The following is a list of notable events and releases that occurred in 2010 Canadian music.
Events
January 1 January – Folk singer Lhasa de Sela dies in Montreal of breast cancer. 19 January – Folk singer Kate McGarrigle dies in Montreal.
April 18 April Devon Clifford, drummer for the indie rock band You Say Party! We Say Die! dies of complications from a brain hemorrhage he suffered two nights previous while performing onstage in Vancouver. The 2010 Juno Awards
June 17 June The 2010 Polaris Music Prize 40-album longlist is announced. The Broken Social Scene concert film This Movie Is Broken, directed by Bruce McDonald, premieres as part of Toronto's NXNE festival. 29 June – Rapper/singer Drake is sued by Playboy Enterprises over the use of the 1974 song "Fallin' In Love" by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds in Drake's 2009 hit "Best I Ever Had." Playboy, which owns the rights to "Fallin' In Love," claims Drake used the song's sample without permission and is seeking to claim any profits made from the Drake single.
July 6 July – The Polaris Music Prize 10-album shortlist is announced.
September 20 September – Karkwa's album Les Chemins de verre wins the 2010 Polaris Music Prize.
Albums released
A The Acorn, No Ghost aKido, Gamechanger Annihilator, Annihilator Apollo Ghosts, Mount Benson Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
B Baby Eagle, Dog Weather Matthew Barber, True Believer Barenaked Ladies, All in Good Time The Beauties, The Beauties Bedouin Soundclash, Light the Horizon Ridley Bent, Rabbit on My Wheel The Besnard Lakes, The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night Justin Bieber, My World 2.0 The Birthday Massacre, Pins and Needles Black Mountain, Wilderness Heart Blackburn Brothers, Brotherhood Born Ruffians, Say It Bran Van 3000, The Garden Brasstronaut, Mt. Chimaera Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Recordbrokensocialscene.ca Jim Bryson and The Weakerthans, The Falcon Lake Incident Buck 65, 20 Odd Years Basia Bulat, Heart of My Own Matthew Byrne, Ballads
C Kathryn Calder, Are You My Mother? Paul Cargnello, La Course des loups Caribou, Swim Chic Gamine, City City Chromeo, Business Casual Ora Cogan, The Boggy Mire Ora Cogan, The Quarry Jason Collett, Rat a Tat Tat Ève Cournoyer, Tempête Crash Karma, Crash Karma Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles
D Tanya Davis, Clocks and Hearts Keep Going Delerium, Remixed: The Definitive Collection Shawn Desman, Fresh Diamond Rings, Special Affections Dirty Circus, Alive and Well Fefe Dobson, Joy Luke Doucet, Steel City Trawler Gordon Downie, The Grand Bounce Drake, Thank Me Later D-Sisive, Vaudeville Marc Dupré, Entre deux mondes
E Fred Eaglesmith, Cha Cha Cha Elephant Stone, The Glass Box Elise Estrada, Here Kitty Kittee
F Frazey Ford, Obadiah Forest City Lovers, Carriage Frog Eyes, Paul's Tomb: A Triumph
G Hannah Georgas, This Is Good Ghostkeeper, Ghostkeeper Gigi, Maintenant The Golden Dogs, Coat of Arms Gonzales, Ivory Tower Jenn Grant, Songs for Siigoun Grey Kingdom, The Grey Kingdom Emm Gryner, Gem and I Jim Guthrie, Now, More Than Ever (Extended Edition)
H Sarah Harmer, Oh Little Fire Holy Fuck, Latin Hot Hot Heat, Future Breeds Hot Panda, How Come I'm Dead? Huron, Huron
I Chin Injeti, D'tach
J Japandroids, No Singles Lyndon John X, Brighter Days
K Kalle Mattson, Anchors Karkwa, Les Chemins de verre Kyrie Kristmanson, Origin of Stars
L Land of Talk, Cloak and Cipher Richard Laviolette and the Oil Spills, All of Your Raw Materials Library Voices, Denim on Denim
M Ryan MacGrath, Cooper Hatch Paris Mares of Thrace, The Moulting Emma McKenna, Run With It Sarah McLachlan, Laws of Illusion Greg MacPherson, Mr. Invitation Kate Maki, Two Song Wedding Martha and the Muffins, Delicate Michou, Cardona Millimetrik, Mystique Drums (LP), Afterglow (EP) Ruth Minnikin, Depend on This Ariane Moffatt, Trauma: Chansons de la série télé The Mohawk Lodge, Crimes Ruth Moody, The Garden The Most Serene Republic, Fantasick Impossibliss The Mountains and the Trees, I Made This for You
N The New Pornographers, Together No Kids, Judy at the Grove
O Oktoécho, La 5e Route Bleue Old Man Luedecke, My Hands Are on Fire and Other Love Songs Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, And Now We Sing Jenny Omnichord, All Our Little Bones
