Juno Awards Will Be Cooler, Less Well Attended Than Ever

Even the prospect of seeing the Biebs in the flesh can't compel Torontonians to buy a ticket to the awards ceremony.

This Sunday, the 40th annual Juno Awards ceremony hits Toronto, and in Eye Weekly, Sarah Liss asks the all-important question: Are the Junos finally cool? For some perspective on how far the awards have come in the past 10 years, consider that the last time the Junos were hosted in Toronto, they were emceed by teen popsters the Moffats, and Alanis Morissette’s Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie beat out Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, and a cartoon duo called Prozzak in the best album category. “For years, a typical lineup of nominees in the top Juno categories was eye-rollingly predictable,” Liss writes. “[T]his year’s top nominees (Drake, Arcade Fire, Justin Bieber, Broken Social Scene) actually reflect what people under the age of 30 – heck, even 20 – listen to by choice.” And the emcee is Drake, “the most famous rapper Canada’s ever produced.” You’ve come a long way, baby!

So the Junos will be cooler this year, but they might also be emptier than usual. It turns out that Torontonians aren’t too keen to fork over $189 for a ticket to the ceremony in a city with so many other cheaper entertainment options. CTV (this year’s Juno broadcaster) reports that as of Thursday, 2,000 of the 10,000 tickets remained unsold.

The CBC’s Andre Mayer takes the opportunity to reflect on radio’s Canadian content laws, which also turn 40 this year. With the dawn of the blogosphere, Canuck groups like Crystal Castles and Broken Social Scene have proven that radio play is not a necessary ingredient to international stardom, and CanCon laws have a tendency to force crappy bands onto the airwaves. So do we still need them?

As for the Junos themselves, after shocking American audiences by winning the best album honour at the Grammys (remember the infamous tumblr?), it’s shaping up to be Arcade Fire’s year. They’re nominated in six categories, and voters will hardly scorn a homegrown favourite that’s been shown so much love south of the border. Drake is up for artist of the year, but expect him to be beaten out by Stratford, Ont.'s, ubiquitous cutie-pie, Justin Bieber.