If you grew up in Canada, you are most likely aware of Much Music. 

To me, the Canadian & Toronto music scene’s history is deeply connected to Much Music and its legacy. 

It still exists today as a social media-only network, but it is not the same. 

Bring back the Toronto block parties of the Much Music Video Awards, the Red Carpets, the interviews, and the meet-and-greets outside the Bell Media building in Downtown Toronto! 

I am so nostalgic for Much Music because I never got to experience it in all its glory. I was just starting to enjoy the network when it sadly fizzled. 

Growing up in Toronto, I envied all the teenagers lined up on a night after school outside the iconic Queen West CTV building to watch their favourite pop stars perform or be interviewed. I specifically remember watching Degrassi interviews on their after show, the iconic 2012 One Direction interviews, or Justin Bieber Interviews as I watched from afar, hoping one day to be standing outside just feet away from my favourite stars.

Much Music was so exciting because with so much attention on American broadcasting interview shows, when Canadian outlets like MUCH, ET Canada, or ETalk got the same attention, it felt inclusive and like Canada was a part of the pop culture conversation. 

MUCH was a MUST on any Canadian press run an artist did. Some artists would intentionally book their Toronto show on the same weekend as the Much Music Video Awards so they could make an appearance. The show didn’t just focus on Canadian artists, which was also great. 

Toronto is the New York City of Canada, so it only made sense to have a “Total Request Live”-type show for a Canadian national audience. It had similarities to TRL with all the different video jockeys counting down the videos and interviewing the stars, the location in the heart of a busy city, and the fans. 

Instead of Carson Daly, it was Rick Campanelli, George Stroumboulopoulos, Tyrone, Leah Miller, Master T, and many more — the list of Iconic MUCH VJs goes on and on, especially in the years I watched it between 2008 and 2018, not to mention the heyday of the 80s, 90s and 00s. 

Fan culture made these music television shows successful, but when you think about it, could it realistically work the same way now? There is SO much pandemonium and hype surrounding music artists now that I dont think it could be easily managed, especially in the city! Parasocial relationships with artists due to social media have made this challenge more extreme, and I really don’t think fans could handle being in such close proximity to a music star. There are more liabilities now. 

That said, I fear Toronto is missing out on the music scene today. There is so much fan culture and passion for music here, but it lacks a sense of community! MUCH brought together fans of all genres and made the city exciting, especially on Interview days. There are so many ways MUCH could be revamped, made more exciting, and bring in money to the network without actually making it the same as in the past.  Lowkey, though, I need to work for them. 

I ride for MUCH the way I do because it was so impactful to Canadians and was taken very seriously in the Industry. Dare I say more exciting than the Junos? Also, going to the CD store and buying the MUCH Dance mix of the most played songs from that year was so exciting. 

Let me paint the picture for you…When I was only 13 years old, my friends and I took the subway downtown to Queen Street West on the day of the Much Music Video Awards, and we began the long, lengthy process of waiting in line for 13 hours, all day on the street waiting for the awards show to start. There we were, right at the barricade behind the smart people who got reserved GA, watching our favourite artists at the time performing. FOR FREE. 

MUCH was just so cool, and it made me so proud to be from Toronto. 

Those were the days. 

xx

Sadie <3

* Cover photo is property of Much Music and Bell Media*