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R2i TuneUp Conference 2023

A two-day program of learning, networking and showcasing

Relevant Topics

Programming that focuses on business strategies and practices to succeed in the industry – both from an artistic and professional level.

Panelists & Keynote Speakers

From talent bookers and promoters to seasoned songwriters, label executives, digital innovators and music supervisors.

Interactive Learning

Develop relationships, expand your contact-base, and stimulate prospects for mentorship, collaboration, and revenue generating streams.

SPEAKERS

Adam Clark
plus

Adam Clark

Seeds CPA

Adam Gonshor
plus

Adam Gonshor

Collab PR

Anya Wilson
plus

Anya Wilson

Anya Wilson Promo. & Publicity

Brian Allen
plus

Brian Allen

AMPLUS Productions

Brooke Dunford
plus

Brooke Dunford

Boots & Hearts

Burt Gidaro
plus

Burt Gidaro

Edwards Creative Law

Callie McCullough
plus

Callie McCullough

Colin Linden
plus

Colin Linden

Dani Strong
plus

Dani Strong

Taylor Entertainment

Dave ‘Dwave’ Thomson
plus

Dave ‘Dwave’ Thomson

Erik Fintelman
plus

Erik Fintelman

Workshop Music Group

Houtan Hodania
plus

Houtan Hodania

SOCAN

Jeff Dalziel
plus

Jeff Dalziel

Diesel Music

Jeff Leake
plus

Jeff Leake

SiriusXM

Jessica Lemmon
plus

Jessica Lemmon

Lemmon Entertainment

Jon Pole
plus

Jon Pole

MBC / Country 89

Kathleen Reid
plus

Kathleen Reid

The Feldman Agency

KT Timmermans
plus

KT Timmermans

Manitoulin Radio/Manitoulin Country Fest

Mark Schroor
plus

Mark Schroor

Workshop Music Group

Mike Denney
plus

Mike Denney

MDM Recordings

Mitch Merrett
plus

Mitch Merrett

MDM Recordings

Nick Krewen
plus

Nick Krewen

Freelance

Paul Biro
plus

Paul Biro

Sakamoto Agency

Rick Hutt
plus

Rick Hutt

Cedartree Recording Studios

Ron Kitchener
plus

Ron Kitchener

RGK Entertainment

Samantha Pickard
plus

Samantha Pickard

Strut Entertainment

Scotty Kipfer
plus

Scotty Kipfer

Shane Guse
plus

Shane Guse

The Western Swing Authority

Steve Kassay
plus

Steve Kassay

Durham Radio

The Redhill Valleys
plus

The Redhill Valleys

Wendy Boomer
plus

Wendy Boomer

Rogers


PROGRAM

Registration

510min

WELCOMING ADDRESS

CMAOntario President Steve Kassay welcomes attendees as we kick off this year's educational series.

10min

Steve Kassay

After chasing the rock star dream, Steve moved from playing music to playing records.His career has taken him to various broadcast companies throughout Southern Ontario,on nationally syndicated live shows, in production, programming, on-air, MD & PD capacities. Now VP of Programming for Durham Radio, Steve manages operations forKX-96, KX-947, 94.9 The Rock, CKDO and wave.fm. […]

THE POWER OF PRODUCTION: HIT PRODUCERS TALK TRACKS

Great production is as essential to a song’s success as a great lyric and melody. It’s the result of a producer capturing the idea of the song perfectly and bringing it to life. Our brain trust of producers will explain how they help turn a song into a recording that’s more than the sum of its parts and how your favourite music is transitioned from demo to final mix.


MODERATOR: Rick Hutt


PARTICIPANTS:


Jeff Dalziel


Mitch Merritt


Colin Linden


70min

Rick Hutt
Jeff Dalziel

Jeff Dalziel is a Multi-Platinum and award-winning Canadian record producer, Sony/ATV songwriter, and musician. He has produced and co-written music for labels and artists such as Warner Music Canada, Sony Music Canada, Slaight Music, Wax Records, Open Road Recordings, Coalition Music, Arts & Crafts, The Washboard Union, Jessica Mitchell, Dan Davidson, Ryan Langdon, River Town […]

Mitch Merrett

Songwriter. Guitar Player. Producer. Artist Manager and Label Representative for MDM Recordings. It’s been a journey for Merrett to say the least. He’s spent time in nearly every sector of the music industry for over 20 years and in a lot of ways, he’s still finding fresh licks, new artists and chasing new entrepreneurial avenues. […]

