Local musicians perform in Toronto
Saskatchewan was represented by five talented musicians who performed in Toronto last month. Michael Reece from Kindersley, along with hometown members Mikhaila Anderson, Evan Knouse and Paul Hillacre, travelled to Toronto. On behalf of their band, The Radiant, Michael submitted an account of the band’s experience. Michael teaches music at both Kindersley Composite School and Westcliffe Composite School. The following is his account of their exciting opportunity.
The Radiant had an excellent time in Toronto at the Come Together Artist Showcase and Industry Mingler. It was truly an honour to be featured alongside some of Canada's most promising acts.
The Radiant performed in Toronto at the Come Together Artist Showcase and Industry Mingler in November. SUBMITTED
Come Together was an opportunity to network with some amazing and talented people in the Canadian music industry. We have gained new friends and new connections from this experience.
The first day started with an opening keynote from Spotify Canada. There were so many intricacies in how the Spotify algorithm works and how you can Spotify to reach new listeners. Spotify has become a social platform for musicians to feature their music. Brand recognition is important, such as making connections from the music to the videos and pictures. Knowing which playlist to submit your music to that has similar genres. Also, when uploading your own music to Spotify, know which artists (both local and global) you sound like and include them in your upload to provide a chance at organically finding new listeners through the Spotify algorithm. However, the best way someone can support a band is buying a ticket to a show or buying their merchandise. Of course, we love it when you listen to our music and share it with others!
We went to a round table talk afterwards, where groups of agents, labels, and publishers had different tables set up, and we went around to each station in mixed groups of artists and music organizations to discuss our goals. We made so many great connections for the future and plan to make the most out these new business contacts.
We have had an exciting year with being chosen for this artist showcase and being nominated for Rock Artist of the Year at the Sask Music Awards that were held on December 2nd, 2023 at the Broadway Theatre. We are ending this exciting year off with a big New Year's Eve party at the Capitol Music Club on December 31st. We hope to see you there!