Who We Are

North by Northeast (NXNE) is three events in one:

• Canada’s #1 showcase for new independent music, where fans can catch great local and international performers at intimate venues
• A film festival where music is the star, with music-related features, documentaries, and shorts
• An industry conference featuring celebrity interviews as well as panels and information exchanges for artists and music-biz professionals

North by Northeast 14 takes over downtown Toronto June 12-15, 2008. For four days and nights on the cusp of summer, NXNE will entertain close to 100,000 people. The Music Festival will showcase over 500 performers on stages at 40 of the city’s coolest clubs. The Film Festival will screen the year’s best music-related cinema. And the Conference will bring music celebs to Toronto for in-depth interview sessions (yes, you can attend!) and host discussions in which the future of the music business reveals itself.

During the festival, Toronto throws open its heart and its beer fridges to fans from around the world. Bars serve booze till 4 am nightly (yes, four), so those with the stamina—or the right pharmaceutical cocktails—can stay fully lubricated in a crazed quest to get maximum blast from this explosive event.

A conference that’s not like being at school: At NXNE, we remember what it’s like to struggle to stay awake while someone’s speaking…there are drool strings bungee-jumping off our bottom lips, our heads are spastically jerking as we careen in and out of prurient dreams about our grade nine English teacher… Hell, it happens most times we watch network TV.

So here, friends, are the differences between the NXNE Conference and every other boring, talking-head-style presentation you’ve ever suffered through:

• NXNE gives you internationally known cool geezers like Stewart Copeland, Johnny Rotten, Steve Earle, and Patti Smith.
• NXNE panels cut through the bullshit and tell indie musicians what they need to know to keep their careers relevant deep into the 21st century – no matter how much it pisses off industry dinosaurs
• Over 2,000 delegates (artists and music industry professionals) sit in on and take part in interviews, round-table discussions, demo listening and mentoring sessions that generate essential info and opinions from key industry pros.
• All this listening, thinking and shmoozing is thirsty work, so every NXNE conference session is licensed.

It’s a must-do event for anyone involved in music, from young artists to veteran execs.


History
North by Northeast first rolled out in 1995, conceived as a sister festival to the South by Southwest Festival & Conference in Austin, Texas. Since then, NXNE has grown each year, with last year’s festival being the biggest yet. It’s a feeding frenzy for fans, a must-do for performers, and a vital gathering for international music & film industry execs.