Colin Linden

Colin Linden’s tale is the stuff of legend, the kind told in the Coen brothers’ O Brother Where Art Thou or Inside Llewyn Davis, both of which featured his guitar playing on the soundtracks. That film would begin with an 11-year-old meeting his musical idol Howlin’ Wolf at a matinee show in his native Toronto, […]

MENTORPOINT: One-on-One Mentoring Sessions

Meet one-on-one in coveted face-to-face time with speakers and leaders in the music industry. Sign up for private 20-minute consultations with professionals of your choice through a CMAOntario meeting planner to discuss ideas and seek knowledge from someone who’s been there.

240mins

HOW TO MAKE IT IN THE NEW MUSIC BUSINESS

Success in the music industry today isn’t measured the same way as it was 10 years ago. Artists are doing more for themselves and making returns on their creative investments without the traditional trappings of a record deal. In this session, experts from diverse areas of the business will weigh in on different aspects of the industry and offer eye-opening insights on building a more profitable career – from mastering the digital landscape, to conquering social media, embracing authentic fan connections and more.


MODERATOR: Samantha Pickard


PARTICIPANTS:


Mike Denney


Ron Kitchener


Mark Schroor


Erik Fintelman


65mins

Samantha Pickard

Samantha Pickard brings an international outlook to Strut Entertainment and a vast understanding of the Canadian and Australian music industries. A 33 year entertainment industry veteran Samantha has executed hundreds of public relations campaign, marketing campaigns and events including G’Day Toronto for Tourism Australia, the Rolling Stones 50 Years Tour, Walk Off The Earth, the […]

http://www.strutentertainment.com
Mike Denney

A fervent champion of the Canadian music industry, Mike Denney is ever keen to share his expertise, creativity and knowledge with the award winning artists he proudly works with, and to the industry as a whole. Denney founded MDM Recordings Inc. in 2008, and the multi-award winning full service independent label and management company boasts […]

Ron Kitchener

Ron Kitchener, Founder and CEO of RGK Entertainment Group Inc., is a pillar in the Canadian music business. Having managed the careers of multi-platinum, GRAMMY, and JUNO award winning artists, Ron surrounds himself with a team of passionate professionals who push boundaries to inspire an artist’s development to attain tier-one status. Kitchener himself has been […]

Mark Schroor

Mark Schroor is the kind of guy that’s gonna wear a shirt full of holes to a business meeting. He’s a walking advertisement for thinking differently. Different is good. Enthusiastic, passionate, a big idea guy, and a big heart guy. Mark’s a champion for what he believes in. On stage, in the studio, or in […]

Erik Fintelman

A co-founder of Workshop Music Group, Erik Fintelman is the unofficial captain of the red team, making sure the crazy ideas we come up with go through a good and healthy ‘reality check’ phase. Does he wear a hat shaped as stop sign and crush dreams for fun ? Only on Mondays. Kidding. Kind of. […]

AGM LUNCH (lunch included)

This is your association and the opinion of every member counts. Join us in shaping the future of your CMAOntario at the 2023 Annual General Meeting. The AGM offers the opportunity to network with fellow members, engage with the association’s goals, progress, and possibilities, hear the visions of your association’s leaders, and have a direct impact on the direction of the association.

Speakers:


Steve Kassay, President, CMAOntario


Adam Clark, Treasurer, CMAOntario


Brian Allen, Secretary, CMAOntario


 

60min

Steve Kassay

After chasing the rock star dream, Steve moved from playing music to playing records.His career has taken him to various broadcast companies throughout Southern Ontario,on nationally syndicated live shows, in production, programming, on-air, MD & PD capacities. Now VP of Programming for Durham Radio, Steve manages operations forKX-96, KX-947, 94.9 The Rock, CKDO and wave.fm. […]

Adam Clark

A Kingston native, Adam went to Toronto to attend Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan) to pursue a career in accounting. While he remained an introvert during his formative young adulthood, Adam quickly fell in love with the live music scene, compelled to seize any and every opportunity to lose himself with the crowd regardless of […]

Brian Allen

A veteran of the business, Brian was a member and principal songwriter for the band Toronto in the ‘80s, logging 4 platinum albums. Following the band’s breakup, Brian saw success as a co-writer of “What About Love” which propelled Heart to a 10 million seller. Attic Records recruited Brian as head of A&R, a post […]

OLD ROOTS, NEW ROUTES

With modern country bleeding into the pop, rock and even hip-hop landscape, the genre’s vital roots have also pushed the boundaries and taken on their own stylistic shift. The rise of streaming services has given the genre accessibility and mainstream visibility. Panellists will examine today’s description of a Roots artist, discuss the most effective exposure platforms and consider how to capitalize on the momentum.

