Former CMW president resolves ‘miscommunication' with buyers that led to legal action
Neill Dixon filed a notice of action in Ontario court in March against Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group, which purchased Canadian Music Week last year and renamed it Departure Festival and Conference.
Dixon alleged the companies didn't live up to their side of the $2-million deal, but now says that was based on a miscommunication.
With the spat over, Dixon says he'll attend the festival where he'll receive and accept a lifetime achievement award.
The inaugural Departure event is set to begin Tuesday and run for six days, with celebrity speakers including pop duo Tegan and Sara, Arkells frontman Max Kerman and rocker Bryan Adams.
A representative for Departure says in an emailed statement that Dixon and the festival owners are 'in complete agreement on the sale and transition of the business.'
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'All parties agree that what matters is the amicable solution that we have collectively arrived at,' the statement reads.
Loft Entertainment was co-founded by Randy Lennox, the former head of Bell Media and past Canadian record label executive. Oak View is a Denver-based company that recently opened offices in Toronto.
The four-day CMW launched in the early 1980s and built a reputation as one of the music scene's leading industry events, hosting conferences, awards shows and live performances.
Since buying CMW last year, the event's new owners have rebranded it as Departure Festival and Conference and expanded its scope to include standup comedy and technology.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2025.
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