Dutch show and marching band K&G Leiden brought full intensity to the 2024 Streetparade Vlaardingen in The Netherlands with a jaw-dropping arrangement of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets,” captured by a smoothly-moving lead vehicle and shared by trumpet player Max Karreman. The performance is tight, powerful, and as committed as the original.
Canadian Artists Generated CAD $544M on Spotify in 2025 as Loud & Clear Canada 2026 Report Lands During JUNO Week
The numbers behind Canada’s global music dominance are now on the record. Spotify has released Loud & Clear Canada 2026, its annual transparency report on streaming revenue, dropping it during JUNO Awards week in Toronto. The headline figure is striking: Canadian artists generated more than CAD $544 million in royalties from Spotify alone in 2025, up 19% year over year and nearly 60% over four years, vastly outpacing Canada’s total recorded music revenue growth of 5.6% in the same period.
The global reach driving those numbers is equally significant. Ninety-two percent of those royalties came from listeners outside Canada, confirming what the industry has suspected: export is not a bonus for Canadian artists, it is the engine. Canadian artists were discovered by first-time Spotify listeners more than 3.56 billion times in 2025. Over 370 Canadian artists generated more than $100K CAD on the platform alone, more than 100 surpassed $500K CAD, and nearly 70 crossed the $1 million CAD threshold.
“Canada has always punched above its weight culturally, but Loud & Clear shows the scale behind that success,” said Elizabeth Phipps, Head of Artist and Label Partnerships at Spotify Canada. “With a market of under 40 million people, export isn’t optional, it’s fundamental to the future of Canada’s music sector.”
Francophone music is a particular bright spot. Royalties from French-language music increased 38% globally in just two years. Montreal artist Charlotte Cardin, who records in both French and English, speaks to the shift: “People are so open to listening and being touched by a song or an album that’s not necessarily in the language that they speak or understand.” Punjabi-Canadian music and diaspora-driven genres are seeing similar international momentum.
Alongside the report, Spotify is launching SongDNA, a new interactive feature built into the listening experience that maps the full creative network behind any track, from songwriters and producers to collaborators, samples, and influences. It is the kind of tool that makes music discovery feel like genuine exploration.
Country Music Hall of Fame Icon Reba McEntire Brings “One Night In Atoka” to Her Hometown Restaurant on April 9
Reba McEntire is going home. The Country Music Hall of Fame member has announced “One Night In Atoka,” a one-night-only pop-up performance at Reba’s Place, her restaurant and entertainment venue housed in a restored historic Masonic Temple in Atoka, Oklahoma. The intimate, stripped-down show takes place April 9 and offers fans something genuinely rare: McEntire in her hometown, in a room built around her personal history.
The venue itself is worth the trip. Reba’s Place spans two stories and includes expansive dining areas, a live music stage, a rotating collection of memorabilia from McEntire’s personal archives, and exclusive limited-edition merchandise available for one night only. This is not a arena show dressed down. It is something far more specific and personal than that.
Fans can enter to win tickets now at RebasPlace.com/OneNightInAtoka. The online sweepstakes, open to residents of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, closes March 31 with winners notified by April 2. An additional in-person drawing takes place at Reba’s Place on April 9, with entries accepted from 10:00am CST and the draw held at 6:00pm CST. In partnership with the City of Atoka, a free public simulcast of the performance will stream on a newly installed high-definition screen at the outdoor stage in the park behind the restaurant.
McEntire’s resume makes the intimacy of this event all the more striking. Thirty-five number one singles, more than 58 million albums sold worldwide, 60 Billboard Country Airplay Top 10 hits, and a record that places her alongside George Jones, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton as the only artists with Top 10 success across five straight decades. Her latest single “Trailblazer,” featuring Lainey Wilson and Miranda Lambert, pulled 2.6 million on-demand streams in its first week alone.
One night, one room, one of the most decorated artists in country music history. Atoka is the place to be on April 9.
Swindon Post-Grunge Trio I See Orange Turn a Love of Red Wine Into a Powerhouse New Single “Wine Boy”
A bottle of red wine, a Friday night ritual, and a Mexican-born bassist living in Swindon. That is where “Wine Boy” began. I See Orange, the UK-based post-grunge power trio, have released their latest single and video, a surging alt-rock track that personifies a bottle of wine as a love interest and turns the metaphor into something genuinely compelling. Louder Than War calls it “a track that captures the band’s knack for balancing gritty rock textures with sharp melodic instincts.”
