Now in its 42nd year, Canadian Music Week is Canada’s leading annual entertainment event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country’s music, media and entertainment industries. Combining multifaceted information-intensive conferences; a trade exposition; awards shows and the nation’s largest new music festival which spans 6 nights of in-person and virtual performances (June 1 – 8, 2024) with hundreds of bands.

View 2024 CMW Music Festival Schedule

CMW Mentors Cafe

The MENTORS CAFE is one of the key centrepieces of Canadian Music Week’s initiative to bring attendees into an intimate ‘cafe-style environment’ with speakers willing to share their experiences and knowledge. It will be filled with industry players who are in attendance and speaking on a CMW panel. No appointment is needed, simply drop by to get advice from the finest people in this industry.

– Date (Mentors Cafe): June 3-5, 2024 | 11:15 am – 4:15 pm

– Location (Mentors Cafe): Regatta Room/Lobby Level in The Westin Harbour Castle Hotel

Meet Byron at Mentors Cafe

As a speaker of 2024 MENTORS CAFE, Byron Pascoe, partner & entertainment lawyer with Edwards Creative Law, is looking forward to chatting with you to help support your music career. Byron will be available on Monday, June 3 between 11:15 am – 12:15 pm. Please email info@edwardslaw.ca to arrange a 20-minute in-person meeting with Byron during Canadian Music Week.

Check out more about CMW Mentors Cafe

The festival will take place from May 24th to June 1st in Toronto, at TIFF Lightbox (350 King St.) as well as on the platform watch.insideout.ca with digital screenings running until June 5th. Edwards Creative Law is proud to be a sponsor of Inside Out Festival, and we look forward to seeing you during the 34th year of the festival!

View the Full 2024 Festival Program

Meet Entertainment Lawyer Michael Duboff at the Inside Out’s Industry Day

Join Michael Duboff, entertainment lawyer with Edwards Creative Law, for the panel ‘An Intro to Entertainment Law for Film & TV’ during the festival’s Industry Day on May 29th at 1pm. Michael will cover the topics: what is production council, main considerations when getting started on a film production, contracts, chain of title, main objective, video and music licensing consideration, clearances, releases and more. To meet with Michael to discuss your upcoming project, please email info@edwardslaw.ca to arrange a 20-minute in-person meeting at the event.

Learn more about Inside Out’s Industry Day

Join Byron Pascoe, partner & entertainment lawyer with Edwards Creative Law, for a MUSIC LAW 101 workshop to help support your music career. Byron will share his top tips and red flags for music agreements, management agreements, expectations, and general music law.

– Date (MUSIC LAW 101): THU MAY 30, 2024 | 6pm – 8pm

– Location (MUSIC LAW 101): The Spire • 82 Sydenham Street • Kingston, ON

Register for MUSIC LAW 101 (Free/RSVP)

Full events list of SPRING REVERB festival

Evolving technologies, such as artificial intelligence, are prompting accelerated changes in the creative and performing industries. The CLMA is bringing in experts to help you understand and leverage these tools in the live music sector. CLMA’s Tech Live, a series of three virtual panels, devoted to exploring the intersection of evolving technologies and live music through their creative usages, workplace optimization potential, and legal implications. Source: CLMA

Legal Implications Session

The Legal Implications Session tackles the critical topic of legal implications arising from the integration of evolving technologies in the live music sector. As the industry embraces artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality, new legal considerations emerge.

This session will feature professionals experienced in the area of the intersection of technology and entertainment law. Discussions will encompass intellectual property rights, data privacy concerns, licensing issues, and other legal challenges associated with the adoption of cutting-edge technologies in live music practices.

Edwards Creative Law’s entertainment lawyer Michael Duboff will be the moderator of this session. Join Michael for a deep dive into the legal landscape, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the potential challenges and opportunities that come with the technological evolution of the live music industry.

– Date & Time: Tuesday, May 14, 2024 – 12 pm ET

– Ticket Price: FREE for CLMA members, $49 for non-members.

Register Now

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) exists to promote the breadth and diversity of comics and what is considered comics as a legitimate medium of literary and artistic worth. They seek to promote the creators of these works in their broad and diverse voices for the betterment of the medium of comics and to reach as broad an audience as possible for them. Source: TCAF

This year’s Toronto Comic Arts Festival will take place on Saturday, May 11 between 9am—5pm and Sunday, May 12 between 10am—5pm at Toronto Reference Library.

Full schedule of free online and in-person programming

Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2024

Word Balloon Academy (WBA) is TCAF’s annual day of skills-building and career management programming for comics creators. WBA offers a free lineup of incredible programs, including panels and Q&As with leading creators, skill-building workshops, and roundtables with industry professionals.

