Indie Week 2011

Don't miss your LAST CHANCE to submit to Indie Week Toronto. Taking place twice a year, Indie Week bridges the gap between the European and North American music scenes. There are a minimum of 40 slots reserved for Sonicbids artists in 2011.

IW caters to acts from around the world. Artists voted "Best of the Fest" at IW Ireland and Canada will receive a headlining slot at next year's sister festival, and will get free hotel and airfare for up to 5 band members. There are specific showcases for artists from Australia, Ireland, and Tokyo, and international acts will perform more than one show.Submissions for Indie Week Ireland are closed. Submissions for Indie Week Canada are open through July 8th.

Indie Week is a twice-annual festival that takes place in Dublin and Toronto. Aimed at bridging the gap between the European and North American independent music scenes, Indie Week Canada takes place October 12-16, showcasing bands from around the globe in over 15 of downtown Toronto's hottest venues (see below for participating venues from 2010). Over 500 Sonicbids artists have been selected to showcase at Indie Week since 2005 (141 artists were selected in 2010). A minimum of 40 slots have been reserved for Sonicbids artists for Indie Week 2011, and Indie Week typically books 85% of its lineup from Sonicbids submissions.

Showcases are judged by A-list music industry professionals, ensuring that industry members will be in attendance in addition to fans. Both Indie Week Ireland and Canada culminate with the Indie Week Closing Party, where the best showcasing bands will perform for a chance to cross the Atlantic and headline the following year's sister festival, ie; one act is selected from Indie Week Canada to perform at Indie Week Ireland (flights for up to 5 band members + hotel paid for), and one act from Indie Week Ireland is selected to perform at Indie Week Canada. International acts perform more than one show.

"Big thanks to organisers at Indie Week! We had two wicked gigs in Dublin and got some really useful feedback from the judges. Everybody was friendly and the Guinness was good. Any bands reading this, I would definitely recommend applying for Indie Week!" -Black Circles

Judges at the 2010 Closing Party were:

• Adam Fujiki (Manager A&R Sony)


• Barbara Sedun (Sr. VP EMI Publishing)


• Cheryl Link (Director of Synchronization Licensing and Creative Manager at Peermusic Canada Inc.)


• John Payne (President, WIDEawake Entertainment Group)


• Ron Hawkins (Lowest of the Low)


• Sean Jones (Recording Artist, WIDEawake Entertainment Group)


• Shaun Frank (The Envy)

"We couldn’t believe it when we picked up the Best Band award … quickly drew the attention of Canadian company Cool Planet Entertainment, and we signed to their label, Forty Five Records." - Niall McTeigue, Walter Mitty & The Realists (Irish News of the World, April 18, 2010)

As one of its missions is to connect music scenes around the world, it is a fabulous festival for international acts. Indie Week is particularly receptive to acts from the following regions, as the following specialty showcases will be featured in 2011:

• Irish showcase


• Australian showcase


• East Coast showcase


• Tokyo showcase

Other Notable Events during Indie Week:

• Singer-Songwriter Showcase


• Industry panels


• Industry mentorships & workshops


• Multi-media & digital panels

Who Can Apply:

Any indie act that is not signed directly to a MAJOR label. Acts signed to an indie label with major distribution ARE accepted.



Past Participating Venues:

• Bovine Sex Club


• Bread & Circus


• Cameron House


• Cherry Cola's Rock N' Rolla Cabaret & Lounge


• Drake Underground


• El Mocambo


• Free Times Cafe


• Hard Luck


• Hideout


• Horseshoe Tavern


• Nocturne


• Rivoli


• Silver Dollar


• Tattoo Rock Parlour


• Velvet Underground


• Underground Garage

Exposure:

Artists selected for INDIE WEEK can potentially gain exposure through local online partners such as Music Vice, IndieCan.com, BalconyTV Toronto and others – even the BBC were at INDIE WEEK! Please look below for a list of media coverage.



Past judges and panelists:

• Adam Fujiki (Manager A&R Sony)


• Barbara Sedun (Sr. VP EMI Publishing)


• Cheryl Link (Director of Synchronization Licensing and Creative Manager at Peermusic Canada Inc.)


• Eric Alper (Director of Media Relations and Label Acquisitions, Entertainment One Group)


• Gavin Brown (producer of Billy Talent)


• Jodie Ferneyhough (Creative Director, Universal Music Publishing)


• John Payne (President, WIDEawake Entertainment Group)


• Kieran Lynch (producer, mixer & recording engineer for U2)


• Mitch Masters (A&R Track Avenue Records)


• Nick Seymour (Crowded House)


• Nicole McCallum (XM Radio)


• Roisin Dwyer (Hot Press)


• Shawn Frank (The Envy)


• Underground Operations agents

For a complete list of past judges, go here and for panelists, here



Quotes from previous Indie Week selections:

• "Indie week is fucking awesome. A genuine group of people who believe in new music. We were selected in 2011 and now our tickets are booked to go and perform shows in Toronto. A dream opportunity for any aspiring unsigned band!" - The Suburbians (Crowned "Best of the Fest" at Indie Week Ireland 2011)


• "Darlings of Chelsea would recommend Indie Week to any band looking for top notch exposure and a great week of music." - Robby Ruckus, Darlings of Chelsea


• "There were so many great people involved, we played great venues, made a tonne of excellent industry contacts, and all around had a blast!" - Jordan Carriere, Static in the Stars


• "Indie Week 2009 surpassed all of our expectations." - Constant Season


• "It brought new opportunities to our band and it was one of our best shows in Toronto yet." - October Sky