P The Pack A.D., We Kill Computers Steven Page, Page One Owen Pallett, Heartland Philémon Cimon, Les Sessions cubaines Pigeon Hole, Age Like Astronauts Dany Placard, Placard Plants and Animals, La La Land Po' Girl, Follow Your Bliss Postdata, Postdata Ghislain Poirier, Running High The Provincial Archive, Maybe We Could Be Holy
R Radio Radio, Belmundo Regal Rah Rah, Breaking Hearts Raised by Swans, No Ghostless Place Johnny Reid, A Place Called Love Rise Ashen and Ammoye, Haffi Win Daniel Romano, Workin' for the Music Man The Russian Futurists, The Weight's on the Wheels Justin Rutledge, The Early Widows
S The Sadies, Darker Circles The Salteens, Grey Eyes Samian, Face à la musique John K. Samson, Provincial Road 222 Ivana Santilli, Santilliivanasantilli.net Sea Oleena, Sea Oleena Secret and Whisper, Teenage Fantasy Shad, TSOL Shapes and Sizes, Candle to Your Eyes The Sheepdogs, Learn & Burn Siskiyou, Siskiyou Small Sins, Pot Calls Kettle Black Snailhouse, Monumental Moments John Southworth, Human Cry Jay Sparrow, In Our Time Rae Spoon, Love Is a Hunter Frederick Squire, March 12 – 2 November Kinnie Starr, A Different Day Stars, The Five Ghosts Sum 41, Screamer Suuns, Zeroes QC Swollen Members, Greatest Hits: Ten Years of Turmoil
T Maylee Todd, Choose Your Own Adventure Tokyo Police Club, Champ Trillionaire$, By Hook or by Crook
V Diyet van Lieshout, The Breaking Point Leif Vollebekk, Inland
W Rufus Wainwright, All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu The Weakerthans, Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre The Wheat Pool, Behind the Stars Winter Gloves, All Red Wintersleep, New Inheritors Wolf Parade, Expo 86 Women, Public Strain Royal Wood, The Waiting Woodhands, Remorsecapade Woodpigeon, Die Stadt Muzikanten Woodpigeon, Balladeer: To All the Guys I've Loved Before Donovan Woods, The Widowmaker Wool on Wolves, Grey Matter Hawksley Workman, Meat Hawksley Workman, Milk
Y Nikki Yanofsky, Nikki You Say Party, REMIXXXX Neil Young, Le Noise Yukon Blonde, Yukon Blonde
Z Zeus, Say Us
Top hits on record
Top 10 albums These albums consist of Canadian sales only.
RankArtistAlbumPeakpositionSalesCertification1Justin BieberMy World 2.01213,0003× Platinum2Arcade FireThe Suburbs1160,0002× Platinum3Johnny ReidA Place Called Love1160,0002× Platinum4k.d. langRecollection3160,0002× Platinum5DrakeThank Me Later1120,500Platinum6Celine DionLa Tournee Mondiale Taking Chances: Le Spectacle1100,000Diamond7Bobby BaziniBetter in Time480,000Platinum8deadmau54×4=12780,000Platinum9Justin BieberMy Worlds Acoustic580,000Platinum10Nikki YanofskyNikki580,000Platinum
Top 10 American albums These albums are Canadian sales only.
RankArtistAlbumPeakpositionSalesCertification1EminemRecovery1435,000Platinum2Bruno MarsDoo-Wops & Hooligans1240,0003× Platinum3Katy PerryTeenage Dream1320,0004× Platinum4Lady AntebellumNeed You Now1240,0003× Platinum5Taylor SwiftSpeak Now1240,0003× Platinum6KeshaAnimal1160,0002× Platinum7PinkGreatest Hits... So Far!!!4160,0002× Platinum8Josh GrobanIlluminations483,100Platinum9GleeGlee: The Music, The Christmas Album181,000TBA10Avenged SevenfoldNightmare280,000Platinum
Top British albums RankArtistAlbumPeakpositionSalesCertification1Susan BoyleThe Gift1160,0002× Platinum2SlashSlash180,000Platinum3Elton John and Leon RussellThe Union740,000Gold4GorillazPlastic Beach340,000Gold5Iron MaidenThe Final Frontier140,000Gold6Ozzy OsbourneScream440,000Gold7Phil CollinsGoing Back340,000Gold8Phil CollinsGoing Back – Live At Roseland Ballroom, NYCTBA5,000Gold9Porcupine TreeAnesthetizeTBA5,000Gold
Top International albums RankArtistAlbumPeakpositionSalesCertification1RihannaLoud1163,5003× Platinum (1× in 2010)2Enrique IglesiasEuphoria1240,000Gold3VolbeatBeyond Hell/Above HeavenTBA40,000Gold4SantanaGuitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time38,500TBA
Top 10 Singles RankArtistSongAlbumPeakpositionSalesCertification1Adele"Rolling in the Deep"211720,0009× Platinum2Bruno Mars"Grenade"Doo-Wops & Hooligans1480,0006× Platinum3Bruno Mars"Just the Way You Are"Doo-Wops & Hooligans1480,0006× Platinum4Katy Perry"Firework"Teenage Dream1480,0006× Platinum5Foster the People"Pumped Up Kicks"Torches3400,0005× Platinum6Nikki Yanofsky"I Believe"Nikki1400,0005× Platinum7Taio Cruz"Dynamite"Rokstarr1400,0005× Platinum8Cee Lo Green"Fuck You"The Lady Killer7320,0004× Platinum9Katy Perry"Teenage Dream"Teenage Dream1320,0004× Platinum10Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg"California Gurls"Teenage Dream1320,0004× Platinum
Canadian Hot 100 Year-End List