Indie Night In Canada 2023 takes place June 6 in Toronto, ON
Indie Night In Canada features some of Canada’s Elite Independent Artists. Taking place on Tuesday, June 6th, at The Legendary El Mocambo (both stages), 18 Artists will take the stages, performing 30-minute sets to showcase their respective talents and future impact on the Canadian Music Scene.
Listen to our Spotify playlist below and learn more about the event, thanks to Paul Husband.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Paul Husband, and I have been active in the Music, Entertainment, and Event business for over 40 years. Over the years, I have worn many hats, including Festival Production & Consulting (which I still do when time allows), Talent Buying, Event Management & Production, A & R, Radio Promotion, Public Relations, Live Show Production & Coaching, Tour Booking & Management, Sponsorship Development, and for the last 17 years, Artist Management. In 2006, my Partner, Kristen Cholak, and I started The Next Level Entertainment Consulting Inc. (TNLEC) in order to offer a service we both felt was lacking in the Canadian Music and Entertainment Industry.
TNLEC is a unique and diverse Sales, Marketing, and Management company in the Entertainment Industry. With four active divisions, consisting of Artist Management, Corporate/Special Event Talent Bookings, Event Production, and Entertainment Consulting Services, TNLEC places a strong emphasis on providing superior customer service, maintaining integrity in the industry, building strong relationships, and having the passion to continue to help their clients reach “the next level,” whatever that level may be. Specific to the Artist Management division of our business, we provide Artists with all the services they would expect from a Manager plus Bookings – a Music Industry Business Model sometimes referred to as a “Magency.”
Tell us about Indie Night in Canada (INIC) and how it came to be.
Indie Night In Canada (INIC) showcases some of Canada’s hottest Independent Artists. Each of the 18 selected Artists will perform a 30-minute set, with the schedules staggered between the two stages. Each stage is Emcee-hosted to keep things flowing and the energy levels high. This format allows for everyone in attendance, whether they are music-loving fans, Music Media, or Music Industry attendees, to catch at least 15 minutes of all 18 Performing Artists. As INIC is produced during, but not part of, Canadian Music Week, everyone is rushing between venues, so we run things tight and because we run exactly on time throughout the night, it allows those people attending to catch a specific Artist (often the case with Music Media/Industry) at the time they are scheduled. This fact has been widely recognized and appreciated by past Industry/Media attendees.
For INIC 2023, we received 184 submissions to perform at INIC. This year’s INIC Artist lineup might be the most diverse and talented offering we have ever presented.
To your question about how INIC came to be, that is an interesting story in and of itself. Back in 2008, one of our Management Roster Artists had a charting single on Canadian Commercial Radio and a video in rotation on Much Music, yet somehow, they went unselected to perform at Canadian Music Week (CMW). As the band had a ton of buzz and we wanted to showcase them to the Music Industry at large, we approached CMW about sponsoring a showcase featuring that Artist (and a few others). We were quoted a showcase sponsorship investment of $25k without any commitment from CMW as to what night or venue we would be provided for the showcase (and we wouldn’t get confirmation until we cut them a cheque). That seemed to us, at the time, to be a significant expense without significant benefits. So, with our extensive Festival/Major Event Production experience, we decided to produce our own event during, but not part of, CMW. Thus, the very first Indie Night In Canada showcase event was born, hosted at The Opera House, and has continued at a variety of host venues most years since (with the exception of the Covid Years). One year, we had 4 days, 2 venues, 3 stages, and 100 bands perform. That was a busy and memorable event!
The 2023 installment of INIC features 18 Canadian artists playing on two stages at El Mocambo in Toronto. How are the artists chosen? Do they need to meet certain criteria?
INIC is open to all genres of music because good music is good music, period. That said, because TNLEC is best known within the “rock” community (although we work with Artists in all genres), submissions have always tended to skew in that direction. We utilize a five-person selection committee, with each person presenting the 18 Artists they believe to be the best. With 184 submissions in 2023, reaching consensus proved to be impossible, but after much discussion and debate, we finally selected this year’s lineup – and what a lineup it is!
Regarding your question about selection criteria, that is a more fluid and subjective process. We try not to pigeonhole ourselves into too strict a criteria so we don’t miss out on a special talent. At a minimum, submitting Artists must have professionally recorded music and an established social media presence. We do make exceptions in certain circumstances. For example, if a previously well-established Artist (from a past project) is launching a new project, as is the case with 2 INIC 2023 Artists.
Are there plans to take INIC further in the future?
We carefully evaluate any opportunity during Music Industry gatherings. While we are always looking to showcase both the musical talent, we are honored to represent and other Artists of interest, we would prefer to work with these Music Industry Conference events in cooperation, not competition.
How can fans get tickets to the show?
Fans can visit our INIC website, check out the amazing talent, and purchase tickets.