Now in its 16th year, North by Northeast Music Festival and Conference (NXNE) has become the Canadian festival destination for new and emerging talent—unsigned bands, indie favourites, and major-label headlining artists alike. Seen as the most anticipated summer music event in Canada, NXNE has cemented itself as an essential showcase opportunity for the best in new music.
For five days and nights the NXNE Music Festival offers the hottest music and the freshest music-related ideas—all within a few km of each other. NXNE 2009 presented over 600 international, national and local acts at 50 official festival stages in downtown Toronto’s famous club district. More than 250,000 music fans attended the festival, with thousands of industry professionals taking part in conference sessions and thousands more fans at the concurrent NXNE Film Festival.
Many performers have played NXNE on their way to major worldwide breakthroughs. Hotly tipped buzz bands and soon-to-be-discovered gems join international touring acts, making NXNE eclectic and exciting.
Festival alumni include:
Black Lips // Matt and Kim // Broken Social Scene // GZA // No Age // The Cool Kids // HEALTH // Crystal Antlers // The Sonics // King Khan & The Shrines // Feist // Swervedriver // Monotonix // MC5 // Television // Kid Cudi // Dinosaur Jr. // Soundtrack of Our Lives // New York Dolls // DFA 1979 // Buzzcocks //Sufjan Stevens // The Dears // Dillinger Four // Mika Miko // Pere Ubu // Evan Dando // Black Rebel Motorcycle Club // My Morning Jacket // Peaches // Golden Triangle // These are Powers // Japanther // The Death Set // Ninjasonik // Ted Leo & The Pharmacists // Youth Brigade // Redd Kross // The Duke Spirit // We Are Wolves // The Homosexuals // Experimental Dental School // Tyvek // Pterodactyl // Aids Wolf // The Stills // Blue Rodeo // Great Lake Swimmers // Fake Blood // Hidden Cameras // Hercules & Love Affair // Ron Sexsmith // Mooney Zuzuki // Apostle of Hustle // Sloan // Peanut Butter Wolf // Money Mark // Bran Van 3000 // Sheek Louch // Brant Bjork // Alejandro Escovedo // Silversun Pickups // Lightspeed Champion // Mr Lif // K OS // Wintersleep // Xavier Rudd // K’naan // Kathleen Edwards // Rock Plaza Central // Freeway
… plus thousands & thousands more.
The NXNE Conference draws over 2,300 industry delegates for celebrity interviews, networking sessions, and music-business panels. Demo-listening and mentoring sessions give participants straight, one-on-one opinions and answers from successful artists and industry professionals. Past guests include Police drummer Stewart Copeland, head Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten, songwriters Steve Earle and Bruce Cockburn, Peaches, Patti Smith, Thomas Dolby and Stones’ ex-guru Andrew Loog Oldham.
Running concurrently, the NXNE Film Festival screens 40 of the year’s best music-related features, shorts, documentaries, and experimental films. It’s very well attended by film directors (Don Letts, Guy Maddin) and producers – as well as by film aficionados – so has become a key industry networking opportunity.
Correspondents from international media like the BBC, Vanity Fair, the New York Times, pitchfork.com, and Fused UK cover festival showcases alongside influential music bloggers, television stations, radio programmers, podcasters, filmmakers, and Canadian journalists. Over 600 accredited media covered last year’s NXNE festival.
NXNE 2010 submissions are open from October 1, 2009 until January 31, 2010. We welcome music in a wide variety of genres, eg Rock, Garage, Punk, Reggae, DJ, Folk, Hip Hop, Goth, Americana, Dance, Ambient, Metal, Bluegrass, Electronic, Singer-Songwriter, R&B, Acoustic, Alternative, and simply Bedroom 4-Tracker.
For early applicants it’s just $25 to get your act on stage for Canada’s premier music festival and conference ($35.00 from Jan 1, 2010 to Jan 31, 2010).
Testimonials:
“The NXNE experience was one of the most magical events for The Soundtrack of our lives… Toronto is always the place to be when it comes to interesting entertainment. And the people are almost as beautiful as the Swedes…”
- Ebbot, The Soundtrack of our Lives
“NXNE is an exciting combination of indie music and a film lover’s gourmet feast. We had a great time and we would love to come back.”
- Stewart Copeland
“You guys ruled! Thanks for all the love. NXNE is the jumpoff fa sho!”
- Heathcliff Berru, manager, GZA
“It was perfect”
- Melissa Auf Der Maur
“It was great to be able to participate in NXNE, as a performer and as the celebrity interview.”
- Bruce Cockburn
“Thousands of artists showcased by NXNE directly to key music and film executives. This is where you bring your entertainment vehicle if you want serious industry attention.”
- Rob Halford, Judas Priest
“Toronto’s multicultural mix provides the perfect backdrop for NXNE’s eclectic choice of music films.”
- Don Letts, director, Rock it to Rio
“North by Northeast is one of the best gatherings on music and music people I’ve ever attended.”
- Danny Goldberg, former manager of Nirvana, Hole, the Beastie Boys
Press:
“the best in new music and film from the indie scene”
- BBC Radio 2 (UK)
“…simply too much cool stuff going on…”
- the Toronto Star
“ (a) bar-hopping bonanza”
- the Toronto Sun
“A musical smorgasbord of cutting edge music washed down with Bloody Caesar cocktails. Sound fun? You better believe it is!”
- Fused Magazine (UK)
“Music did take over.”
- The Austinist
