ECMA Annual General Meeting: Election Results and 2015 Highlights

ECMA Annual General Meeting: Election Results and 2015 Highlights

Following the success of Eastlink East Coast Music Week 2015 (ECMW) in St. John's, NL, the East Coast Music Association (ECMA) is thrilled to be planning the 2016 event in Sydney, NS. The ECMA hopes to continue to build on the successes of the 2015 event, which introduced the first-ever SOCAN Song House, saw the exciting change to a Thursday night Gala, and included a wildly successful keynote address from legendary producer Steve Albini.

2015 brought forth a multitude of success stories that have generated substantial growth potential and vibrant optimism for the future.

ECMW 2015 proudly welcomed the largest international and Canadian delegation in the program's history. The 14th edition of the Export Buyers Program saw over 100 music industry delegates from the United States, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Belgium, and the United Kingdom descend upon St. John’s to do business with East Coast artists and companies. This was our most ambitious program (71 artists/companies participated in 662 one-on-one business meetings) and early reports from members and delegates indicate that the direct results will exceed last year.

The focus for the 2015 event included local, national and international outreach; new relationship building; new systems, approaches and attitudes; re- evaluation of the brand; increasing the value of the event, and the beginnings of a leading role to develop new investment for the region’s music business, which will no doubt continue into the following year as the event goes to Sydney.

“ECMA thanks all members for continuing to demonstrate the exceptional creative spark and commitment which makes the East Coast such a unique and compelling influence in Canada and indeed around the world,” said new Board Chair, Dean Stairs. "We look forward to a fantastic event in Sydney, NS and to continuing to build on the role of advocate and voice for this industry."

The ECMA Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place in Sydney, NS on Wednesday, September 2, 2015 where new board members Zachary Atkinson (NB), James Boyle (NS), Eleanor Dawson (NL) and Jim Power (PE) were elected for a two-year term and welcomed to the Board of Directors. Returning to the Board for a two-year term is incumbent Dawn Beaton (CB).

The executive positions elected for the 2015-2016 year are Dean Stairs (Chair), Josh Hogan (First Vice Chair), Chuck Teed (Second Vice Chair), Jim Power (Treasurer), and Dawn Beaton (Secretary). Additional ECMA Directors are Heather Gibson (NS) as Past Chair.

Music Industry Association representatives on the Board of Directors include John Ellingbo (Cape Breton Music Industry Cooperative), Alex Douglas (Music PEI), and Troy Arsenault (Music NS). The representatives for MusicNL, MusicNB/MusiqueNB will be appointed in the near future as well as one more representative from PEI. ECMA Honorary Directors are Heather Ostertag and Sheri Jones.

ECMA thanks outgoing board members Heather Gibson (NS), Erin Best (NL), Shawn Bostick (NB), Charles Coll (PE), Erin Benjamin (appointment), and David Hearn (appointment) for their hard work and dedication to the organization, and the East Coast music industry. In particular the ECMA would like to thank Heather Gibson for her unwavering leadership as Chair of the ECMA for the past four years.