ECMA Announces Updated By-Laws, AGM to Be Held September 26

ECMA Announces Updated By-Laws, AGM to Be Held September 26

The Annual General Meeting of the East Coast Music Association will be held on Tuesday 26-Sep. at 7:00 PM (AST) in Halifax, NS. The meeting will be at the ECMA Office with conference call availability. Contact Chantal Caissie, Artist Relations Manager for conference call details ([email protected]). 

Documents:

Message from the ECMA Chair:

Hello to all members of the East Coast Music Association (ECMA). Over the past 2 years the ECMA has been moving through a significant membership transition. That transition necessitated a reworking of the ECMA by-laws. Upon review of the by-laws at the time, the Governance committee recommended to the Board that a complete overhaul of the by-laws be undertaken. The intention was to bring the governance of the ECMA up to date with modern practices as well as to incorporate the new membership model. It was also recommended that the Board return to a smaller number of Directors as has historically been the case. The Board has adopted the new by-laws including the directive to bring the maximum number of Directors back from a maximum of 18 to a maximum of 13. I have asked the Chair of the Governance Committee, Christopher Marr to go into more detail regarding the new by-laws. Chris is an associate with Stewart McKelvey (Saint John, NB). He has been highly instrumental in providing guidance to the Board during this transition. The link for voting as well as links to the old and new by-laws are provided below.   

Sincerely,

Dean Stairs
Chair of the Board, ECMA

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On 9 August 2017, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the ECMA unanimously voted to enact a new set of by-laws, which are now submitted to the members of the organization for approval at the annual general meeting. The new by-laws result from a project undertaken by the Board’s Governance Committee. In keeping with best practices, the Committee reviewed the by-laws for potential updates, as it had been some years since such a review. Based on this review and discussions with the Board, the Committee recommended that new, streamlined by-laws that reflect a more modern approach to organizational governance be adopted.
 
Following the Committee’s recommendation, the new by-laws are, in essence, a more modern set of by-laws that represent current best practices in organizational governance. They give greater flexibility to the Board in managing the affairs of ECMA. Two specific changes worth noting are changes to the board size and composition, and a new, more open membership regime. The Board has been reduced from a maximum of 18 members to a maximum of 13 members. The new composition of the board is 5 members elected by the ECMA membership, 5 members elected by the five regional Music Industry Associations, and 3 members appointed by the elected members of the Board. Some of the reasons for this rearrangement include:
 
1.) Recommendations from our auditors and bank with respect to lowering the Board’s operating costs.
2.) The historical precedent is for the organization to operate with a smaller board.  
3.) The ongoing and improving partnership between the regional Music Industry Associations and the ECMA.
 
As a result of this rearrangement, 5 of the positions that would have been open for election by the members this year have been eliminated. The remaining elected and appointed positions will continue until elections resume next year during the 2018 Annual General Meeting.
 
The other major change is the addition of new, more open categories of membership. The new by-laws recognize as ECMA members;
 
            1. Anyone serving on the Board, with no associated fee;
            2. Every member of a regional Music Industry Association who elects to become an ECMA member, with no associated fee;
            3. Any other person who is accepted into the membership by the Board, and pays the required fee.
 
The change to these categories was based on feedback received from our members and others invested in the East Coast music community, as well as a priority set at the Board to achieve a larger, more diverse and inclusive membership. The most noteworthy result of these changes is that most members of ECMA will no longer have to pay any fees, and anyone already member of a regional Music Industry Association may now become an ECMA member for free.

Christopher Marr, 
Director, ECMA

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The previous by-laws are here.
The new by-laws are here.
To cast your vote on the approval or disapproval of the new by-laws, login to your MyECMA account here and click on the "Vote" page under the MyECMA header. 

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