“Lyrically, ‘Wine Boy’ explores the feeling of being in love in a metaphorically non-sober state, intoxicated not just by another person, but by sensation, desire, and obsession,” says lead singer and bassist Giselle Medina, who moved from Sinaloa, Mexico to the U.K. in 2022. The concept grew from her own discovery of wine as a social drink, a ritual she called her Poets Fridays, and evolved into something far more vivid and emotionally charged.
The track itself delivers. Fuzzy guitars, layered harmonies, and infectious melodies collide with the kind of commercial instincts that separate bands who understand songs from bands who just understand volume. Medina, guitarist Cameron Hill, and drummer Charlie Hart have been sharpening this sound since forming in Swindon in 2022, and recent showcase appearances at New York’s New Colossus Festival and Austin’s SXSW have been turning heads well beyond their U.K. base.
The band’s trajectory is accelerating. Their single “Mental Rot,” supported by Seattle NPR flagship KEXP and the BBC, surpassed 353,000 YouTube views. “Doll Guts” made history as the first single released on London-based Japanese label JPU Records by a non-Japanese artist. Last week, the trio wrapped a recording session in Los Angeles with producer Phillip Broussard Jr., whose credits include Adele, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and System of a Down, assembling material for their debut album.
A debut record produced by Phillip Broussard Jr. with this much momentum behind it is worth watching closely.
Pixies Announce 7 New U.S. Dates As They Mark 40 Years Of Reshaping Modern Music
Forty years in and Pixies are still filling rooms that matter. The band has announced seven new US dates for September 2026, their first North American shows since a 2025 tour that drew raves from coast to coast. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 27 at 10am local time at pixiesmusic.com.
The run adds headline stops in Greenville SC, Wilmington NC, Louisville KY, Columbia MO, Santa Fe NM, and Tucson AZ, alongside festival appearances at the Borderland Music Festival in East Aurora NY and the Sea Hear Now Festival in Asbury Park NJ. The shows arrive as Charles “Black Francis” Thompson, Joey Santiago, David Lovering, and Emma Richardson round out a year that takes them through China, the Philippines, Hong Kong, the UK, and Europe first.
2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the band’s 1986 formation and the release of the Come On Pilgrim mini-LP. The milestone lands alongside another staggering one: “Where Is My Mind?” from 1988’s immortal ‘Surfer Rosa’ has surpassed one billion plays on Spotify. A catalog that includes platinum-certified ‘Doolittle’, ‘Bossanova’, ‘Trompe le Monde’, and seven more albums keeps growing in stature with each passing generation.
Their ninth album ‘The Night The Zombies Came’, released October 25 via BMG, drew immediate praise from AllMusic, who called it among their finest post-reunion music. The Hollywood Reporter recently declared them “the band that drew the blueprint for alternative rock.” That blueprint is still being followed by half the bands on the planet.
Pixies USA 2026:
September 15 – Greenville, SC – Peace Center Concert Hall
September 16 – Wilmington, NC – Cape Fear Community College Wilson Center
September 19 – East Aurora, NY – Borderland Music Festival
September 20 – Asbury Park, NJ – Sea Hear Now Festival
September 22 – Louisville, KY – Iroquois Amphitheater
September 23 – Columbia, MO – Rose Park
September 25 – Santa Fe, NM – The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing
September 26 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
London Power Alternative Duo Joel X Eleanor Map the Full Terrain of Love on Double Single “Garden Plot / Something Strange”
Two songs, two emotional worlds, one completely distinctive voice. London-based power alternative duo Joel X Eleanor have released “Garden Plot / Something Strange,” a double single that moves between obsession and tenderness with the kind of precision that defines everything they do. Both autistic and intensely detail-driven, the pair approach songwriting where every lyric, melody, and sound must earn its place.
“Garden Plot” opens with apparent warmth and slowly reveals something darker underneath. Eleanor wrote the song after Joel asked her for flowers, the idea being to plant a garden that blooms year after year rather than offer cut flowers that die. Joel’s brooding production reframes that sweetness into fixation, transforming domestic imagery into something quietly unsettling. Recorded partly at Joel’s grandmother’s house in Birkenhead and an AirBnB in Derby, the track even incorporates a Christmas tree made from aluminium cones as percussion, and carries a whispered line from Hungarian poet Attila József. The video, filmed on the streets of Camden and Walthamstow, brings that tension to life with full commitment.
