In Canada: Oasis Is Toronto Bound and Kilometre Acquires Catalog of Drake Producer

The hottest reunion tour of 2025 is coming to Toronto. Oasis will play the brand new Rogers Stadium on August 24 and 25, 2025. After the initial announcement, Oasis added the second night at Rogers Stadium with Live Nation citing “phenomenal demand.”

The North American leg, produced by Live Nation and SJM, will also bring Oasis to stadiums in Chicago, East Rutherford, Los Angeles and Mexico City with rock band Cage The Elephant as openers at every date.

Oasis last played in North America 16 years ago.

The band shared a statement: “America. Oasis is coming. You have one last chance to prove that you loved us all along.”

Oasis is the first band announced to play Rogers Stadium, the new 50,000 capacity venue in Toronto opening next summer. It was just announced last week, with Live Nation’s Erik Hoffman telling Billboard Canada that the idea for the new purpose-built live music venue was inspired specifically by one act, who otherwise might have skipped the city. It seems likely that act was Oasis, though more big announcements could be coming soon. – Rosie Long Decter

Kilometre Acquires the Catalogue of Producer Cardo, Including Hits by Drake, Kendrick Lamar and More

Kilometre Music Group has made a significant acquisition, bringing a No. 1 hit under their management.

The Canadian publishing company has acquired the catalogue of Drake producer Cardo, who collaborated on the massive single and Billboard Hot 100-topping “God’s Plan,” as well as hits like “Laugh Now, Cry Later” and “Wants and Needs.”

The 350-song catalogue also comes with Travis Scott’s 2016 hit “Goosebumps” and the Kid Cudi-featuring “Through the Late Night.” Cardo has also collaborated with Kendrick Lamar on tracks like the Drake-dissing “euphoria.” Other titles include “Slide” by H.E.R. and “Private Landing” by Don Toliver featuring Justin Bieber and Future.

“Thank you to my team, my lawyer and Kilometre for giving me an opportunity to buy a spaceship now,” said Cardo (Ronald Latour Jr.) of the deal.

Founded just three years ago by Canadian music veterans Michael McCarty and Rodney Murphy, Kilometre has made a name for itself in a period when catalogue acquisitions have become some of the hottest deals in the industry. In partnership with Barometer Capital Management Inc., the company created the Barometer Global Music Royalty Fund with a focus on investing in Canadian catalogues and “bringing home the rights to our most important music,” as McCarty put it at the time.

This deal brings Kilometre’s investment in music rights close to $150 million USD, the company says.

Kilometre manages 3,000 songs including 37 titles in Spotify’s Billions Club, including The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” which this year became the first song to hit four billion streams on the app. Other titles include The Weeknd’s “Save Your Tears,” “Starboy” and “Die For You,”; “Sunflower” by Post Malone; Drake’s “One Dance”; “Levitating” by Dua Lipa; and “Closer” by the Chainsmokers ft. Halsey. – RLD

Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Inducts Sarah McLachlan, Tom Cochrane, & More

The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) celebrated its 2024 class of inductees with a gala evening at Toronto’s famed Massey Hall on Saturday night (Sept. 28), presented by Amazon Music. Taking centre stage as new honorees were Blue Rodeo songwriters Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, Tom Cochrane, Sarah McLachlan and Diane Tell.

Cochrane launched the show, joined by his longtime guitarist Bill Bell for the political anthem “Lunatic Fringe.” Cochrane’s solo work and some classic material from his band Red Rider were later feted with tribute performances from Brett Emmons of The Glorious Sons (“Big League”) and Sam Roberts (“White Hot”). After being inducted by Triumph’s Gil Moore, Cochrane praised his loyal fans. “I wrote them, produced them with my friends and radio got them out to you in one permutation or another, but I realize, make no mistake about it, that you breathe life into these songs. Without you, they don’t exist,” he stressed.

To honour the now classic tunes of Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, country stars Tim Hicks and Tenille Townes performed “Til I Am Myself Again,” roots-rockers Adam Baldwin, Terra Lightfoot and Matt Mays jointly covered “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet,” soulful Toronto singer AHI reprised “Try” and Whitehorse and McLachlan teamed up on “Dark Angel,” a fitting choice since McLachlan guested on the original Blue Rodeo version. Cuddy and Keelor took the stage to perform the anthemic “Lost Together,” alongside several of the night’s guests.

McLachlan was serenaded by Metric’s Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw’s version of “I Will Remember You,” (first debuted on the Netflix series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off), Whitehorse’s take on “Sweet Surrender” and Lights’ version of “Building A Mystery.” Then, she joined Nelly Furtado in a surprise duet performance of “Angel.” Furtado also ushered McLachlan into the Hall, with the latter thanking all her fans: “Their love is truly the best validation as an artist.” 

Considered one of Quebec’s pioneering singer-songwriters, Diane Tell was celebrated by some leading French-language artists, including Rafaëlle Roy, Ariane Roy, La Zarra and Dominique Fils-Aimé, who was joined by Tell for a performance of “Gilberto.” Inducted by Pierre Brassard, Tell declared that “I owe this honour to the great musicians, artists and collaborators and, most of all, to my faithful audience. I provide the words and melodies, but it is you, the audience, who provides the magic.”

Rounding out the festivities in rousing fashion was a version of Cochrane’s international smash hit, “Life Is A Highway,” led by Rascal Flatts frontman Gary LeVox. – Kerry Doole

Spotify Raising Prices in Canada While Challenging Proposed ‘Streaming Tax’

Spotify is reportedly raising prices for subscribers in Canada.

The move comes amidst the implementation of the Online Streaming Act, which sees the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) requiring major foreign streamers — those with revenues over $25 million — to pay 5% of revenues as base contributions into funds for Canadian content.

In a statement to Billboard Canada, a Spotify spokesperson does not explicitly link the increase to the “streaming tax” but does indicate the company is part of a legal challenge against the CRTC. Spotify joined Amazon and Apple filed legal challenges against the CRTC this summer, following the June announcement of the regulation.

“As we continue to innovate and invest in providing our listeners with greater value than ever before, we occasionally update our prices,” a spokesperson for Spotify tells Billboard Canada. “We may also adjust our prices to reflect local macroeconomic factors and meet market demands while offering an unparalleled service. We, along with a number of others, have filed a legal challenge against the CRTC streaming tax in Canada, and so will not be commenting further publicly at this time.”

The Online Streaming Act was implemented this year after extensive consultations last fall. The base contributions from major streamers are expected to generate 200 million in funds for Canadian content, with the contributions directed toward “areas of immediate need,” including funding bodies FACTOR and Musicaction, as well as the Indigenous Music Office. – RLD