THE FLAMING LIPS Headline NXNE, June 16

North by Northeast (NXNE) and AOL Canada today announce that three-time Grammy-Award winning group The Flaming Lips will headline a free show at Yonge-Dundas Square on Saturday, June 16. Celebrating its 18th year, NXNE Music presents more than 650 artists for 300,000 attendees and generates more than $47 million for the city. NXNE takes over Toronto June 11-17, 2012.

For the second consecutive year, AOL Canada is the sponsor of the Saturday night concert at Yonge-Dundas Square. Oklahoma psych-rockers The Flaming Lips, renowned for their elaborate live shows featuring costumes, balloons, puppets, and electric light performances, will bring their psychedelic A-game to Canada’s pre-eminent music festival.

“AOL Canada and its music site, Spinner.ca, are proud supporters of Canada’s music and arts scene, and of NXNE for the second year in a row,” said Laura Pearce, director of marketing, AOL Canada. “Our marketing efforts include a four-day presence on the square with Saturday domination and Spinner.ca interviews with the NXNE line-up, including an exclusive ‘Day in the life’ feature with The Flaming Lips. NXNE is a great opportunity to connect with our core audience in a fun and engaging way.”

NXNE is an essential gathering of the best new artists, their fans, the music industry – and a destination for youth-focused experiential brand integration. NXNE 2011 was the best-ever edition of the week-long event, marking a 15 per cent increase in overall festival attendance. Each year, NXNE delivers some of the most impactful brand integrations within the world of live entertainment.

During NXNE 2011 more than 110,000 people visited Yonge-Dundas Square over four days to check out free concerts including new wave legends Devo and Men Without Hats, both presented by AOL Canada. Handing out more than 500 Spinner.ca branded t-shirts, and hosting a backstage VIP booth for AOL Canada clients, Spinner.ca has enjoyed a 151 per cent increase in traffic since June 2011! *

Media coverage from the 2011 Devo announcement and concert included the Toronto Star, National Post, CBC Radio 3, CTV, CityNews, Global TV, Exclaim!, The Onion’s AV Club, Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan, Fused UK, and hundreds more.

*comScore Inc. Total Canada. Home and Work. Spinner property Media Trend June 2011-Feb 2012