TORONTO (CelebrityAccess) — Toronto-based entertainment company Loft Entertainment Media and Los Angeles-based Oak View Group have acquired Canadian Music Week.
Neill Dixon, president of Canadian Music Week, announced his retirement on Monday (June 3) at the opening of this year’s CMW in Toronto.
CMW will continue to be headquartered in Toronto with upcoming dates and details for the 2025 event to be announced shortly.
“It has been an incredible journey to see Canadian Music Week grow from a small gathering of music lovers to one of the most influential music festivals and conferences in the world,” said Dixon in a press release. “I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished and deeply grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey.”
CMW was launched in 1983 by David Farrell and his wife Patricia Dunn-Farrell–then co-publishers of the weekly Canadian music trade, The Record. It began as The Record Music Industry Conference and was modeled on competitor RPM Weekly’s “Three Days in March” conferences in the late ‘60s and ‘70s.
Dixon’s marketing company Chart Toppers was initially hired in 1983 to book speakers and organize panels for the annual event. Over the next few years, the convention morphed into Canadian Music Week, and Dixon became a co-partner a couple of years after it began.
Dixon had opened Chart Toppers in 1985 to handle a wide variety of functions in the music industry. Among Chart Toppers’ consulting assignments were working with the Juno Awards, Molson Breweries, Pepsi-Cola, the Ontario Lottery Corporation and others.
When Dixon took over CMW fully in 1993, he transformed the event in order to address the evolving global reach of the music industry.
What Dixon achieved with CMW amidst ongoing seismic disturbances in the music industry, which transformed the conference multiple times, was largely because of his ability to continually reset his annual event to tune into all sectors of the music, radio and technological sectors.
“As I step aside and retire, I am confident that CMW is in excellent hands with Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group,” continued Dixon in the press statement. “Their passion, vision, and resources will ensure that CMW continues to thrive and evolve. I look forward to seeing the festival reach new heights under their leadership.”
Randy Lennox, founder of Loft Entertainment Media, told CelebrityAccess that “Loft is proud to partner with Oak View to acquire Canadian Music Week. We’re standing on the shoulders of what Neill Dixon has built over decades, and we can’t wait to start our exciting expansion plans.”
For more than four decades, the highly focused Lennox has been a visionary figure within Canada’s music industry.
Lennox began his career with MCA Records of Canada in 1978, working in the mailroom—for free. He soon became a customer service representative. By 1981, he had been promoted to Ontario branch manager; and became senior VP/GM in 1993, handling the company’s day-to-day domestic business.
Next, as the CEO of Universal Music Canada from 1998 to 2015, Lennox played a pivotal role in launching the careers of The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, Drake, Justin Bieber, and Alessia Cara. He then served as the president and CEO of Bell Media from 2015 to 2021, leading a team of 7,800 people and creating strategic partnerships with iHeart Media, HBO Max, Starz, Vice, and BNN Bloomberg. He also built Canada’s subscriber streaming service, Crave, and spearheaded Bell’s acquisition of Pinewood Studios and Just For Laughs.
As executive producer, Lennox has overseen film documentaries of Canadians Robbie Robertson, David Foster, and Buffy Saint-Marie.
It was Lennox as executive producer who also oversaw the Canadian music industry’s 1996 four-CD box set, “Oh What A Feeling,” and its four-CD follow-up “Oh What A Feeling 2” in 2001. The two comprehensive retrospectives of Canadian music raised $9.2 million (Canadian) for Canadian charities, The Safehaven Project for Community Living, Starlight Foundation, and MusiCounts, the music education charity associated with CARAS and the Juno Awards.
Lennox was inducted into the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame in 2010. He was also the recipient of the 2017 Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award, which recognizes individuals who have made an impact on the Canadian music industry.
In 2023, Lennox founded Loft Entertainment Media, a music management and television content entertainment company that invests “in culture-defining talent and creative partners to tell their stories.”
“Our vision (for CMW) is to enhance the festival experience, creating new opportunities for artists and attendees alike while maintaining the core values that have made CMW a beloved event,” explained Lennox in the acquisition press release.
Oak View Group, founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015, is a leading developer of major new venues, either open or under development across four continents.
OVG is also the owner of Pollstar.
OVG opened its Canada division in 2022 with the $280 million (Canadian) renovation of Hamilton’s 19,000-seat FirstOntario Centre (formerly Copps Coliseum) as its first major effort in the country.
Led by OVG and the Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group, the FirstOntario Centre upgrade will see the city-owned facility stripped to its core over the next 13 months while adding premium seating, improved acoustics and artist lounges. The focus will be on heightened technology and sustainable operations.
“Oak View Group is delighted to expand our investment in the Canadian market and partner with Loft Entertainment in acquiring Canadian Music Week,” said Oak View Group’s Tom Pistore. “This acquisition, along with our Hamilton Arena Project, aligns perfectly with our mission to elevate live entertainment experiences across the globe.”
