Top Five – The Best – Music Blogs in Toronto

Being creative for long stretches of time throughout the day isn’t easy. Doing it in absolute silence is next to impossible – for me anyways. I’m the kind of person who if it’s too quiet, won’t be able to get out of a conversation I’m having inside my own head (pretty sure it’s with myself), or worse – I may just fall asleep. Music can be a designer’s best friend when it’s go-time. Music can keep you energized, focused, motivated, but as I get older and more interested in a more diverse set of subjects – homeownership, car payments, the horrific disrespect for human rights all the time, everywhere – and less time to sink into a new record, or even a search engine for a few hours to find new music to listen to. That is why I’ve put together the top five Canadian music blogs you should be following.

A Journal of Musical Things

https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com

A Journal of Musical Things is the website of EDGE 102.1 host and Music Director Alan Cross. I’ve never met Cross, we’ve only spoken professionally by email twice, but I’m a fan. Mostly because I didn’t like my broadcasting professor very much, and he didn’t like Cross. So as a defiant college kid, my general enjoyment of Cross grew. Cross hosts the Ongoing History of New Music Podcast – and radio show, and it’s one of the best music commentary shows out there today. Hands down. Cross covers mainstream rock, alternative, and indie – that may seem like a counterintuitive statement but don’t worry, we’ll get there. 

HOLR Magazine

https://holrmagazine.com

HOLR Magazine is a lifestyle, fashion, and music blog – as well as a creative agency – from Toronto, Canada. While it’s a bit counter-intuitive to feature a different creative agency on our blog, the HOLR Magazine blog has particularly well-curated lifestyle content that this blog, well, doesn’t. I’ve made a point of making sure content on Toronto Creatives is useful for marketing first and foremost. I only started writing it to answer client questions more easily, and not have to do so much extra/free work. So while I hope articles like Five Marketing Tips for Indie Musicians and 7 Ways to Simplify Your Content Creation Process are helpful – we realize they might not be for everyone. HOLR Magazine does have something for everyone – it’s beautifully put together and well worth a look. 

Dropout Entertainment

https://dropoutentertainment.ca

This is where the shameless self-promotion starts just a bit. Dropout Entertainment is our sister company – a Canadian Music blog and our ‘creative blog outlet’ if you like. Working on anything Dropout is sincerely a blast. Dropout is the brainchild of Toronto Creatives Director/Videographer Jesse Read. After traveling across Canada touring with his band and a number of others, Read got the sense that Canada’s music scene should be brought closer together, from coast-to-coast. I teamed up with Read in 2016 after working together for over a year. His passion for independent artists and their music is genuine and his drive to create is second to none. Dropout Entertainment releases new content all the time including written interviews, music videos, show videos, and my fancy-ass New Music Mondays podcast. Dropout Entertainment also hosts Dropout Radio, a 24/7 Internet Radio station dedicated to 100% Canadian Independent Music – Available on their website and the myTunerRadio App.

Dominionated

https://dominionated.ca

Dominionated.ca is a progressive monthly music and art round-up site dedicated to promoting content and music that would otherwise be underrepresented, with particular attention to BIPOC and LGBTQ+ creators and artists. Founded by Mac Cameron and Jim Gioia for the purpose of shining a spotlight on underrepresented music, the site publishes a number of podcasts and articles by it’s passion-fueled, volunteer contributors, every month. 

Earmilk

https://earmilk.com

Earmilk, founded in Toronto by Blake Shoji, is a global look at music and music makers of all types. The thing I like about Earmilk is that it’s entirely based on good taste, in my opinion. There is nothing plastic about the music they cover, nothing overly commercial (yes, I still realize we’re a marketing company), and the site always looks stellar. 

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