The East Coast Music Association is taking a more inclusive approach to its 2021 Conference and Much Awards, with a slew of changes in policy and approach, along with the appointment of new board members and the creation of several new programs.
After concerns that something had gone awry when the 2020 East Coast Music Awards fell short in terms of gender representation (with just 4 of the 27 categories being awarded to women, or bands with women in them, compounded by a drop in female applicants), the East Coast Music Association has made some tweaks to their nomination submission process.
The East Coast Music Association has adopted a new submissions platform, both to ease the process for jurors and submitters alike. They’ve all showcase submissions free, and reduced fees for all award applications as well as fees for their Export Buyers Program.
To better reflect the wide range of communities represented within the organization’s membership and the Atlantic provinces at large, three new members have been appointed to the Board of Directors – Delvina Bernard, Patricia Bourque, and Eva George. Each will be spearheading a committee – African Canadian Artist of the Year Award, the Indigenous Artist of the Year Award, and the Francophone Recording of the Year Award, respectively – which will focus on outreach, relationship building, knowledge gathering, and collaborative recommendations within these marginalized communities.
The organization has also created a new award recognizing the African Canadian Artist of the Year, while also designating the annual Bucky Adams Memorial Award, named for the legendary Halifax jazz musician and celebrating the African-Canadian Recording of the Year, as an honourary award.
There have also been a few tweaks made to recognize the shifts in the industry thanks to the pandemic, with new awards celebrating excellence in innovation during the global pandemic. The categories of World Recording of the Year and Children’s Entertainer of the Year have also both been instituted.
Over the last six months, the East Coast Music Association has done more than a bit of introspective housekeeping. The organization has launched or engaged in several initiatives designed to bolster the industry during these unprecedented times. They’ve launched not one, but two new podcasts, coordinated with the Global Music Match to cross-promote 96 artists from 14 countries, hosted webinars on mental wellness and developed mental health counselling services for artists, took a whole socially-distanced East Coast Music Awards Show across the country via CBC Gem, and crafted some unique content for the Americana Music Festival & Conference: Thriving Roots 2020, with performances by Mo Kenney and Mama’s Broke t’boot.
“We are happy to introduce all these new initiatives as we continue to work behind the scenes with our Board of Directors, our community liaisons, our artists, and our industry professionals to expand opportunities for the diverse voices who are integral to making our music industry in Atlantic Canada thrive,” says Andy McLean, CEO of the ECMA.
“We remain ever optimistic about returning to Sydney next year – adhering to the recommendations and guidelines established by public health officials – to continue shining a light on the world-class talent the East Coast has to offer.”
The East Coast Music Association also opened up submissions for the 2021 East Coast Music Awards today, inviting members to submit their applications via the shiny new submission platform. Submissions will be open until October 23 at 5:00pm AST.
The ECMA Festival and Conference is slated to take place in Sydney, NS from May 5 – 9, 2020, in some form or another if you can all promise to wash your hands and wear a mask.