ECMA 2020 Submission Tips

For full information on ECMA 2020 Submissions click HERE

Before you click the “Submit” button, make sure to read through our tips and tricks that will help to make your ECMA submission the best it can be!

For more help / guidance, please contact ECMA’s Artist & Industry Relations Manager, Tara MacDonald: [email protected] to set up a meeting regarding your application.

• Start early! We are offering an early-bird incentive: one (1) free category if you get your submission in before September 20th, 2019*, but on top of that - it’s always best to give it a go early on so that you give yourself enough time to address any potential snags or questions that should arise. SUBMISSIONS CLOSE: OCTOBER 4TH, 2019 AT 5PM ADT

*Apply before September 20th, 2019 and receive one (1) free category submission for your application. Subsequent categories will be $30.00 CAD. After September 20th, 2019, we will not be offering one (1) free category when submitting your application.

• Be prepared! Make sure you collect all the information you will need before beginning the application. Have information from your website, etc. ready to populate into the application. Create a file folder containing your press photos, mp3 uploads, bios, etc. so you have everything in one place and ready to go when submitting and attaching the files.

• Keep your website, social media and ECMA Member page up-to-date. Jury use these platforms to assess your application so make sure your content is up to date - the more active you are online, the better! For example, any upcoming shows? Make sure they are populated on your website / Facebook Events page (if announced).

• Proof Reading is key! Make sure your bio, or any other write-ups are free of typos. Triple-check that your social media / all other links work properly when uploading. Make sure you comply to the correct file sizing. This can make the difference between what is perceived as a professional application, and one that isn’t.

*Also, this goes back to our first point - Start Early! So that you give yourself enough time to proof-read.

• Include quality, high-res photos. This can help add a few points in the artistic presentation jury criteria!

• If you have live show videos, make sure to include them! This is especially true when applying to showcase. It’s great to hear your music, but it also is helpful to the jury if they can see how incredible you are onstage or get a sense of your live performance if they haven’t seen you before.

• Be Detailed!! Make sure to include upcoming highlights (as well as past ones) when filling out the accomplishments section of the application. It is also helpful (even if it seems redundant) to list out all of your live performances / tour dates (top 10, past and upcoming, etc.). It’s great to know where you have been and what you have done, but it is also just as exciting (and important in seeing that you are active) to know where you are heading or what you have coming up next!

• Be Specific!! Make sure to drop a few names and demonstrate your sincere research throughout the application. Again, this helps to professionalize your application for the jury. They don’t just want to know that you would like to meet festival bookers at ECMAs 2020, but rather would love to know which specific festival booker, let alone which festival. What are your business targets as an Artist / Band / Applicant?

• Make sure your album is uploaded on a streaming website (i.e. Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Spotify) AND have an external download link at the ready (Dropbox, Box.com). We need both of these requirements for our Jurors. Please do not send us to your iTunes - we need the full album, not just samples of each track!

• There is no auto-save feature in the Marcato submission form. If you have any issues or you backspace accidentally, your work will be lost! Make sure to create your submission in a separate document before starting, so that you can copy and paste into your application and so that your work is not lost in the event of any technical issues. We also recommend that you Start Early!!! to avoid any mishaps.

• We no longer require physical copies of your CDs to be provided to ECMAs along with your submission.