Luminate’s 2025 Year-End Music Report is out, and it includes some key Canadian stats.
From Jan. 3 to Jan 1, 2026, the entertainment data tracking firm captured a variety of metrics on the music industry, with insights into the Canadian music market and listener habits.
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Notably, total album consumption hit 116.6 million, up 4.1% from the previous year’s 112 million. Total Canadian album sales — including physical and digital download albums — hit 5 million, down 2.1% from 5.1 million in 2024. Canadian listeners are not just streaming, but buying records. Physical album sales — vinyl, CD and cassette — increased 3%, from 3.7 million to 3.8 million.
Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem was the top album, while Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” was the most popular song (by on-demand audio streams) across Canada.
Top 10 Albums in Canada
- Morgan Wallen, I’m the Problem (481,000)
- Taylor Swift, The Life Of A Showgirl (408,000)
- HUNTR/X, Saja Boys, Kpop Demon Hunters cast, Kpop Demon Hunters (255,000)
- The Weeknd, The Highlights (246,000)
- Tate McRae, So Close To What (235,000)
- Alex Warren, You’ll Be Alright, Kid (Chapter 1) (228,000)
- SZA, SOS (205,000)
- Sabrina Carpenter, Short n’ Sweet (204,000)
- Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time (202,000)
- Noah Kahan, Stick Season (195,000)
Top 10 Songs in Canada
- Alex Warren, “Ordinary” (114.5 million)
- Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (84.6 million)
- HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna & REI AMI, “Golden” (83.2 million)
- Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things” (80.0 million)
- Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile” (75.9 million)
- ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, “APT.” (70.1 million)
- Chappell Roan, “Pink Pony Club” (68.7 million)
- Teddy Swims, “Lose Control” (68.0 million)
- Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help” (67.8 million)
- Gracie Abrams, “That’s So True” (66.1 million)
Drake takes the top spot on the Global Songwriters Ranking, which rewards artists who are credited most often in the top 10,000 global on-demand audio songs. The Toronto rapper (credited in the report with both his artist and government name, Aubrey Graham) has written over 100 tracks that made the list, as did Puerto Rico hitmaker Bad Bunny, who comes in at No. 2. The Weeknd comes in at No. 6, between 50 and 75 tracks.
Read more here. — Heather Taylor-Singh
Judge Issues Arrest Warrant for Quebec Cryptocurrency Business Owner in FACTOR Canada Cybertheft Case
There has been a major development in the FACTOR Canada cybertheft case.
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has issued an arrest warrant for Quebec man James Campagna, found in contempt of court after nearly $10 million in music grant funds went missing.
In July 2024, it was reported that $9.8 million was allegedly stolen from the Canadian music non-profit and granting body’s Scotiabank account. In court last Friday (Jan. 9), where Billboard Canada was present, Justice W.D. Black of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled that he will endorse a warrant for business owner James Campagna, sentencing him to 30 days in jail.
“I find that Mr. Campagna is a liar, a fraud, and a scofflaw, deliberately and knowingly breaching this court’s orders,” wrote Justice Black in a bombshell Commercial List endorsement dated Jan. 9.
According to court documents, Campagna is the sole shareholder of Vipera, a Quebec-based tech company. The document claims that money was transferred in the form of a counterfeit invoice from FACTOR to Vipera’s Scotiabank account by Campagna, who moved the money into an account owned by cryptocurrency platform VirgoCX Direct.
The funds were transferred out mere days after the Department of Canadian Heritage deposited $14.3 million to distribute to the music industry.
After the case became public, FACTOR released a public statement, claiming that Campagna gained access to the bank account from an IP address that had never previously accessed their banking info. Additionally, the organization noted that it was never flagged about the “highly unusual, suspicious, and illegal activity” by Scotiabank.
The case is one of — if not the biggest — theft cases in the history of the Canadian music industry. Nearly two years into the legal battle, FACTOR’s lawyers have consistently requested that Campagna be held in contempt of court — now it’s finally happening, a rarity in the Commercial List court.
According to “FACTOR’s investigations and surveillance,” Campagna has now “fled jurisdiction,” Justice Black reports, and moved to Qatar. That’s according to evidence including social media posts indicating he plans to “stay and work in Qatar for a year” and documents that show his four children have been enrolled in school in the country.
In his endorsement, Justice Black recognizes that Campagna “has taken active steps with a view to putting himself beyond the reach of the court.” Still, “there should therefore be plenty of time, once my order comes to his attention, within which Mr. Campagna can take steps to purge his contempt.”
In a statement to Billboard Canada, FACTOR Canada CEO Meg Symsyk says the ruling is an important development as the organization pursues the repayment of the missing money.
“FACTOR welcomed Justice Black’s ruling this past Friday, which reaffirms what we maintained since the outset: the perpetrators of this theft have not been held to account,” she says. “The finding of contempt against Mr. James Campagna clearly illustrates the challenges that FACTOR has encountered in working to recover the stolen funds. FACTOR will continue to pursue all available legal avenues to recover these public monies and clear the organization and its staff.”
Scotiabank tells Billboard Canada that they cannot comment, given that the matter is before the courts.
Read more on this story here. — Richard Trapunski
Consumers Council of Canada Seeks to Sue Live Nation to Divest From Ticketmaster
The Consumers Council of Canada has filed an application with the Canadian Competition Tribunal, seeking permission to sue Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation.
The Canadian consumer group’s claim alleges that the merged live entertainment companies force artists and venues to accept anti-competitive exclusive promotion, exclusive ticketing and radius clauses. If they don’t comply, they risk losing access to the company’s wide network of connections.
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The council claims that Live Nation Entertainment has become a gatekeeper to the live music industry, controlling venues’ and artists’ profits while increasing ticket fees for fans.
The application filing follows new additions to the Canadian Competition Act, which allow affected parties and consumer groups to challenge anti-competitive disputes. If successful, the consumer advocacy group will order Live Nation to void terms in their contracts with artists and venues, plus “substantial compensation” for Canadian consumers, artists and venues.
The crux of the council’s objective is fairly straightforward: halting Live Nation’s ability to pressure artists and venues into anti-competitive terms and contracts that ramp up costs for businesses and consumers. The group seeks to force Live Nation to divest itself of Ticketmaster and orders voiding terms in their contracts with artists.
In a statement to Billboard Canada, Live Nation Entertainment say they plan to fight the filing.
“The filing, brought by a private entity, is based on misinformation about how the live entertainment industry works and we will defend against these baseless allegations,” they write. “We continue to work with the industry, our partners, and governments on solutions that give artists more control while enforcing existing anti‑bot and consumer protection laws.”
Read more here. — H.T.S