MODERATOR: Shane Guse


PARTICIPANTS:


Scotty Kipfer


Callie McCullough


The Redhill Valleys


65mins

Shane Guse

Shane Guse has been a top call musician on stage, radio, television, in recording studios and beyond for over 25 years.   Shane has been awarded seven Canadian Country Music Awards in the musician categories, has over 25 CCMA nominations, and was inducted into the CCMA Musicians Hall of Honour in 2017.   As a […]

Scotty Kipfer

Scotty Kipfer has enjoyed a 20+ year career in Country Music spanning many facets of the industry. He spent time in radio, artist development, management, and various record label roles until he felt the pull to dedicate himself fully to the creative process. In 2015, he shifted his focus from the business side of music […]

Callie McCullough

A modern songwriter inspired by timeless bluegrass and old-school country music, Callie McCullough has chased her unique muse for years, making contemporary roots music that nods to the legends who came before her. It’s a sound anchored by intimate ballads and McCullough’s gorgeous voice, whose Alison Krauss-worthy tone and Dolly Parton-sized beauty stand in contrast […]

The Redhill Valleys

Chelsea McWilliams and Tim Allard are members of Hamilton’s The Redhill Valleys, who have garnered numerous CMAO nominations for Roots group of the year, and are mainstays on Sirius XM’s North Americana, Top Of The Country, and Tom Petty Radio. Drawing on their shared love of classic folk, rock and roll, country, and soul music, […]

SO YESTERDAY: WHY IS RADIO STILL IMPORTANT?

The past decade has seen a shift in audio consumption and streaming has revolutionized the music business. Despite the change, radio remains an important vehicle for new artists to be discovered and established artists to stay relevant. In this session, professionals from radio and promotion will discuss getting programmers’ attention, considerations for airplay, influence of streams, demographics, and more.

MODERATOR: Anya Wilson


PARTICIPANTS:


Dani Strong - Taylor Entertainment


Jon Pole - MBC (My Broadcasting Corp/Country 89)


Wendy Boomer - Rogers


Jeff Leake - SiriusXM


60min

Anya Wilson

For 50 years, Anya Wilson has helped mould the substance of publicity and radio promotion for the music industry. Originally based in London, England, Anya began ‘The Acme Plug Co’ in the late 1960’s representing such artists as the late Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, T-Rex, The Kinks, The Who, The Stranglers, The Jam, and Sir […]

Dani Strong

Dani Strong is a multi award-winning songwriter, touring artist and founder of Taylor Entertainment. Dani has over 2 decades  of experience with touring, recording, educating, writing and releasing music – and there’s no doubt she has learned many of  the “DOs” and definitely the “Do NOTs” of the Canadian Music industry. Married to Canadian rock drummer, […]

Jon Pole

Jon Pole is a highly accomplished media executive and radio personality, currently serving as the President and Co-Founder of My Broadcasting Corp. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, Jon has established himself as a visionary leader with a deep understanding of the evolving landscape of radio and media. Prior to his role […]

Wendy Boomer
Jeff Leake

DEMORAMA: A LIVE FEEDBACK SESSION

A perennial favourite, the Demorama Listening Session provides you with the captive audience you’ve always wanted. Here, seasoned music professionals will play and review selected recordings from the CMAOntario audience, share their reactions to your work and discuss what makes a strong first impression and why.

