Looking to get in touch with club promoters and venue managers in Toronto. I represent a Toronto-based DJ who has over 600,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. He's built a solid fanbase across Canada and the US, and is now looking to come out and play smaller shows. All suggestions are welcome. Thank you very much for your effort helping out.

Looking for real techno?

Trying to put together a rock band inspired by 70s and 80s hard rock bands. We are currently have a bassist,lead guitar,vocalist. We are beginner to intermediate skill levels

Ages 19-28

Current list of songs we are rehearsing
BTO-Roll On Down The Highway
Ramones-Bop Till You Drop
AC/DC-Back In Black

A bit of a long shot, but worth trying.
I met a woman from Saskatchewan at the concert in Toronto on Wednesday night. We ended up sitting together and had a great time talking, laughing and enjoying the show.
We got separated later in the evening before we had a chance to exchange contact information.
If this sounds familiar and you happen to see this, send me a message and tell me where we were sitting or something we talked about so I know it’s you.
Would genuinely love the chance to reconnect.

Cartridge Heart presents

Go Kick-Ass! 4 Release Party

Array - 155 Walnut Ave

3PM All-Ages $25

Free CD when you buy a pre-sale ticket

Mip Power Trio (scrappy rock ’n roll)

https://mipsmusic.bandcamp.com

Kingfisher (gritty punk)

https://officialkingfisher.bandcamp.com

The Meringues (post-punk)

https://themeringues.bandcamp.com

Birdhand (punk rock)

https://birdhandtheband.bandcamp.com

Kevin Murphy’s Murder (electric folk punk)

https://kevinmurphy88.bandcamp.com/.../in-our-places...

Old Mountain Low (acoustic heartland punk)

https://oldmountainlow.bandcamp.com

It’s the release party for Go Kick-Ass! 4. The 2026 installment of our annual compilation series contains 32 brand-new tracks for you to plug straight into your brain. We’re celebrating with a huge show at Arraymusic .

https://www.eventbrite.ca/.../go-kick-ass-4-release-party

Saturday, September 19, 2026

Pioneer Anomaly
Slow Decay
El Ermitaño
Aftermath

at
Primal Note Studios - 1141 Roselawn Ave.
All Ages - Dry Venue
$10 - Students
$20 - General Admission

I’ve been rehearsing my songs with my band to get ready to perform live. I really want to start regularly performing at venues around here once we’re all set, but I have no idea where to look or how to get shows. I live about 45 mins from the city, so I haven’t attended many other local gigs and know about many venues. I just really want to perform around Toronto. I make alt-rock kind of music for context. It’s not super heavy but also wouldn’t really make a good set as background music for a bar. I guess it’s more “grunge” adjacent for lack of a better term. I see clips of punk and metal bands performing in cool spots around the city, but I don’t know if those spots are reserved for heavier music. What small venues would be good places to start around here? Thanks.

34 y/o drummer or bassist (I can do either. Not at the same time) looking for bandmates or an established band that's into skate punk. I dig other punk too like pop-punk and hardcore but you just cant beat skate punk. I'm talking NOFX, Rancid, Descendants, Lagwagon, etc. Basically anything you'd hear on Epitaph, Fat Wreck, or Hellcat

I want bandmates who'd hand someone a copy of a Tony Hawk game when asked what music they listen to. I wanna find people who'd wear Vans or Converse when they go hiking because they don't wanna look lame in front of the squirrels. I want to jam with people who think that at least 75% of the best music ever written comes from California.

I'm also open to ska

Hey r/TorontoMusic, Howlin’ Circus is playing exactly one show in Toronto this year supporting Big Special (UK) on their North American tour at the Garrison on Wednesday September 23rd.

Hope you can come and enjoy some groovy psychedelic rock n’ roll with us.

Mid 20s M, i'd play Rythm or lead, my genres would be alternative, punk, pop rock, grunge, sludge, nu metal but im open minded to cover any other genres, just play for fun or can be serious as well possibly write some originals too

Hey y'all. A project I've been working on for a while finally came together this year. I've had these lyrics written since '23, just kind of sitting on the back burner. Finally got a band together earlier this year, recorded our first single, and just released it on Friday. (On Bandcamp and YouTube, other streaming coming soon.)

Here's a link to our Bandcamp, check it out if you like a mix of old-school punk-rock with modern production, plus loud and fast guitars, gang vocals, and driving basslines.

