From humble beginnings many years ago in a Halifax bar, the East Coast Music Awards and Conference has grown to become the premier music event in Atlantic Canada, and one of the top events of its kind on the continent. Natalie McMaster, Sloan, Damhnait Doyle, Great Big Sea, Lennie Gallant, Julian Austin, and Sarah MacLachlan - all have thriving careers that were given a boost by the ECMA's.
In recent years, the East Coast Music Awards and Conference has showcased the music of Atlantic Canada, bringing it to millions of record buyers in a two-hour national broadcast on CBC Television. And the ECMA's have marketed Atlantic Canadian music to the world, by inviting members of the international music industry to the annual conference.
A few highlights of the last 20 years!
1989 -- The first Maritime Music Awards are held at the Flamingo Lounge in Halifax, Nova Scotia organized by founder Rob Cohn. At this point in time, there are six East Coast artists with national distribution.
1990 --The second awards show, hosted at the Crazy Horse Cabaret, broadens its goals and adds a music conference that brings the diverse elements of the industry together to discuss issues relevant to the business of music. A&R reps from Toronto are flown in to witness the excitement and see what the East Coast has to offer.
1991 -- Rob Cohn teams up with Sheri Jones, Bruce Morel, Karen Byers, Lee Stanley, Mike Barkhouse, Peter Hendrickson and Tony Kelly to form the East Coast Music Association. The event becomes known as the East Coast Music Awards. It moves from a Halifax bar to the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium and new awards are added. A showcase by The Rankins helps the band get a manager and, later, an EMI record deal.
1992 -- The event gains national recognition as East Coast artists begin to receive Juno nominations. A trade show is added to the event and a showcase by Sloan leads to a major record deal with a label, Geffen Records. Ron Hynes signs with EMI. The weekend event becomes a major social gathering as well as a chance to learn and do business. Late night parties, informal luncheons and countless impromptu discussions in the hallways are fertile opportunities to push careers.
1993 -- The ECMA reputation as one of the nation's must-attend music events is cemented. The industry-stroking groundwork begins to pay off as The Rankins sign with EMI Music , Thomas Trio with Cargo/MCA and the Barra MacNeils with Polygram. For the first time, all five ECMA nominees for Album of the Year are produced by Atlantic Canadians. National distribution for East Coast artists grows to 30. Stompin' Tom Connors is awarded the Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award. In turn, he dedicates the award to the unsung heroes and pioneers of the East Coast music industry “who had to go back to the mines and the fields and the fishing boats, but still managed to keep music alive”.
1994 -- After five years of growth in Halifax, the ECMA takes the show on the road to St. John’s, Newfoundland. The awards show is televised live on CBC in Atlantic Canada and a one-hour edited version airs nationally. Lennie Gallant signs with Sony, Kim Stockwood with EMI Publishing and the Irish Descendants with Warner. The major labels jostle over fiddle sensation Ashley McIsaac. East Coast releases swell to an impressive 170 per year.
1995 -- Sydney, Cape Breton hosts the event and celebrates an astounding 225 East Coast record releases. The Awards Show moves to a 4,000-seat arena and for the first time, tickets are sold to the general public. The Songwriter’s Circle is introduced as an ECMA event by founder Bruce Guthro. National industry magazines feature East Coast music as local labels sign international distribution deals and traditional fiddlers jet off to the US and Europe to perform at festivals. The 800 delegates attending the conference inject more than $1-million into the Sydney economy. Warner signs Great Big Sea, Sony picks up Melanie Doane and BMG grabs The Monoxides. Sarah McLachlan has two platinum albums in the and The Rankins have two double platinum albums in .
1996 – Charlottetown volunteers bring a new dimension to the event, adding the Family Concert Series, the Industry Awards Brunch, the Live Performance Buyers Room, and a 72-Hour Continuous Jam Session. The Island tone is set early, as 1,200 delegates are treated to live music on the ferries and dancers at the airport. The Awards Show features an emotional tribute to Gene MacLellan, the introduction of the Nova Scotia Mass Choir and the birth of the ECMA Stompin' Tom Award. The economic impact of the event reaches $2.4 million. Natalie MacMaster signs with Warner Music .
1997 – An unprecedented 7,000 awards show guests attend the televised broadcast in Moncton, New Brunswick, and delegates clamor to the 76-hour jam session and a concert series featuring headliners Bruce Guthro, Great Big Sea, Four the Moment and Barachois. Moncton brings an Acadian flavor to a gathering that attracts more than 1,500 delegates, including 200 media from around the world. The event injects $3-million into the local economy. The association’s Board of Directors continues to develop its mandate as provincial music industry associations take hold throughout Atlantic Canada. Bruce Guthro signs with EMI Music .
1998 -- The ECMA returns to Halifax for the 10th anniversary. More than 1,800 regional, national and international delegates attend the conference and trade show at the World Trade and Convention Centre – and more than a million Canadians tune in to CBC for the Awards Gala broadcast from the 10,000 seat Halifax Metro Centre. The event injects $4 million dollars into the regional economy.
