Billboard Canada Power Players returns for 2026, spotlighting the executives driving the country’s music business and shaping its global impact.
An extension of Billboard’s celebrated Power 100, the list recognizes the most powerful leaders across sectors whose work is influencing how the industry operates and grows.
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The celebration returns to Toronto on June 10 as part of Billboard Canada’s ongoing partnership with NXNE, placing Power Players at the centre of one of the Canadian music industry’s most important music conferences and festivals.
Nominations are officially open. The deadline to apply is April 17, 2026.
Submissions are invited from across all areas of the industry. Candidates will be evaluated based on their impact over the past year using various metrics, including (but not limited to) leadership, market share, revenues and contributions to the wider music ecosystem.
The list is peer-nominated and selected by the Billboard Canada editorial team, with honourees spanning labels, publishing, live, streaming & radio, creative media, management and more.
“Canada hits above its weight when it comes to music — both the artists and the people shaping their success behind the scenes,” says Richard Trapunski, National Editor of Billboard Canada. “It’s always energizing to gather these impactful people together and celebrate their success and influence.”
Find the nomination form and more info here. – Billboard Canada
Spotify Reveals How Much Canadian Artists Earned on the Platform in 2025
Spotify says that Canadian artists have generated over $544 million in royalties from the platform in 2025 — a 19% year-over-year jump and a nearly 60% increase since 2021.
That’s according to the company’s latest Loud & Clear streaming report, designed to provide “artists and fans insights and transparency when it comes to Canada’s music streaming economy.”
More than 370 Canadian artists have each generated over $100,000 on the platform in 2025, Spotify claims — a figure that has nearly doubled since 2018. In addition, over 100 Canadian artists surpassed $500,000, the report says, and nearly 70 artists reached $1 million.
“It represents real income that helps artists build careers from the ground up, whether they’re in a bedroom in Calgary, a studio in Montreal or a basement in Halifax,” the report reads. “This growth shows that more artists than ever are building sustainable careers at every level.”
In comparison, Canada’s total recorded music revenue increased to 5.6%, reaching $957 million, per IFPI’s Global Music Report. According to the worldwide recording industry organization, streaming alone accounted for 4.5% of the country’s revenue, hitting $747 million.
The Canadian-centric Spotify data follows the global report released earlier this month, highlighting that over 13,800 artists generated $100,000 on the platform.
According to the streaming giant, artist discovery — at home and internationally — continues to fuel artist growth. Canadian acts were discovered by first-time listeners on Spotify more than 3.56 billion times last year. It’s only a slight drop, from 3.8 billion in 2024.
Notably, 92% of the earned royalties came from listeners outside of Canada, further highlighting how global audiences can contribute to an artist’s success.
In recent years, Spotify has faced criticism over its royalty share model, which pays artists based on the share of overall streams their music accounts for in a given period. Two years ago, the streamer altered its framework, stating songs with less than 1,000 annual streams would be demonetized.
The results come as Spotify joins other streaming services to oppose ‘Streaming Tax’ measures as part of the Online Streaming Act and pushes back against a new Quebec bill to prioritize French-language content on streaming platforms.
Read more here. — Heather Taylor-Singh
U.S. Congressman Targets Canada’s Online Streaming Act in New Bill
U.S. politicians are again targeting Canada’s Online Streaming Act.
Congressman Lloyd Smucker has introduced a new bill, titled the Protecting American Streaming and Innovation Act, that will investigate whether the Canadian legislation “discriminates against or burdens” U.S. companies.
If the investigation, completed by the United States Trade Representative (USTR), finds that this is true, they’re required to “take necessary retaliatory action,” which could include the implementation of tariffs in Canada.
“Digital trade plays a critical role in America’s economy, supporting high-paying jobs and exporting American values,” says Rep. Smucker in a news release statement on his website.
“Canada’s unfair policies stack the deck against U.S. companies, creators, and workers. This bill would protect American creators and companies while permitting mutually beneficial competition and innovation.”
The Online Streaming Act rolled out in 2023, but has yet to be fully implemented by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), becoming the subject of multiple legal disputes.
Notably, one of the legislation’s key updates was the federal broadcast regulator ordering major foreign streaming platforms such as Spotify, Amazon and Apple to make a 5% contribution toward Canadian content. The allocated funds would go towards established organizations and non-profits, including FACTOR Canada and Musicaction — but it didn’t get very far.
The decision — which would’ve cost the platforms an estimated $1.25 million each annually — received pushback from the major streamers, prompting them to appeal the base contributions. The payments have remained paused, but were a hot topic of conversation during the CRTC public hearings in September.
The streaming tax also received criticism from U.S. Congress, which has made it a hot political topic amongst international trade negotiations in the wake of Trump’s tariffs. 18 members of the U.S. Congress, including Smucker. The Congress signed a letter last summer, claiming the act “imposes discriminatory obligations and threatens additional obligations imminently is a major threat to our cross-border digital trade relationship.”
Read more here. – H.T.S.
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