The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) is a non-profit association purposed towards supporting the music industry in the Canadian east coast, i.e., Atlantic Canada. The ECMA hosts the annual East Coast Music Awards (formerly the Maritime Music Awards) festival.
The East Coast Music Awards have been a springboard for many Atlantic Canadians, including Sarah McLachlan, Ashley MacIsaac, Rawlins Cross, Lennie Gallant, Natalie MacMaster, Gordie Sampson, Joel Plaskett, The Rankin Family, Rita MacNeil, Bruce Guthro, J.P. Cormier and Great Big Sea.
Each year, the ECMA also awards one person with the Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize an artist or band that has had a profound and lasting effect on the Atlantic Canadian music industry.
Association history and mission In 1989, Halifax music industry promoter Rob Cohn launched the Maritime Music Awards to celebrate music in the Canadian maritime region. Two years later, in 1991, Cohn joined forces with Sheri Jones, Karen Byers, Lee Stanley, Mike Barkhouse, Peter Hendrickson, Bruce Morel, and Tony Kelly to form the East Coast Music Association. The association's event thereby became known as the East Coast Music Awards and covered all of the provinces in Atlantic Canada.
Today, , the ECMA's mission is "to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian music, its artists and its industry professionals throughout the region and around the world," as well as advocating "for [its] members to ensure they can sustain music careers while based in Canada's Atlantic region."
The ECMA is a registered non-profit association. Membership is open to all individuals working in any sector of the music industry, or those who support the music industry. Membership includes musicians, artists, agents, managers, record companies, studios, media, related corporation and retailers. , it has over 1,000 members.
In 2013, Front Row Insurance Brokers Inc. initiated an online musical instrument insurance program for members of the ECMA.
East Coast Music Awards
The East Coast Music Awards (formerly the Maritime Music Awards) is an annual festival hosted by the ECMA to celebrate the music industry in Atlantic Canada.
The Awards have been a springboard for many Atlantic Canadians, including Sarah McLachlan, Ashley MacIsaac, Rawlins Cross, Lennie Gallant, Natalie MacMaster, Gordie Sampson, Joel Plaskett, The Rankin Family, Rita MacNeil, Bruce Guthro, J.P. Cormier, and Great Big Sea.
The awards were created in 1989 by Halifax music industry promoter Rob Cohn as the "Maritime Music Awards". The inaugural award show took place on April 10, 1989, in the Flamingo Café and Lounge in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to focus on the diversity of music and musicians in mainland Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick. Inaugural hosts were JC Douglas and Andrew Gillis of Q104 radio in Halifax.
The awards were renamed in 1991 with the formation of the East Coast Music Association, now including Newfoundland and Labrador. The event moved from The Flamingo Cafe & Lounge to the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium at the Dalhousie Arts Centre and new awards were added.
While being held in Halifax for the first few years, the East Coast Music Awards has been hosted by other Atlantic Canadian cities since 1994, as with the formation of provincial music industry associations, it was decided that the event would move each year, revolving from province to province. The East Coast Music Awards: Festival and Conference is now a five-day event. Since 2002, its awards gala has been aired in a two-hour national broadcast on CBC Television.
Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award Each year, the ECMA also awards one person with the Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes an artist or band that has had a profound and lasting effect on the Atlantic Canadian music industry; the recipient is chosen by the ECMA board of directors. Helen Creighton (1899-1989), after whom the award is named, was an author and pioneer in the field of folklore, both nationally and internationally. In 1958, she was one of the judges at the first Miramichi Folksong Festival, organized by Louise Manny. Recipients of this award include Stompin' Tom Connors (1993), Édith Butler (1997) and Don Messer (1998).
Award programs Maritime Music AwardsYearHost cityDetailsWinners1989Halifax, Nova ScotiaThe first Maritime Music Awards took place at The Flamingo Cafe & Lounge, which won Best Venue of the Year. There were just seven awards. Sarah McLachlan received three nominations and performed at the event, which was broadcast on Community Access TV Cable 10.100 Flowers, Rita MacNeil, Haywire, Matt Minglewood and John Gracie1990Halifax, Nova ScotiaThis year, Cohn held the awards at the Crazy Horse Cabaret and were offered in eight categories. Performers at the ceremony included Matt Minglewood's Jam Band.Rita MacNeil, Anne Murray, John Gracie, Brett Ryan, and the band ICUEast Coast Music Awards1991Halifax, Nova ScotiaHalifax, Nova Scotia. There were 12 categories at the inaugural East Coast Music Awards.Rita MacNeil, Stompin' Tom Connors, The Rankin Family, Brett Ryan, Figgy Duff and local bands Black Pool and The Floorboards1992Halifax, Nova ScotiaFor the second East Coast Music Awards, a trade show was added and there were 13 categories.Barra MacNeils, Joan Kennedy, The Rankin Family, Sarah McLachlan, Natalie MacMaster, Lennie Gallant, John Campbell, and the band Real World1993Halifax, Nova ScotiaAt these awards, The Stompin’ Tom Connors Award was created when Stompin’ Tom Connors was presented with the Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award. He preferred to return the award and have an award be created to honour those who have made a significant, or long-term