1999 – A party on the rock in St. John’s, Newfoundland celebrates the ever-increasing international awareness of East Coast performers. The 1999 Event Organizing Committee receives a Provincial Tourism Award from Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador as well as an “Event of the Year” Award from the City of St. John’s. Although event revenues decline, the association responds by covering the losses, regrouping, forming new policies, and strengthening its operations. Radio FreECMA originates, and broadcasts the weekend’s activities to the community and delegates.
2000 – Sydney, Nova Scotia, hosts a grass-roots event that pushes its organizational and infrastructure capacities to the limit. A financially successful event paves the way for the ECMA to regain a sound financial footing – and it commemorates the influence of Cape Breton’s Celtic Music family, including the late John Morris Rankin. Showcases abound, and events like Radio FreECMA and the Continuous Jam ignite industry attention. The Awards Show receives a Gemini Award for Best Music, Variety Program or Series.
2001 – Charlottetown attracts more than 1,700 delegates and fashions an event that highlights the diversity of the East Coast music scene. Emerging and established artists come together in a barrage of new showcases, including the debut of the Jazz/Classical Concert Series. The event fosters renewed interest in the formation of the P.E.I. Music Awards and creates “Soundwaves,” a program that sees musicians visiting schools throughout the province, and hospitals, businesses and churches in Charlottetown. The Ennis Sisters sign with Warner Music and the ECMA Award Show receives another Gemini Award for Best Music, Variety Program or Series.
2002 – Saint John, New Brunswickhosts ECMA 2002. The competitive bid process in New Brunswick sparks community involvement and leads to over 2200 delegates in attendance. Saint John brings new initiatives: the wildly popular Roots Room for acoustic performances, the UniSon bilingual concert, and the Bluegrass stage that attracts an estimated 5,000 fans. In addition to the national CBC television broadcast of the Awards show, the Much Music ECMA Rock stage gets a prime time special on Much, and CBC radio's Definitely Not The Opera broadcasts live from the main showcase stage. Pop/rock group Crush signs a distribution deal with Warner Music .
2003 – ECMA 2003 in Halifax, NS brought the conference back to where it all began 15 years before, and to celebrate this anniversary - the entire city came alive with music and was transformed into a City of Stages, celebrating all genres of music. It was a resounding success, having played host to over 2000 delegates. The Soundwaves Program brought music to over 30,000 young ears in schools throughout the region, and corporate sponsorship and support for ECMA reached new heights. Halifax celebrated Urban Music with an Urban Music Series featuring Hip-Hop, R&B and the Black Vibes concert. ECMA 2003 brought international bookings to several East Coast artists from its International delegate program of and European music industry professionals.
2004 – ECMA 2004 in St. John’s, NL saw international delegates from and join the international delegation. A strategic partnership was developed with the Atlantic Film Festival and film and TV elements were introduced to the ECMA conference. A number of east coast recording artists are negotiating contracts for national licensing and distribution deals. The ECMA Songwriter’s Circle is broadcast live across the country on CBC Radio and across Atlantic Canada on CBC TV. Damhnait Doyle signs with JVC in .
2005 – ECMA 2005 in Sydney, CapeBreton, was a great success. The event helped to kick off the opening of two new, multi-million dollar facilities in Sydney. For both the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre and the Sydney Marine Terminal, ECMA was the first major event to use their facilities, and offered a great opportunity to introduce them to the community and the international industry delegates attending the conference. Throughout the event there were great examples of innovation shown. The conference was taken to a new level with very popular sessions, a vibrant international program (50+ delegates) and great partnering with Cape Breton University. Overall, ECMA is moving towards a master class format, presenting classes this year in songwriting, export readiness and musical scoring for gaming and television. The success of the Soundwaves was built upon with the creation of a brand new program, Sound-off, which animated schools across Cape Breton to select the best band in their school and advance them to regionals and a final competition. Once again, Cape Breton delivered a great event and a financial surplus.
2006 – ECMA returned to CharlottetownPEI in 2006. Charlottetown has been a laboratory from which such experiments as RadioECMA, Soundwaves and the 72 Hour Jam have sprung. For the first time ever, 2006 organizers decided to have a gala dinner industry awards ceremony on Saturday night. The controversial Trailer Park Boys hosted a great award show at the Civic Centre,proving many skeptics wrong and the organization right on the mark. A major highlight of 2006 was that a festival was created within the Delta Prince Edward host hotel. The music, business and networking went virtually around the clock.
2007 – Halifax once again hosted ECMA, one year early, as a result of a request to flip from Fredericton, New Brunswick. The Halifax event, introduced as The East Coast Music Awards, Festival and Conference, measures as a major industry and financial success. An amazing and insightful 4 day conference, with record attendance, wonderful venues and technical (Sound and Lights), and an ever growing international program with over 50 international music industry delegates. With 500 hotel rooms in two adjoining Delta hotels, there was a great festival atmosphere in the hotels and adjoining malls. The 2007 award show was regarded by many as one of the best ever. The show marks the recent passing of East Coast legends John Allan Cameron, Dutchie Mason and Denny Doherty. ECMAfest brought the downtown to life with many official and partnered stages.
