In Canada: Music Industry’s Next Generation Unites for Billboard Canada’s First 40 Under 40 Event

The next generation of music industry visionaries, entrepreneurs and changemakers showed up in droves for the first-ever edition of Billboard Canada 40 Under 40.

Yesterday (Nov. 20) at W Toronto marked the first time Billboard‘s influential celebration came to Canada, recognizing the executives and innovators shaping the global music business. The night was in partnership with YouTube, W Toronto and Hendrick’s.

“There’s really a lot of optimism here,” shared Richard Trapunski, National Editor at Billboard Canada. “There’s so much talent coming out of Canada that’s really shaping what’s happening in the music industry worldwide. It’s great to get a chance to celebrate those people and those voices who are pushing that conversation.”

Elizabeth Crisante, Billboard Canada’s Chief Commercial Officer, noted that many driven and successful achievers don’t get a chance to celebrate their wins.

“The interesting thing about highly ambitious people is they have laser-like focus on the goals in front of them,” she said. “Often, they may not take the time to step back and look at how far they’ve come, how much they’ve grown and how much impact they’ve had in the community — and that’s why tonight is so special.”

La Mar Taylor accepted the first-ever Billboard Canada 40 Under 40 Visionary Award, presented by YouTube. The globally successful 35-year-old is a co-founder of the culture-defining XO Records and is The Weeknd‘s longtime creative director. His work with The Weeknd, including his record-breaking After Hours Til Dawn Tour, cemented him as one of the most influential creative directors in music today.

Taylor is also building the next generation of Canadian talent through HXOUSE, the Toronto creative incubator he co-founded to provide mentorship, studio space and networking opportunities for emerging artists, designers and musicians.

In his acceptance speech, Taylor made sure to celebrate his hometown, thanking XO, The Weeknd and the HXOUSE community. He expressed enthusiasm about 40 Under 40 becoming an annual event, praising the strength of the music community in Canada that deserves recognition, while also calling for a stronger creative ecosystem in Canada.

“It’s up to us to pave the way and really bring Canada to where it needs to be. Let’s be on the journey together. Let’s kill it.”

The majority of the inaugural honourees came to celebrate, including SOCAN executive director and TMU assistant professor Dr. Charlie Wall-Andrews, MRG Live’s senior talent buyer, Samantha O’Connor, senior manager of label partnerships at Universal Music Canada, Angela De Medeiros, Sony Music Canada marketing manager, Vanessa Adams, Live Nation Canada’s director of Latin music, Ricky Taco, senior music manager at SiriusXM Canada, Siobhan Woodrow, 604 Records’ head of streaming, Julia Amodeo, Yonis, co-founder of Active Cause and many more.

Read more from the celebration here and find the full Billboard Canada 40 Under 40 list here. 

Warner Music Canada Appoints New Co-GMs Julia Hummel & Madelaine Napoleone

Warner Music Canada has named Julia Hummel and Madelaine Napoleone as its new co-general managers, the company announced today.

The Toronto-based executives — both Billboard Canada Women in Music 2025 honourees, and with Hummel also recognized on Billboard Canada’s 40 Under 40 list — will jointly lead the company’s strategy across one of the world’s top music markets.

Hummel and Napoleone will report to Eric Wong, president of East West Records and head of global A&R for recorded music at Warner Music Group.

Before their promotions, Napoleone was VP of marketing and Hummel served as VP of digital strategy and business development. Both joined Warner Music Canada in 2022.

The leadership shift arrives as Warner Music Group continues implementing a global plan to streamline operations and increase investment in music. It also follows the recent departure of Kristen Burke, who previously served as president of Warner Music Canada.

“Madelaine and I are excited to shape the next phase of Warner Music Canada’s growth,” Hummel said in an exclusive statement to Billboard Canada. “We’re committed to strengthening the bridge between our global artists and Canadian fans, and to ensuring that Canadian voices are heard on the world stage.”

“Julia and I are proud to help Canadian artists leverage Warner Music’s global network while building more opportunities for international talent here in Canada,” Napoleone added. “Our passion for music and dedication to supporting artists remain at the core of our work.”

Wong said he has “the utmost confidence” in their leadership, citing their combined expertise in marketing and digital strategy as key to advancing the company’s Canadian business.

The company also confirmed that Andy West, who served as EVP and general manager for the past three years, has exited the company.

Read more here.