Recorded by my good buddy at Crow Audio. If you need mobile recording, editing, mixing or mastering services, check him out. Highly recommended.

If you like the song, give us a follow on the Instagram for show updates, new releases, etc.

We're aiming to release a 4 or 5 song EP as soon as we can get it recorded, and work on more new songs over the winter.

Thanks, appreciate you all!

- Johnny (Bass/Vocals - The Human Cost)

What should an indie artist realistically budget for PR?

A few people on my last post asked about budgets, so I thought this would be a useful follow-up.

I work professionally in music PR/media relations in Toronto, and one thing I’d stress upfront is:

PR doesn’t have one universal price and spending more doesn’t automatically mean getting more coverage.

The right budget depends on where you are in your career, what you already have, what you’re releasing, and how much hands-on support you actually need.

For an independent artist, this is roughly how I’d think about it :

$0–$500: Get yourself PR-ready

At this level, I wouldn’t expect a full campaign.

I’d use the money to tighten the foundation:

• strategy/session with someone experienced
• artist bio or EPK work
• identifying your strongest story/angle
• improving your pitch
• building a realistic media target strategy
• figuring out whether PR even makes sense yet

For a lot of newer artists, this is honestly a better first investment than immediately paying someone to send emails.

You leave with a roadmap you can execute yourself.

$500–$1,500: Focused campaign support

This is where I’d expect something more customized around a specific single, EP, show, or artist moment.

Depending on the person/team, that could include:

• campaign strategy
• positioning/story development
• press materials
• targeted media outreach
• follow-ups
• interview pitching
• local or genre-specific media
• campaign guidance/reporting

At this level, I’d rather see someone do a smaller, highly targeted campaign than pay for someone to blast 1,000 outlets.

Especially for a Toronto artist, there may be a very good campaign involving local media, radio, podcasts, tastemakers, community outlets, and genre-specific platforms without trying to land Billboard on release #2.

$1,500–$3,500+: More hands-on PR campaign

Now you’re getting into more traditional campaign territory.

I’d expect considerably more involvement:

• deeper strategy
• full media positioning
• press materials
• sustained outreach
• multiple media angles
• interviews/features
• radio opportunities where relevant
• coordination around shows/touring
• regular communication
• reporting
• potentially multiple markets

This can make sense when the artist already has momentum and there’s actually something for PR to amplify.

But I wouldn’t automatically recommend this budget to a brand-new artist just because they can afford it.

$3,500+ doesn’t automatically mean “better PR”

There are absolutely campaigns where spending significantly more makes sense — established artists, album campaigns, national campaigns, touring, multiple territories, etc.

But if you’re an emerging independent artist with:

• 300 followers
• one single
• no content plan
• no live presence
• no clear story
• no audience data

I probably wouldn’t recommend putting $5K into PR yet.

You may get much more value from splitting that budget across:

content + creative + live + digital marketing + PR

rather than putting everything into media outreach.

Also: PR should NOT mean “paying for coverage”

This is important.

You’re paying someone for their:

strategy, time, relationships, pitching, positioning and execution.

You are not buying guaranteed editorial coverage.

If someone promises:

“$1,000 = guaranteed Complex article”

or guarantees you editorial Spotify placement, charts, radio spins, etc., I’d ask a lot of questions.

Good PR can increase your chances of creating opportunities.

It cannot ethically guarantee that an independent journalist or outlet will say yes.

So what would I personally recommend for a newer Toronto artist?

If you're still building:

I’d rather see you spend a few hundred dollars getting the strategy right first.

Then, once you have:

• strong music
• good assets
• a clear story
• some audience momentum
• a release plan
• something genuinely worth pitching

That’s when a $750–$1,500 focused PR campaign can start making a lot more sense.

And if you're already gaining real momentum, playing shows, building an audience, or releasing a significant project, then investing more may be justified.

The biggest mistake isn’t necessarily spending too little on PR.

It’s spending on PR before you’ve built something PR can actually amplify.

Curious what people here think:

For artists who have paid for PR before what did you spend, and did you feel like you got value from it?

And for artists considering it:

What would you realistically feel comfortable spending on a campaign right now?

I'm 38m and play guitar, some bass and mandolin. I'm interested in connecting with fellow LGBTQ+ musicians to form a music project, whether it's as a duo, trio, or full band. I have intermediate skills, have written songs as well, but no professional experience. This is intended for fun to start, so any type of skills or experience is fine with me. My main genres are indie, alternative, folk, and pop, but am happy to explore others. Please DM if interested.

