Winning towns rallied together and shared stories about the importance of live music
TORONTO – July 14, 2022 – Today, four of Canada’s most passionate and music-loving communities have been named the inaugural winners of SiriusXM Music Town, each winning a once-in-a-lifetime concert experience for their towns. After weeks of voting and online rallying, the 2022 SiriusXM Music Towns and their headlining act (from East to West) are:
- Miramichi, NB – Arkells
- Blanc-Sablon, QC – 2Frères
- Orangeville, ON – Walk off the Earth
- Estevan, SK – Dallas Smith
“We are thrilled by the response from Canadians for the inaugural SiriusXM Music Town program, and the passion and enthusiasm all of our finalists showed to bring live music to the heart of their community,” said Paul Cunningham, SVP, Sales & Marketing, SiriusXM Canada. “The spirit of this program is to bring people together to share an experience that only live music can provide. We have partnered with the best of Canadian talent to ensure that this fall, these four communities will have a night to remember.”
“We’re so happy to be back on the road, and Atlantic Canada is a place very close to our hearts,” said Max Kerman, lead singer of Arkells. “We’re looking forward to collaborating with SiriusXM to bring a once in a lifetime experience to the city of Miramichi. Get ready to update your Wikipedia page, cause this will be one for the books and a history making night when Arkells get to town.”
“On behalf of our entire community, we want to express our incredible excitement over being selected as a SiriusXM Music Town,” said Orangeville Mayor Sandy Brown. “Congrats and best wishes to the other finalists. Many thanks to our Town staff and members of our local musicians and businesses that helped with videos encouraging the public to vote for Orangeville! Thank you to Live Nation and SiriusXM Canada for bringing Live Music Back. We can’t wait to welcome Walk off the Earth to Orangeville!”
The four winning communities were selected based on their nomination story, online voting and social rallying, and their unwavering spirit to be named a SiriusXM Music Town. Over 100,000 votes were cast for the top 16 communities, with local officials and community leaders motivating residents to get involved and bring live music to the heart of their town.
About the winning communities:
- EASTERN CANADA – ARKELLS in Miramichi, NB
The tight-knit community of Miramichi showcased their famous competitive spirit with an outpouring of passionate nominations and hometown stories. Their commitment to win followed through to the voting stage as daily reminders from town officials drove significant votes and rally points, ultimately helping Miramichi win a history making show with Arkells.
Situated between beautiful rivers and valleys on the east coast of New Brunswick, Miramichi residents know how to come together as a community to celebrate. Tragedy struck the city when their local 70-year-old theatre was lost to a fire in 2020. The Vogue Theatre was an arts and cultural hub for the community and a place where live music was regularly celebrated.
- QUEBEC – 2FRÈRES in Blanc-Sablon, QC
Blanc-Sablon’s community shone bright during the voting period, coming together to celebrate the warmth of their hometown. Inhabitants of this Lower North Shore municipality demonstrated their excitement for SiriusXM Music Town, highlighting Blanc-Sablon’s uniqueness and welcoming spirit.
Named after the fine white sand of its eponymous bay, the lively yet tiny community of Blanc-Sablon serves as the gateway to the eastern end of Lower North Shore. Although small, with a population of just 1,122 residents, the town of Blanc-Sablon is a tight-knit community with a big heart – a place where everyone knows your name. This fall, Blanc-Sablon will give a warm welcome to 2Frères.
- ONTARIO – WALK OFF THE EARTH in Orangeville, ON
If music is your jam, Orangeville is the place to be. The community’s love for live music and entertainment was made crystal clear during the voting period of SiriusXM Music Town. Local officials, small businesses and music fans rallied together in an extraordinary demonstration of hometown spirit to win an epic show from Walk off the Earth. The concert will help bring live music back to this vibrant community of true music lovers.
Orangeville, located near Lake Ontario in Dufferin County, has a thriving arts scene and an enormous love of music. While the town experienced enormous growth and expansion in recent years, some buildings remain as they were when they were built 120 years ago. The early days of a prosperous, successful county town are still here.
- WESTERN CANADA – DALLAS SMITH in Estevan, SK
The town of Estevan knows how to rally. After a difficult few years, local small businesses and music fans came together to drive thousands of votes and rally points to win SiriusXM Music Town in Western Canada.
Located in southeastern Saskatchewan close to the Souris River, Estevan is known as the sunshine capital of Canada – but residents would love to host a concert to bring even more brightness to their home. Estevan enjoys an average of 3,536 hours of sunshine and the highest number of hours each year of clear blue skies, but this unusually sunny town has unfortunately experienced dark times recently with the downturn in the Canadian oil industry. This fall, Estevan will host Dallas Smith for an unforgettable concert and celebration of hometown pride.
The concerts will take place in September and October, with details including date, location and ticket information to be announced in August.
Visit musictown.siriusxm.ca to learn more about the four winning communities. Canadians can follow along the Music Town journey by searching #SXMMusicTown and following @siriusxmcanada.
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About SiriusXM Canada
Sirius XM Canada Inc., operating as SiriusXM Canada, is the country’s leading audio entertainment company. SiriusXM creates and offers ad-free music; premier sports talk and live events; comedy; news; podcasts; and exclusive talk and entertainment. SiriusXM is available in vehicles from every major car company and on smartphones and other connected devices as well as online at siriusxm.ca.
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For further information:
Aoife Gray
Zeno Group
647-218-3906
aoife.gray@zenogroup.com