MODERATOR: Brian Allen


PARTICIPANTS:


Dwave Thomson


Jeff Dalziel


Mitch Merritt


60min

Brian Allen

A veteran of the business, Brian was a member and principal songwriter for the band Toronto in the ‘80s, logging 4 platinum albums. Following the band’s breakup, Brian saw success as a co-writer of “What About Love” which propelled Heart to a 10 million seller. Attic Records recruited Brian as head of A&R, a post […]

Dave ‘Dwave’ Thomson

David ‘Dwave’ Thomson is a songwriter producer from Niagara Falls, ON, currently living in Nashville. Having started his career as one half of the pop duo Wave he’s now writing for artists like Lady A (Champagne Night) and Trisha Yearwood (Workin’ On Whiskey) along with such other notable artists as High Valley, Autumn Hill, Lights, […]

Jeff Dalziel

Jeff Dalziel is a Multi-Platinum and award-winning Canadian record producer, Sony/ATV songwriter, and musician. He has produced and co-written music for labels and artists such as Warner Music Canada, Sony Music Canada, Slaight Music, Wax Records, Open Road Recordings, Coalition Music, Arts & Crafts, The Washboard Union, Jessica Mitchell, Dan Davidson, Ryan Langdon, River Town […]

Mitch Merrett

Songwriter. Guitar Player. Producer. Artist Manager and Label Representative for MDM Recordings. It’s been a journey for Merrett to say the least. He’s spent time in nearly every sector of the music industry for over 20 years and in a lot of ways, he’s still finding fresh licks, new artists and chasing new entrepreneurial avenues. […]

Registration

360min

MEET THE FESTIVALS

The festival experience can be a boon to exposure-hungry talent looking for a break in front of the biggest crowds of their career. We’ve assembled programmers from various festivals to offer insight on how to break into the festival scene and what to do with the opportunity.


MODERATOR: Paul Biro, Sakamoto


PARTICIPANTS:


Brooke Dunford - Boots & Hearts


KT Timmermans - Manitoulin Country Fest


70min

Paul Biro

An industry veteran of over 25 years, Paul Biro heads up the team at Sakamoto Agency as Operating Partner and Vice President, responsible for day to day management and operation of the company, as well as artist touring and development as Senior Agent. He’s the current two-time winner of the Ron Sakamoto Talent Buyer of […]

Brooke Dunford

A fan-first, Brooke’s introduction to the music industry came as a festivalgoer starting at Boots and Hearts 2012. She quickly fell in love with discovering new artists, the heart-warming emotions that come from our community of fans, and the lifestyle cultivated by a five-day camping event and officially joined the Republic Live team in 2016. […]

KT Timmermans

In the words of Barbara Mandrell “I was country when country wasn’t cool”.  I grew up living and breathing the country lifestyle and continue to be passionate about our industry and our artists. I am the President and co-owner of two radio stations, CHAW, Country 103, Great Lakes Country and CFRM, Hits 100.  I wear […]

MAKING GOLD FROM INK: WHAT MAKES A JOURNALIST PAY ATTENTION TO (OR IGNORE) YOUR STORY?

Want to approach a music journalist? Before you hit “send” on that next email, hear our expert music journalists and PR dish on etiquette, and why it’s essential to understand what they do and don’t do. They will address best methods for approaching them, material to be considered newsworthy, impacts of viral content and more.


MODERATOR: Samantha Pickard


PARTICIPANTS:


Adam Gonshor - Collabo PR


Nick Krewen


Jessica Lemmon - Lemmon Entertainment


65mins

Samantha Pickard

Samantha Pickard brings an international outlook to Strut Entertainment and a vast understanding of the Canadian and Australian music industries. A 33 year entertainment industry veteran Samantha has executed hundreds of public relations campaign, marketing campaigns and events including G’Day Toronto for Tourism Australia, the Rolling Stones 50 Years Tour, Walk Off The Earth, the […]

http://www.strutentertainment.com
Adam Gonshor

Adam Gonshor’s resume is a dazzling testament to the art of exalting the talents of others. The trusted and collaborative publicist has handled the media in Canada for a genre-busting roster of international superstars including Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Coldplay, Wiz Khalifa, Blake Shelton, Jason Mraz and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well […]

Nick Krewen

Nick Krewen has been a freelance entertainment journalist specializing in music since – to coin a Ralph Murphy phrase – God was wearing short pants. He first covered country music as a full-timer with the Hamilton Spectator; has edited and contributed to various CCMA Awards and Juno Awards souvenir programs, became a regular freelance contributor […]

Jessica Lemmon

Jessica is a seasoned entrepreneur in the entertainment and music industry, best known for founding Lemmon Stage. With over 15 years of experience, Jessica has worked with top-tier talent, global brands, concert promoters, and event producers, such as Rihanna, Corona, and Prince Harry’s Invictus Games. As a consultant and manager, Jessica offers strategic growth advice […]

