How a Canadian music magazine birthed the nation's most prestigious awards ceremony
In short: Before Canada had the Juno Awards, it had a magazine called RPM. Founded in 1964, this industry publication did more than track hits; it invited readers to vote on their favorite artists, inadvertently creating the foundation for the country's modern music awards and shaping its cultural landscape for decades.
Launched in February 1964 by Walt Grealis and supported by Stan Klees, RPM—standing for Records, Promotion, Music—quickly became the definitive voice of the Canadian music industry. In its early days, the magazine relied on airplay lists from major radio stations, but by June 1964, it introduced its own national chart. This chart evolved significantly over time, expanding from 40 to 100 positions in 1966 and eventually shifting its methodology from a mix of sales and airplay to being based solely on airplay by September 1988.
The magazine's influence extended far beyond data. Its annual reader survey, which began in its founding year, allowed fans to vote for top performers and industry figures. These informal polls were formalized into the Gold Leaf Awards in 1970, which later became the Juno Awards. The inaugural 1964 awards recognized figures like Jack London and Linda Layne, while the 1965 results, published in early 1966, showed an increased focus on country music, reflecting the magazine's broad genre coverage.
Despite its central role in Canadian music history, RPM faced mounting pressures as the millennium approached. By the fall of 2000, shifts in advertising policies made the publication's continued operation nearly impossible. The magazine, which had seen the rise of countless artists—from the Dixie Cups, who claimed the first national number-one spot, to Madonna, who held the final top position—ceased operations in November 2000, leaving behind a legacy that defined the Canadian sound for thirty-six years.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: RPM (magazine)
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