Corina Diaz

Canadian Music Spotlight - ADVICE How to Get Your Act Booked for Summer Festivals Your talent got you this far — but strategy is what gets you on stage. Summer festival season is the heartbeat of the live music calendar. From Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza to Osheaga, Calgary Stampede, and RBC Bluesfest, thousands of stages light up across North America every year — and every one of them needs artists to fill the lineup. The question isn't whether opportunities exist. It's whether you're positioning yourself to land them. Read more ... https://lnkd.in/g2EvYfj6 #livemusic #summerfestivals #festivals #liveperformance #canadian

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We’re at a crossroads for AI and creation. And the choices we make now will define the future. This became crystal clear at yesterday’s panel discussion on Music Communities in the Era of AI at #MontreuxJazzFestival. Two things struck me deeply during the discussion (so rich and eye-opening that I can only reflect on a small part of it). Technology must serve creation, not try to replace it. The residents at Montreux —from Islandman’s psychedelic Turkish jazz to Aino Salto’s Icelandic vibes to Wet Enough’s powerful tempo—each brought something irreplaceable: their own universe, their own musical footprint. Each of them is different and somehow connected to one another. Made Kuti’s brilliant presentation of Fela Kuti’s afrobeat music showed how important it is to understand the history and the complexity of influences, of experiences that shape creative expression and contribute to its evolution. AI could be a great opportunity to explore creative processes more deeply. Ethical training should be non-negotiable. The question isn’t just whether AI can create music, it’s how the large models are trained. Music works aren’t just data points—they’re complete, unique creations. If we build on consent and remuneration, AI becomes a resource for connection, analysis, and deeper understanding. If we don’t, we undermine the entire ecosystem. The #HumanArtistryCampaign has been created to support fundamental principles that place human creation and artistry at the core of the discussions on the future of AI. Montreux workshops and conversations revealed something profound: jazz musicians are connected to their ancestors, to each other, to centuries of musical knowledge spanning classical to electro. Technology should help them preserve and develop these precious links. Thank you Montreux Jazz Festival Stéphanie-Aloysia Moretti Viviane Rychner Raouf Orphy Robinson MBE Vincent Favrat Xavier Oberson

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Thanks, Eileen Schellhorn, for this very clear and concise explanation of what is legally required, tax-form-wise, for U.S. production companies that are hiring Canadian voice over talent. TL;DR The I-9 and W-8 BEN are only required for work done in the U.S. Not needed if the performer is located in Canada. I think many production companies are using contracts for voiceover that are normally meant only for screen actors, and without realizing it, they are excluding a large pool of incredible talent! #CanadianVO #voiceover #voicetalent #voiceoactor #voiceartist

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Soproq’s rebrand to PANORAMA feels like more than a name change. It’s hopefully a continuing a shift in how neighboring rights are being handled in Canada. By teaming up with CIMA and Connect, they’re clearly aiming to simplify royalty collection for indie rights holders and streamline licensing for platforms. In a space that’s long been fragmented this could be a real win for indie artists trying to navigate the system. If it leads to faster, clearer payouts and less admin? It works for me.

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How to Build a Video Content Strategy That Actually Grows Your Business Most businesses that invest in video production do not have a video content strategy. They have a list of videos they want to make. Those are not the same thing — and the difference shows up in whether the content produces measurable business results or simply fills a hard drive. A video content strategy starts with a clear answer to three questions: who is the audience, what do we need them to believe or do, and where will they encounter this content?...

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🎬 Our new Impact Organizer Guide is live! https://lnkd.in/gnUh5fXE The Impact team at National Film Board of Canada has developed this practical resource designed to help organizers turn film screenings into meaningful catalysts for change in their communities. Whether you’re hosting a first screening or building a long‑term engagement strategy, the guide offers support at every step, including: ✅ How to prepare and manage the logistics of a film screening 📣 Tips for promoting your event and reaching the right audiences 💬 Ideas for deepening impact through discussion, moderation, and post‑screening Q&As 🌍 Ways to transform a film screening into a moment for collective reflection and action This guide is part of our broader commitment to deepening engagement and amplifying the social impact of documentary film. As always, massive thanks to Melissa Haughton Caroline Coutts Gabrielle de Palma Demers Léa Le Cudennec Florence Francois (elle/she/her) Jolène Lessard for their expertise, passion, and creativity.