Join Edwards Creative Law’s entertainment lawyer Michael Duboff for a conversational session “Creative Law 101” and Q&A on the fundamentals of being a comics creator when it comes to creative law, copyright, publishing agreements and more.

– Date and Time: Friday, May 10, 2024 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM EDT

– Event Location: Toronto Reference Library, Bluma Appel Salon (789 Yonge Street Toronto, ON M4W 2G8)

Check out the agenda and reserve a spot

This event presented by Artists’ Legal Advice Services (ALAS) in partnership with Diaspora Dialogues has been made possible in part through funding from the Toronto Arts Council.

– Date and Time: March 5, 2024 | 12:30pm

– Event Location: Zoom Meeting

Register Now

This second session—hosted by Mark Edwards (managing partner, entertainment lawyer, Edwards Creative Law), Michael Duboff (entertainment lawyer, Edwards Creative Law) and Brian Clasper (director of film financing and tax credits, Manitoba Film & Music)—will focus on production financing, including sources of funding, financing mechanism and structures; entities and organizations involved in production financing; cash flows and waterfalls; and a production case study.

– Date and Time: Wednesday, February 28, 2024 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. CST

– Event Location: Creative Manitoba (4th floor, 300-245 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg).

The session is free, however you must register to attend as space is limited. Participants will also have the option to participate virtually (via a live stream).

Register Now

Calling all independent music label managers and industry professionals in the world of indie music! Join CIMA’s exclusive webinar, in partnership with Edwards Creative Law and tailored specifically for CIMA membership, as we delve deep into the intricate world of music distribution with “Distribution Deals – A Guide for the Indies.” Photo Credit: Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA)

This keynote covers crucial topics such as the structure and expectations of distribution deals, the assessment of Major Label partnerships for independent labels, exploration of mid-tier distributors, and understanding the terms of distribution agreements. We’ll unravel the complexities, compare different distribution models, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages.

– Date/Time: Tuesday, November 28th, 2023. 1pm ET

– Location: Zoom (Free)

REGISTER HERE

Meet Byron and Burt at the Label Seminar

Whether you’re considering major labels (Foreign owned multinationals), mid-tier options, or DIY distribution with platforms like Merlin, this session equips independent labels with the insights needed to navigate the diverse landscape of distribution deals.

Edwards Creative Law Partner and Entertainment Lawyer Byron Pascoe and Entertainment Lawyer Burt Gidaro would love the opportunity to answer your questions.

In conjunction with the amazing list of speakers, panelists and moderators at the conference, the 2024 YMA Andra Sheffer Scholarship winner will be announced, the YMA AGM will occur and Board members elected, and finally the YMA Prix Jeunesse will be available online to showcase the 2023 Awards of Excellence material and the 2022 Prix Jeunesse International– Munich.

– Date: Tuesday, November 14, 2023

– Time: 8:30am-7pm

– Location: Corus Quay (25 Dockside Dr, Toronto, ON M5A 1B6)

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Meet Burt and Michael at the YMA Conference

More than 200 delegates are expected to attend this unique event, featuring leading experts who will address programming trends and provide insights into young people’s needs and interests. The lineup includes themed workshops, talks, screenings, discussions and meetings with prestigious guests from Canada and abroad.

Edwards Creative Law will be attending, and Entertainment Lawyers Burt Gidaro and Michael Duboff would love you an opportunity to meet you.

Burt and Michael’s presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, November 14, 2023, between 9:00am – 10:00am on the topic of “Artificial Intelligence in Production – Pros and Cons”.

Participants will have the option to participate in-person with opportunity to network with industry legal experts or virtually via a livestream. A light lunch and refreshments will be provided for in-person participants.

– Date: Tuesday, November 7, 2023

– Time: 12:30pm-2:45pm CST

– Location: Creative Manitoba classroom, 4th floor, 300-245 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg

REGISTER FOR THE EVENT

Meet Mark & Michael at the Lunch and Learn Sessions

Session One – Legal Considerations in Film Production: Development to Pre-Production

Overview: This session will focus on concepts including the role of legal counsel for productions, setting up a production company, copyright ownership & chain of title, working with other producers, production insurance and union/guild agreements.

Speakers: Mark Edwards, Managing Partner, Entertainment Lawyer and Michael Duboff, Entertainment Lawyer, Edwards Creative Law

Subsequent sessions will be announced soon and are expected to take place in mid-January and at the end of February in 2024. Session Two will focus on legal considerations for Production Financing with Session Three covering the period from Post-Production through Delivery.

Edwards Creative Law Managing Partner and Entertainment Lawyer Mark Edwards and Entertainment Lawyer Michael Duboff would love you an opportunity to meet you.