contribution to the East Coast Music Awards Industry.Anita Best, Pamela Morgan, Terry Kelly, The Rankin Family, Rita MacNeil, Rawlins Cross, and Émile Benoît (posthumously) The Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Stompin’ Tom Connors (who returned it)1994St. John's, Newfoundland and LabradorThe number of awards for this year increased to 16.Natalie MacMaster, The Hardship Post, Roger Howse and Ruff Ideas, The Rankin Family, Ron Hynes, Sarah McLachlan, the Holly Cole Trio, The Irish Descendants and Lennie Gallant1995Sydney, Nova ScotiaThis year had 17 categories.Lennie Gallant, Eric's Trip, Symphony Nova Scotia, The Irish Descendants, Rita MacNeil, Theresa Malenfant, Ashley MacIsaac, Rawlins Cross, Chris Mitchell, Les Méchants Maquereaux and the Barra MacNeils1996Charlottetown, Prince Edward IslandThis year's event, with 19 categories, was held at the Eastlink Centre, which allowed it to swell to 4,000 people.Lee Cremo, Annick Gagnon, Ray Legere, Laura Smith, Sloan, the Saint John String Quartet, Stompin’ Tom Connors, Great Big Sea, Goodspeed and Staples Quartet, Dave MacIsaac, The Rankin Family, Duncan Wells and the Barra MacNeils.1997Moncton, New BrunswickThis year, 7,000 guests attended the televised broadcast in Moncton, with special guest Édith Butler and broadcaster Peter Gzowski. The event attracted 1,500 delegates, including 200 media from around the world, and injected $3-million into the local economy. There was a 76-hour jam session, a Cape Breton Rave Night and a concert series featuring Great Big Sea, Four the Moment, Barachois and Bruce Guthro, who signed with EMI Music Canada that week-end. This year had 20 categories.Sloan, Ashley MacIsaac, Natalie MacMaster, Barachois, Teresa Doyle, Puirt a Baroque, Terry Kelly, Great Big Sea, Mary Jane Lamond, Jeri Brown, the Nova Scotia Mass Choir, Bruce Guthro, children's entertainers Audrey and Alex, and the bluegrass group Exit 13.1998Halifax, Nova ScotiaThis year had 26 categories.Sarah McLachlan, Exit 13, Four the Moment, the Glamour Puss Blues Band, Great Big Sea, The Super Friendz, Lennie Gallant, Symphony Nova Scotia with Georg Tintner, the Johnny Favourite Swing Orchestra, Julian Austin, J.P. Cormier, Jamie Sparks, Richard Wood, Michelle Boudreau Samson, Sam the Record Man, graphic designer Carol Kennedy, media members Greg Guy and Mike Campbell, sound technician David Hillier, and production company Tour Tech East.1999St. John's, Newfoundland and LabradorEste Mundo, Gordie Sampson, Blou, The John Campbelljohn Trio, Bruce Guthro, Sol, children's entertainers Kidd Brothers, David MacDonald, Great Big Sea, Natalie MacMaster, Shirley Eikhard, The Rankin Family, Rawlins Cross, and Denise Murray.2000Sydney, Nova ScotiaThis was an economically successful event that allowed the ECMA to gain a sound financial footing. It commemorated the influence of The Rankin Family, Cape Breton's Celtic music family, and launched Radio freECMA, a low-power radio station that, in a partnership with the government of Prince Edward Island, provided coverage over the Internet. It also launched Continuous Jam, a three-day musical extravaganza featuring sets from all genres and from all levels of Atlantic Canadian talent. At the 15th Gemini Awards, the awards show won Best Music, Variety Program or Series.2001Charlottetown, Prince Edward IslandAttracted more than 1,700 delegates and debuted the Jazz/Classical Concert Series. The event fostered interest in the formation of the Prince Edward Island Music Awards and introduced Soundwaves, a program that sees musicians visiting schools throughout P.E.I., and hospitals, businesses and churches in Charlottetown.
Over this weekend, the Ennis Sisters signed a two-record deal with Warner Music Canada. At the 16th Gemini Awards, the awards show won Best Music, Variety Program or Series.2002Saint John, New BrunswickThe competitive bid process in New Brunswick sparked community involvement and drew over 2200 delegates. New initiatives were an industry awards brunch, the Warner Roots Room for acoustic performances, the UniSon bilingual concert, and the bluegrass stage that attracted an estimated 5,000 fans. In addition to the national CBC Television broadcast of the awards show, the MuchMusic ECMA Rock stage got a prime-time special on Much, and CBC Radio's Definitely Not the Opera broadcast live from the main stage.The Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to famed fiddler Ned Landry.2003Halifax, Nova ScotiaThe conference celebrated its 15-year anniversary with the City of Stages, or 14 live stages. Approximately 2000 delegates attended. The Soundwaves Program brought music to 30,000 students throughout the region, and corporate sponsorship and support for ECMA reached new heights. An Urban Music Series featuring hip-hop, R&B and the Black Vibes Showcase were initiated.
ECMA 2003 brought international bookings to several East Coast artists as European music industry professionals were in attendance.
At the 18th Gemini Awards, the awards show was nominated for Best Music, Variety Program or Series.2004St. John's, Newfoundland and LabradorA strategic partnership was developed with the Atlantic Film Festival, and film and TV elements were introduced to the conference. A number of East Coast recording artists negotiated contracts for national licensing and distribution deals.
The ECMA Songwriters Circle was broadcast live across the country on CBC Radio and across Atlantic Canada on CBC Television. The Government of Newfoundland & Labrador noted that the awards represented a regional economic impact of $6 million.2005Sydney, Nova ScotiaThis was the first major event held at the new Membertou Trade and Convention Centre and the Sydney Marine Terminal. The conference included a new international program (50+ delegates) and successful partnering with Cape Breton University.