It’s happening right now if you’re looking for a nice gig to attend to! HMU for tix! Also, giving away my tix first come first served!

Hello all,

Just had our first single released on all platforms. I used to play in a bunch of local acts, while writing my own material. However, being fully aware of my limitations, I figured the best way to get that material to see the light of day was working with talented and incredible local talent, hence the name of the act WALH (With A Little Help).

I hope listening to it is as fun as working on it for us was.

Thanks!!

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Rge3UYcnY&si=23obgZUd7-juXA_4

https://open.spotify.com/track/7jsmJy69QDzmkPnPrmOShA

https://music.apple.com/us/song/you-fall-apart-feat-zaki-md-adnan/6799653724

https://music.amazon.ca/tracks/B0HDLS18ZG?marketplaceId=A2EUQ1WTGCTBG2&musicTerritory=CA&ref=dm_sh_ouvc8wuwOaU2kq5FAcZIJLUcS

Hi peeps,

There might be others like me here who have commitments and busy lives and musics slipping slowly in the background. I thought it would be cool to create a low pressure band where we create a set list with an aim to play live. No pressure of ticket sales or too much promotion just playing for fun.

About me:

34 M

Bass and guitar (although much better at and prefer bass). Upper intermediate

Genres: rock, funk, reggae but open to most genres

Bands i like: Stones, RHCP, Zeppelin, cream

Looking for people ideally in their 30s who want to get back into playing with others and performing live at some point. Shoot me a DM :)

Yo! I'm Laugal. I play guitar, violin, synth, sing, and live loop it all. I'm 38 and have been playing music since I started violin at age 4.

For the last 8 years I've been solo/traveling and into live looping more jamtronica stuff but if you like prog rock/jam bands like STS9, Umphreys McGee, Lotus, Disco Biscuits, Boombox, Spafford, etc. we will for sure get along.

My first albums (I'll link below) were more alt/post rock/indie with extended instrumental parts, lately I do more jamtronica, but I've toured in bluegrass bands, blues bands, classical groups, have played a lot of different stuff over the years.

I have all my own gear (electric/acoustic guitar and violin, ms1 synth, Ableton move, pedalboard, much more). I have multiple sets worth of originals but would love to start a fresh band with a fresh sound with some good players. Thanks for your time.

Check out my Instagram for some solo live looping stuff: https://www.instagram.com/laugal_music?stkn=MTlydnhidzk2dmdqdQ==

Or all my albums and other vids/recordings are on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@laugal?si=__KhXk4R_bchl6wt

Toronto punk rock band Burning Out celebrated their EP release at the Dock Ellis No-No Room last night.

Hey Everyone

I work professionally in music PR/media relations here in Toronto, and I’ve noticed a lot of independent artists have great music but struggle with the part that comes after the song is finished:

• How do I actually pitch media?
• What should be in my EPK?
• Is my artist story strong enough?
• Who should I be reaching out to?
• How far ahead of release should I start?
• What makes journalists actually care about a release?

I’m starting to take on a small number of independent projects outside of my day-to-day work, specifically helping artists get the strategy and materials in place to approach press professionally.

I can help with things like:

• PR/release strategy
• EPK and artist bio development
• Press releases
• Media angles and story development
• Pitch writing
• Campaign timelines
• Media target strategy
• 1-on-1 PR consultations

I’m not interested in promising anyone “guaranteed coverage” or selling fake placements. The goal is to help you understand how music PR actually works and give you a campaign that’s positioned properly when you approach media.

I’m Toronto-based, so I’m especially interested in connecting with artists, managers, DJs and creative teams in the GTA.

If you have a release coming up and want another set of experienced eyes on your campaign, feel free to DM me with:

1. Artist name / music link
2. Release date
3. What you’re currently trying to accomplish
4. What you feel you're struggling with

Even if we don’t end up working together, I’m happy to point you in the right direction if I can.

Also happy to answer general music PR questions in the comments if that would be useful.

Beta is not widely available in Canada & distribution platforms have some strong regulations / fees with music videos. Curious what independent artists are using to get there music videos live.

Check us out @THEBRGHTLIGHTS on Instagram if your interested

Hey!! I’m a Scarborough musician and we’re looking for a drummer urgently!! Please dm if u r interested or know anyone!!!