“Something Strange” moves in the opposite direction. Softer and more vulnerable, the track captures the disorienting adjustment of sharing your life with someone for the first time, that moment when solitude becomes companionship. Eleanor’s layered contralto vocals guide the emotional weight while Joel’s production holds space rather than fills it.
The pair cut their teeth between 2022 and 2025 as London underground rock band Sweet Anna before stepping forward as Joel X Eleanor. Their sonic reference points run from Radiohead and Muse to The Smashing Pumpkins and the harmonic richness of London’s modern jazz scene. Mixed and mastered by Julie Bartley at Rolling Audio in Newcastle, both tracks sit heavy, melodic, and unmistakably their own.
Live Dates:
June 6 – Canterbury, UK – HMV
September 12 – Matlock, UK – Spectrum Festival
Toronto Rapper Casper TNG Signs With Universal Music Canada as “The Market” Goes Gold
Toronto has been paying attention to Casper TNG for years. Now the rest of the country is catching up. Universal Music Canada has officially signed the Toronto rapper alongside the Gold certification of his breakout single “The Market” featuring 100Bandplan, confirming what the numbers have been saying for months.
Those numbers are hard to ignore. “The Market” has surpassed 8 million global streams, climbed to number 61 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, and sits at number one as a TikTok Sound in Canada with over 58.9 million views. The official video has reached 2.5 million YouTube views after peaking at number one on the platform’s Trending chart. Playlist placements include Spotify’s Rap Life, Viral Hits, Hip-Hop Central, and Hot Hits Canada.
The record’s reach extends well beyond streaming. The campaign has included digital out-of-home placements at Sankofa Square and national broadcast integration through Raptors coverage. “The Market” has moved through cultural spaces the way only genuinely resonant records do.
“‘The Market’ has been stuck in my head since first listen,” said Julie Adam, President and CEO of Universal Music Canada. “After spending any time with Casper, it’s clear how seriously he approaches his craft and the artistic vision he’s building.”
Casper TNG spent over a decade building a loyal following in Toronto’s underground scene, growing up between Alexandra Park and Regent Park, and developing a style that pairs melodic, emotionally direct rap with dark atmospheric production. “The Market” comes from his 2025 EP ‘One Helluvalife’. The signing formalizes a relationship that has been developing since late 2025 and positions one of Canada’s most compelling new hip-hop voices for serious long-term growth.
Brett Kissel, Chase Rice and a Stacked Canadian Lineup Head to Hamilton for the Inaugural Route 905 Country Festival
Hamilton is getting its own country festival, and the first edition arrives with serious credentials. The Route 905 Country Festival has announced its full lineup for July 24 and 25, 2026 at the historic Ancaster Fairgrounds. Two days, two headliners, and a bill stacked with Canadian talent and international draws. Tickets are on sale now at Route905.ca, with general admission starting at $85 CAD before fees.
Brett Kissel opens the festival Friday night. The numbers speak for themselves: 23 CCMA Awards, three JUNO Awards, over 170 million career streams, and a catalogue loaded with Platinum and Gold-certified hits including “Airwaves,” “Anthem,” and “Drink About Me.” Joining him on Friday are CCMA Male Artist of the Year Jade Eagleson, Platinum-certified songwriter Madeline Merlo, rising star Ryan Langdon, and the winner of the Route 905 Emerging Artist Showcase presented in partnership with 93.9 Hot Country.
Chase Rice closes Saturday with the full weight of 2.9 billion global streams and three number one country radio hits behind him. Rice is also co-writer of “Cruise” by Florida Georgia Line, a Diamond-certified single and one of the defining songs of modern country music. Saturday also features American Idol Season 19 winner Chayce Beckham, whose breakout single “23” hit number one on Country Airplay charts in both the US and Canada, alongside Tyler Braden, Angelica Appelman, and Andy Colonico. Both days include a special off-stage acoustic set from Cam Brown.
“Hamilton is home, and we want this festival to reflect that,” said Jovan Popovic, President and CEO of Break First Entertainment. “Our goal is to bring world-class country artists to the Golden Horseshoe while also giving Canadian and local talent the stage they deserve.”
Beyond the music, Route 905 is building a full festival environment with food trucks, vendors, and fan experiences including line dancing lessons. Meet-and-greet packages for select artists will be announced separately. KX 94.7 serves as the festival’s official radio partner.