SOCAN: THE INS AND OUTS OF RIGHTS AND ROYALTIES (Luncheon Presentation)

Every day audiences engage with music in a variety of ways; streaming on the way to work, attending a concert, theme music from their favourite tv show, or background music while you shop or hit the gym. In each case, the music creators/rightsowners are entitled to royalties.  SOCAN tracks millions of micro-transactions every day through specialized software and systems that match the songs being used to the license fees being paid by our music business partners like Spotify, Netflix, YouTube, and Live Nation to name only a few. SOCAN licenses more than 100,000 businesses across Canada. In this session, SOCAN Creative Representative, Houtan Hodania, Creative Executive, East Coast will cover royalty administration, performing and reproduction rights management, sync placements, how to register your songs, how your music is licensed, and why SOCAN is an important first step in ensuring you are paid the royalties you’ve earned whenever your music is performed, reproduced or used in any way, in Canada and around the world.

PRESENTER: Houtan Hodania, Creative Executive, East Coast


60min

Houtan Hodania

As SOCAN’s Creative Executive based in Toronto, Houtan Hodania assists SOCAN’s incredibly talented and business-savvy members benefit from expanded opportunities such as collaboration, employing industry contacts, talent-assessment, career-development, and people-connecting skills. Prior to SOCAN, Houtan was a DJ and event producer, helping put on countless live music concerts and events in Vancouver. Through his time […]

ON THE MOVE: TOURING STRATEGIES FOR INDEPENDENT ARTISTS

A tour creates opportunity. If planned out strategically in advance, a tour can reap many positive benefits beyond the likes of revenue, including building audiences, gaining media attention, building industry connections, and carving out performance experience. During this session, panellists will discuss strategies for market and venue selection, boosting visibility to agents and offer tips for thriving on the road.


MODERATOR: Dani Strong


PARTICIPANTS:


Paul Biro


Erik Fintelman


Kathleen Reid


65mins

Dani Strong

Dani Strong is a multi award-winning songwriter, touring artist and founder of Taylor Entertainment. Dani has over 2 decades  of experience with touring, recording, educating, writing and releasing music – and there’s no doubt she has learned many of  the “DOs” and definitely the “Do NOTs” of the Canadian Music industry. Married to Canadian rock drummer, […]

Paul Biro

An industry veteran of over 25 years, Paul Biro heads up the team at Sakamoto Agency as Operating Partner and Vice President, responsible for day to day management and operation of the company, as well as artist touring and development as Senior Agent. He’s the current two-time winner of the Ron Sakamoto Talent Buyer of […]

Erik Fintelman

A co-founder of Workshop Music Group, Erik Fintelman is the unofficial captain of the red team, making sure the crazy ideas we come up with go through a good and healthy ‘reality check’ phase. Does he wear a hat shaped as stop sign and crush dreams for fun ? Only on Mondays. Kidding. Kind of. […]

Kathleen Reid

Kathleen has always had a passion for live music, starting her career in Halifax booking shows for Dalhousie University. Since then she has gained invaluable experience working directly with TFA President Jeff Craib on high profile acts like Barenaked Ladies, Alessia Cara and Theory of a Deadman. Today as an agent she is responsible for […]

Dinner Break (not included with conference pass)

105min

REGISTER

Take in 2 days of learning, networking and mentoring with trailblazers in the country music industry.

MEMBER

$75

Delegate pass

Lunch (Saturday + Sunday)

STANDARD

$85

Delegate pass

Lunch (Saturday + Sunday)

STANDARD

$130

Awards & Delegate Combo

Lunch (Saturday + Sunday)

Reserved seating at the CMAOntario Awards Show

Central Library | 55 York Blvd. | Hamilton, Ontario | Canada

REGISTER NOW

Host Hotel

CMAOntario has negotiated special room rates at our host hotel Sheraton Hamilton for CMAOntario members planning to attend the CMAOntario Festival & Awards weekend June 2-4, 2023 in Hamilton.

Room Rate: $189.00 (and up) plus taxes per night

SPONSORS

This event is possible thanks to the support and involvement of our sponsors, contributors and media partners.

Copyright 2018 CMAOntario. All rights reserved