2025 Luminate Music Report: Insights into the Canadian Music Market and the FACTOR Canada Cybertheft Case
Luminate has released its 2025 Year-End Music Report, providing insights into the Canadian music market and listener behaviors. Total album consumption in Canada reached 116.6 million, showing a 4.1% increase from the previous year. Despite a slight decline in total Canadian album sales to 5 million, physical album sales, including vinyl, CD, and cassette, saw a 3% increase to 3.8 million. Morgan Wallen's "I'm the Problem" was the top album, and Alex Warren's "Ordinary" was the most popular song in Canada based on on-demand audio streams.
Drake leads the Global Songwriters Ranking, with over 100 tracks credited in the top 10,000 global on-demand audio songs. Bad Bunny follows at No. 2, and The Weeknd ranks at No. 6. The report highlights the success of Canadian artists on the global stage.
In a significant development, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice issued an arrest warrant for James Campagna in the FACTOR Canada cybertheft case. Campagna, accused of stealing nearly $10 million in music grant funds, has been found in contempt of court. The case involves the transfer of funds from FACTOR to a cryptocurrency platform, leading to one of the largest theft cases in the Canadian music industry's history.
Campagna, the sole shareholder of Vipera, a Quebec-based tech company, is reported to have fled to Qatar, according to evidence presented in court. The ongoing legal battle sheds light on the vulnerabilities in financial transactions within the music industry and the importance of safeguarding grant funds.
The FACTOR Canada cybertheft case serves as a cautionary tale for organizations handling grant funds and underscores the need for enhanced security measures to prevent fraudulent activities. The music industry continues to face challenges in protecting financial assets, emphasizing the importance of transparency and accountability in financial transactions.