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Community Request: Analysis to Tease Out Year-over-Year Steam CCU Trends 🎮 What this is For a while now, folks have asked if I could break down Steam data to normalize the huge volume of annual new game releases and identify trends in breakout performance. The question: "Out of the 1,000… 5,000… now 20,000+ new games released each year on Steam, how many actually go big? And is that number increasing?" 📊 What I did • Pulled every game released on Steam by year (excluding 2025 since it's in progress). • For each year, I measured how many new titles hit specific peak CCU thresholds. • Then I calculated: 1. The number of new games by year that hit each threshold 2. The percentage of all games released that year that hit each threshold 3. The normalized rate, i.e., how many games per 10,000 releases hit those marks 📈 Key thresholds analyzed 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 50,000, and 100,000 peak CCU 📌 A few interesting takeaways • Only 683 of the 20,584 new games released on Steam in 2024 even hit 100 peak CCU • Just 52 hit 10,000, only 16 hit 50,000, and a mere 7 reached 100,000 • In 2024, only: - 1% hit 1,000 peak CCU - 0.25% hit 10,000 - 0.03% hit 100,000 → In other words, only 0–3 out of every 10,000 new games hit 100,000 peak CCU in most years • Two of the middle years (2012–2013) are interesting outliers: only ~400 new games released each year and CS:GO and Dota 2 dominated 📊 The last 3 years (2022-2024) are very consistent in terms of % of new games hitting different peak CCU marks • ~3% of new games hit 100 peak CCU • ~1.5% hit 500 • ~1% hit 1,000 • ~0.4% hit 5,000 • ~0.25% hit 10,000 • ~0.075% hit 50,000 • ~0.03% hit 100,000 🧠 Bottom line Don’t stress too much about how many new games are released on Steam. In most years for new titles: • Only 500-600 even hit 100 peak CCU • Only 200–300 hit 500–1,000 peak CCU • Only ~50 hit 10,000 • And just ~5-7 hit 100,000 📝 One last note You might think there are more high-CCU titles, than what I am sharing here, based on the Steam Charts. You're right, but this analysis is only for new games by year of release. Games with ongoing success are only counted once, in the year they launched. Hope you enjoy digging into the data!

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Lisa Kudrow and ‘The Comeback’ Satirize AI at SXSW’s Season 3 Premiere: ‘Everybody Is Panicked and Desperate’ - Yahoo News Canada https://lnkd.in/gyHtDxDb

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A Canadian writer recently warned: ‘AI is coming for voice actors… artists everywhere should take note.’ - Tajja Isen As a researcher and creative leader, that line echoes much of what I’ve seen—interpersonal justice matters as much as technology. Without fair dialogue and agency, innovation becomes coercion. Here are four things we now expect to be part of voice actor contracts: 1) Transparent communication with creatives about how AI will be used. 2) Opt-in consent for any data, voice, or likeness usage. 3) Fair compensation models that recognize all contributors—including those behind the scenes. 4) Inclusive decision-making where artists, not just tech or legal teams, have a seat at the table.

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ANNOUNCEMENT 🎙️ Face Value is a 5 part news series that helps break down the confusion around Indigenous identity in the Canadian music industry. Tune into APTN National News today, JULY 1st 5PM CDT to watch a full newscast of the FACE VALUE series - featuring interviews with bands like Polaris long-list nominated ‘Ribbon-Skirt’, Leonard Sumner, Alan Greyeyes of Sakihiwe Festival and more. The stories live forever on a YouTube playlist & linked here: https://lnkd.in/gfbDEPJu Special thanks to Urban Shaman Gallery, No Fun Club Music Studio, Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), Indigenous Journalists Association, and hugely - all of the kind and supportive staff at APTN News. I truly believe this subject deserves more care in the media - and to be led by Indigenous voices. With a preference to see genuine healing take place in our communities rather than overnight progress - informed decisions are made when we make the time to talk, discuss - sharing our thoughts and experiences in a healthy way. Miigwetch, - Veronica Blackhawk

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74% of Canadian players believe video games unite people from different backgrounds. That's one of the standout stats from the Power of Play 2025 report released by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada last week. It speaks directly to what many of us working in this space have witnessed firsthand, which is that video games are one of the most accessible, inclusive, and scalable forms of shared experience available today. At Esport Canada, and the Fédération québécoise de sports électroniques, we’ve seen how that sense of community crosses the boundaries of geography, language, and age. It’s part of what drives our work to formalize esports within Canada, from local programs to our national and international efforts. This growing recognition that games connect people, foster creativity, and build transferable skills is also what underpins our recent collaborations, such as the Quebec Esports Federation’s guide for parents and our partnership with the Virtual Guardians Foundation to promote safe, balanced play. If 3/4 of Canadians already recognize the unifying power of games, the question becomes how can we turn that shared belief into structured recognition, policy support, and sustained investment. Resharing the ESAC's post for anyone who hasn’t seen the full report yet:

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If you’re interested in how AI is intersecting with the music industry, I encourage you to check out today’s piece in The Globe and Mail by Josh O'Kane.  https://lnkd.in/eVEHV8SB The story covers concerns from Canadian artists about protecting human creativity and guarding against AI slop that crowds out human artists on platforms. Josh quotes me on the importance of licensing AI services in order to address many of these concerns. Recent agreements between the biggest players in the industry (major and indie alike) and AI platforms are the first steps to moving from the wild west, where everything is stolen, to a digital marketplace where the music ingested and created generates value for artists. Also in the story, SOCAN’s Jennifer Brown makes it clear that our industry has the infrastructure to handle this transition, and one of Canada’s most plugged-in people on all of this, Beatdapp’s Morgan Hayduk “hammers” home the key point: AI is here. It’s up to us to use it properly.

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Looking into getting into iGaming in Canada? The rules are changing and I'm in the trenches of so many new movements across the country. Want to know more? DM me! Canada’s New Interactive Digital Media Rules, Why iGaming Should Pay Attention On March 1, 2024, Canada quietly introduced major policy changes under the Investment Canada Act (ICA) that could reshape the future of iGaming. These new rules expand the definition of Interactive Digital Media (IDM) to include online casino games, poker, esports betting, social casino, and other interactive platforms. That means iGaming is now firmly within Canada’s “cultural business” category, triggering much lower thresholds for foreign investment review and much higher scrutiny when foreign-controlled capital is involved. Why this matters now: Ontario’s iGaming market has exploded, $200B in wagers and an $8B industry in just three years. As the sector grows, the Government of Canada is signalling it wants more Canadian control, Canadian IP, and safeguards against “hostile” foreign influence. Key takeaways for iGaming: ⚡ Lower review thresholds mean even smaller deals can trigger ICA reviews. ⚡ National security risk factors now include online chat, streaming, and in-game purchases, all common in iGaming platforms. ⚡ Canadian-first IP and governance will be critical to passing “net benefit” reviews. ⚡ Smaller studios and startups that rely on foreign funding may face new barriers unless they structure deals carefully. In an $8B market that is still expanding, these policies aren’t just a regulatory footnote, they’re a playbook shift. If you’re an operator, supplier, or investor in Canada’s iGaming ecosystem, it’s time to assess your structure, partnerships, and compliance approach before the next big move. Things are about to change! #iGaming #Canada #InvestmentCanadaAct #InteractiveDigitalMedia #OntarioGaming #CanadianTech #DigitalEconomy #casino #onlinecasino https://lnkd.in/gf8ByT8v

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A new Canadian report, Soundcheck: Mental Health in the Canadian Music Industry (linked below), surveyed over 1,250 music professionals and the findings are hard to ignore. The report is not just about artists. It is crew, managers, venue staff, executives, media, educators. They've done great work including the entire industry. 🧠 86% report experiencing mental health challenges themselves 💸 84% cite inconsistent income as a major stress factor ⚠️ 43–53% report feeling life is not worth living at times 🏢 Only 10% feel their workplace has real mental health support in place The Canadian music ecosystem is small. The community is strong but so is the pressure. We talk about the long game in this industry. The long game only works if the people are still there to build it. Link - https://lnkd.in/d9bKvUbs #MusicIndustry #ArtistDevelopment #LabelServices #CanadianMusic #MusicMarketing #MentalHealth

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DREAM GIG.  After years of what I’ll generously call “ongoing research” (read: playing way too many video games), I had the chance to produce and direct a seven-part documentary series on Québec City’s thriving video game industry for Bell Fibe TV1: PIXEL CITY. The series, based on an original concept by Charles Chartrand and later written by Charles Anderson, premieres today on Fibe TV1 and the Fibe TV app. Over the course of production, we were given rare access to studios like Ubisoft Québec, Nine Dots Studio, and Cégep Limoilou, where we met the artists, designers, programmers, storytellers, teachers, and wonderfully obsessive humans who quietly build entire worlds from scratch. What struck me most wasn’t just the technology — it was the passion. The care. The artistry. The endless pursuit of getting every tiny detail right so millions of players can lose themselves in these universes. It’s part cinema, part engineering, part psychology… and often a little magic. As someone who genuinely loves gaming culture, this project meant a great deal to me personally. Spending time with these creators and getting a glimpse behind the curtain was an absolute privilege. Huge thanks to everyone who welcomed us into their studios and trusted us with their stories, and a special thank you to Marie-Claude Canuel and the Bell Fibe TV1 team for their confidence and support throughout this adventure. PIXEL CITY launches today. I'm still slightly amazed this counts as work. @https://lnkd.in/ebrFiBM4 @https://lnkd.in/eFGPvKug @jackhackel.com

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