The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia is a two volume encyclopedia of Canadian pop music, available in hardcover and online, detailing Canadian music from 1949 onwards.[1][2]
The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia was started by Jaimie Vernon on July 1, 1998, as an online service of the Toronto Sun newspaper website CANOE.[3][4] Vernon had been advised by music journalist John Sakamoto that the Toronto Sun had licensed a music encyclopedia, but that the company was not satisfied with it. They hired Vernon to write a new online edition in 1998.[1]
The encyclopedia was originally based on Vernon's association with independent Canadian label Bullseye Records,[5] established by Vernon in 1985,[6] where Vernon began to collect information about notable Canadian bands. This led to the publication of a music magazine, Great White Noise, which became the blueprint for the eventual hardcover version of the Encyclopedia.[1]
Volume One of the Encyclopedia was released in hardcover March 1, 2012. Volume Two of the Encyclopedia was released in hardcover November 14, 2012. A double sized single edition was released to Long & McQuade Music stores in Canada in 2013 but has since been discontinued. A Volume One e-Book was released in 2013. A Volume Two e-Book was also released in 2013.
The primary criteria for inclusion in the encyclopedia is that a band has been in existence for at least a year and has released music in a commercial format or as a commercially released solo act.[1] Many Canadian music photographers have contributed material to the encyclopedia, including John Rowlands, Andrew MacNaughton, John Fraser and Allison Janzen.[1]