NXNE NEXT LEVEL Panels
Our 2026 NEXT LEVEL Panels include two days of educational discussions and networking at TIFF Lightbox Theatre. Check out the details below!
Friday, June 12
THE LIVE MUSIC BUSINESS
Agents • Promoters • Festivals • Venues • Touring • Ticketing
9:00 - 10:00 AM - Registration & Networking Breakfast
A behind-the-scenes conversation on the realities of building and booking festivals in 2026. From securing headliners and navigating rising talent costs to managing radius clauses, sponsorship pressures, routing logistics, and shifting audience expectations, this panel explores the challenges shaping today’s festival landscape. Industry leaders across talent buying, promotion, production, and partnerships will break down how lineups are assembled, what goes into negotiating artists at every level, and how festivals balance creativity with financial sustainability. The discussion will also offer practical insight for aspiring promoters and entrepreneurs looking to launch their own festival — including early planning, programming strategy, partnerships, budgeting, and the biggest mistakes to avoid.
10:10 - 10:50 – Inside the Booking Room: How Festivals Are Built in 2026
10:00 - 10:10 - Opening Remarks
In the concert industry, the relationship between venues and ticketing partners plays a critical role in the success of every show. From on-sale strategy and pricing to fan experience and data sharing, effective collaboration can directly impact revenue, attendance, and artist satisfaction. This panel brings together venue executives, promoters, and ticketing leaders to discuss how teams work together to navigate presales, dynamic pricing, marketing support, operational logistics, and evolving consumer expectations. Attendees will gain a behind-the-scenes look at the coordination required to deliver successful live music events in today’s competitive concert landscape.
10:55 - 11:35 – How Venues collaborate with Ticketing
11:40 - 12:20 – Marketing & Monetizing Music Experiences
In today’s music industry, fans aren’t just buying tickets or streaming songs. They’re investing in experiences. From live events and brand activations to fan communities, VIP packages, and viral social campaigns, artists and companies are finding new ways to market and monetize music beyond traditional revenue streams. This panel explores how music experiences are being built, promoted, and turned into sustainable businesses in 2026. Industry leaders across live entertainment, marketing, partnerships, tech, and artist management will discuss audience engagement strategies, sponsorship integration, content creation, fan data, and how to create experiences that drive both culture and revenue in an increasingly competitive market.
12:25 - 1:05 – AGENT VS. PROMOTER
Behind every successful tour is a constant negotiation between vision, business, and risk. In this conversation, leading agents and promoters break down how deals are really made in 2026, from routing and guarantees to ticket pricing, venue holds, and marketing expectations. The panel will explore where their interests align, where they clash, and how both sides work together to build successful live shows in an increasingly competitive market. Attendees will also gain insight into what artists need to understand before going on tour, and how emerging talent can start building relationships on both sides of the live business.
1:10 - 1:50 – The New Touring Map: Breaking Artists Domestically and Internationally
As touring continues to evolve, breaking an artist today requires more than just hitting major cities. From regional fan-building and strategic support slots to international festival circuits and data-driven routing, this panel explores how artists develop sustainable touring careers across domestic and global markets. Industry leaders will discuss what it takes to build demand in new territories, navigate rising costs and visa challenges, identify the right markets at the right time, and turn touring into a long-term growth strategy for emerging and developing artists.
Saturday, June 14
THE ARTIST & RECORDED BUSINESS
Artists • Labels • A&R • Publishing • Marketing • Digital & Brands
9:00 - 10:00 AM - Registration & Networking Breakfast
10:00 - 10:10 - Opening Remarks
A&R executives are the gatekeepers between emerging talent and major opportunities, but what actually makes an artist stand out in 2026? This panel brings together leading A&Rs to break down how they discover talent, what catches their attention, and the qualities artists need beyond just great music. From streaming data and social engagement to live performance, consistency, vision, and cultural impact, panelists will share how signing decisions are really made in today’s music industry.
10:10 - 10:50 – How Artists Get Signed: Inside the A&R Process
10:55 - 11:35 – From Submission to Spotlight: Navigating the JUNO Awards
Details TBA
As music becomes more global than ever, collecting royalties across borders has become increasingly complex. From neighbouring rights and performance royalties to publishing splits, digital payouts, and territory-specific regulations, artists and rights holders are often left wondering where their money actually goes, and how to make sure they’re getting paid properly. This panel brings together experts across publishing, PROs, distribution, and royalty administration to unpack the realities of international royalty collection in 2026. Attendees will gain practical insight into common payment gaps, metadata mistakes, collection societies, global licensing, and the tools artists, managers, and songwriters can use to maximize and track revenue worldwide.
11:40 - 12:20 – Where’s My Money? Navigating International Royalties
12:25 - 1:05 – Worldwide Strategy: Managing Artists for Long-Term Global Success
As the music industry becomes increasingly borderless, artist managers are taking on a larger role in shaping sustainable, globally-minded careers. This panel explores how managers in 2026 are helping artists move beyond viral moments to build long-term success through strategic development, international touring, branding, fan engagement, partnerships, and market expansion. Industry leaders will discuss the realities of managing artists across multiple territories, navigating cultural and business differences, balancing short-term visibility with career longevity, and creating global strategies in an industry driven by algorithms, trends, and nonstop content demands.
1:10 - 1:50 – No Borders: Global Release Strategy in 2026
A hit record can break anywhere first in 2026, and the smartest release strategies are built with the world in mind from day one. This panel explores how artists, labels, distributors, marketers, and managers are planning global rollouts across streaming, social media, touring, influencer campaigns, and localized content to maximize international impact. From choosing focus markets and timing releases to navigating cultural trends, platform algorithms, and cross border collaborations, panelists will break down what it really takes to launch music on a global scale today. Attendees will also gain insight into how independent artists can build international audiences without major label infrastructure.
1:55 - 2:35 – Independent artist path to global markets, presented by CAAMA
Details TBA
The NXNE NEXT LEVEL Panels are taking place at:
TIFF Lightbox Theatre.
350 King Street West
Toronto, ON M5V 1J5