2010 in Canadian music

The following is a list of notable events and releases that occurred in 2010 Canadian music.

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.

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
 * Born Ruffians, Say It
 * Bran Van 3000, The Garden
 * Brasstronaut, Mt. Chimaera
 * Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record
 * 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
 * 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

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, Santilli
 * 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
 * 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 10 albums
These albums consist of Canadian sales only.

Top 10 American albums
These albums are Canadian sales only.

Deaths

 * 1 January – Lhasa de Sela, folk singer-songwriter
 * 18 January – Kate McGarrigle, folk singer-songwriter
 * 21 January – Paul Quarrington, novelist (Whale Music) and musician
 * 9 February – Jacques Hétu, composer
 * 15 March – Dan Achen, former guitarist for Junkhouse
 * 18 April – Devon Clifford, drummer for You Say Party! We Say Die!
 * 22 April – Gene Lees, music critic and songwriter
 * 16 June – Maureen Forrester, opera singer
 * 27 July – Edward Gamblin, country rock singer-songwriter