Route 905 Country Festival 2026:
Friday, July 24 – Ancaster Fairgrounds, Hamilton, ON
Brett Kissel, Jade Eagleson, Madeline Merlo, Ryan Langdon, Route 905 Emerging Artist Showcase Winner
Saturday, July 25 – Ancaster Fairgrounds, Hamilton, ON
Chase Rice, Chayce Beckham, Tyler Braden, Angelica Appelman, Andy Colonico
Both days: Cam Brown (acoustic off-stage set)
Fallsview Food and Drink Fest Returns June 5-7 With Gabe Bertaccini, Maneet Chauhan, Michael Smith and Craig Wong
The fourth Fallsview Food and Drink Fest has a lineup worth clearing your calendar for. Fallsview Casino Resort announces the return of its sold-out culinary event, running June 5 through 7, 2026, set against the backdrop of Niagara Falls. Tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster on Friday, March 27 at 10am, and include parking.
Two new additions headline this year’s roster. Gabe Bertaccini, co-host of Food Network’s Ciao House alongside Alex Guarnaschelli and a regular face on Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay, makes his Fallsview debut. Michael Smith, celebrated Canadian chef, bestselling author, and Prince Edward Island’s Food Ambassador, joins for all three days, capping the weekend with Brunch with Michael Smith on Sunday, June 7 at 21 Club Steak and Seafood.
Returning favourites Maneet Chauhan and Craig Wong round out the celebrity chef lineup. Chauhan, a James Beard Award recipient and Chopped judge, brings her signature blend of Indian heritage and global culinary influence. Wong, host of Cook Like A Chef and a MasterChef Canada judge, brings soulful, flavour-packed cooking to every plate. Comedian and Food Network personality John Catucci returns as festival host across Friday and Saturday.
The weekend kicks off Friday, June 5 with the Celebrity Chef Dine About in The Grand Hall, featuring food and drink pairings, chef interaction, and live music from DJ JustGeorge. Saturday brings Fallsview Food Con, an all-inclusive eating event with live demonstrations from celebrity chefs and local vendors alike.
The Fallsview Food and Drink Fest sold out last year. With this lineup, it will again.
Fallsview Food and Drink Fest 2026:
Friday, June 5 – Celebrity Chef Dine About, The Grand Hall, 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Saturday, June 6 – Fallsview Food Con, The Grand Hall, 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Sunday, June 7 – Brunch with Michael Smith presented by Egg Farmers of Ontario, 21 Club Steak and Seafood, 11:00am – 1:00pm
Norwegian Dark Electronic Pioneer MORTIIS Announces ‘Ghosts of Europa’ for June 26
Six years in the making, ‘Ghosts of Europa’ is the most expansive and unguarded work of MORTIIS’ career. The Norwegian electronic rock visionary, born Håvard Ellefsen, has announced the album for June 26 via Prophecy Productions. Eight tracks, recorded across a thousand sessions between 2020 and 2026, built without genre constraints and shaped by bleak, desolate, and genuinely alien sonic landscapes.
The album’s origins trace back to a planned collaboration with Stephan Groth of APOPTYGMA BERZERK, rooted in a shared obsession with the old German school of electronic music, particularly TANGERINE DREAM and Klaus Schulze. When that fell apart, MORTIIS pushed forward alone, transforming the early material into something far stranger and more personal. Thorsten Quaeschning of TANGERINE DREAM still appears, contributing additional synths and sequencers to the opening track.
The guest list is extraordinary. Sarah Jezebel Deva (THE KOVENANT, CRADLE OF FILTH) appears across five tracks. Christopher Amott of ARCH ENEMY delivers a guitar solo on “Tribes of Dystopia.” Matthew Setzer of SKINNY PUPPY contributes throat singing. Emil Nikolaisen of SERENA MANEESH and the BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE adds fuzz and noise guitars. The album was mixed by Sean Beavan at The Grey Room in Crestline, California, and mastered by Jules Seifert at Epic Audio Media in London.
MORTIIS built his foundation as bass player during the formation of legendary Norwegian black metal band EMPEROR in 1991 and 1992, then spent the decades that followed redefining what his sound could be. ‘Ghosts of Europa’ is cinematic, visionary, and darkly dystopian, arriving with the full weight of that history and none of its limitations.
Pre-orders are live now at mortiiswebstore.com. Available formats include a 60-page hardcover 2CD artbook with an 8-track bonus CD, limited gatefold vinyl, and Digipak CD.
Tracklist:
- Ghosts of Europa
- Return to the Old Fields
- The Faith That Fades Away
- Violent Silence
- Transcending Morpheus
- Tundra, Heart of Hell
- Tribes of Dystopia
- Farewell Romero