.5% overall revenue increase in 2024 that upped the country’s earnings to US $660.3m, Canada persists as a reliable global player. 

Here are the highlights:

  • Streaming takes up the lion’s share of the Canadian market, with Spotify dominating paid streaming and YouTube’s free tier with ads allowing for global penetration.
  • Canada is split into two musical ecosystems: the French market and the English-speaking market.
  • Centred in Quebec — a city hosting nine out of ten of the country’s population of 22% French-speakers — the French market also serves the outside markets of France, Belgium and Switzerland.
  • Toronto has historically functioned as the home base of the English-speaking industry, as home to all of the country’s major headquarters and a number of the big indies — though in the digital age, this dominance is waning. 
  • Montreal is influenced by both Francophone and Anglophone tendencies, making it the most advantageous for cross-market reach. 
  • Edmonton is also home to a flourishing underground scene, pioneered by artists like Homeshake, Mac Demarco and rapper Cadence Weapon. 
  • The country music renaissance in Canada is blazing ahead — with US artists like Zach Bryan and Bailey Zimmerman reaching the tops of the Canadian charts. Canadian-based Punjabi pop and hip-hop are also rapidly surging worldwide. 
  • Canada’s live music scene is booming, with many small yet iconic venues going strong — Hugh’s Room in Toronto, The Blacksheep Inn in Wakefield, and Yardbird Suite in Alberta are all well-loved local haunts.

How to break in Canada?

Get festive. Playing secondary and regional Canadian festivals is one of the most effective ways to build early name recognition. “Genre-focused festivals such as Boots & Hearts, VELD, Lasso, All My Friends Fest, and the Winnipeg Folk Festival can serve as market-defining opportunities,” says senior director of digital strategy at Nettwerk John Fielding.

Broadcast your horizons. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is a key influence, as “the most national media that really gets to every corner of Canada,” says Michael Powell, head of A&R at Arts & Crafts Productions. Notable national radio stations include Bell Media, Cogeco, Rogers, Pattison and Stingray. 

Use emotional regioning. Canada is not a one-size-fits-all market by any means. Consider locality-specific campaigns to the same tune of Carsen Grey’s Spotify Global Indigenous Playlist takeover, which took Canadian Indigenous music to a global platform.

For the scoop on budget predictions, top venues, an eye on influencers and more, check out Music Ally’s full Canada Country Profile.