October 30, 2019, TORONTO – MusicOntario, the provincial Music Industry Association (MIA) representing the interests of the emerging music community in Ontario, has announced plans to separate from its founding company, the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) by the year 2021. This announcement comes during CIMA and MusicOntario’s joint Annual General Meeting, held October 30, 2019 at the Hideout in Toronto.
“This is a momentous time for MusicOntario, as we embark upon structuring the next stage of our governance and strategizing how our organization will continue to collaboratively and proactively serve our members, constituents, and the music community in Ontario at large,” says Emy Stantcheva, Executive Director of MusicOntario.
“MusicOntario was borne out of a need CIMA’s Board of Directors identified for more grassroots support for artists, bands, and emerging industry professional in Ontario, which is not only the largest hub for Canada’s music industry, but home to dozens of secondary and tertiary markets that are growing at unprecedented rates,” says Stuart Johnston, President of CIMA. “With its tremendous track record in programming and outreach, the team at MusicOntario has built a critical mass that will propel the organization forward into this next chapter and toward its full potential.”
Established in 2012, MusicOntario was strategically created by CIMA’s Board of Directors as a non-profit, membership-based division to fulfill the role of a provincial MIA and serve the needs of Canada’s largest music market. The association’s launching mandate to provide professional development, industry resources, networking, and showcasing opportunities to developing artists and emerging industry professionals in Ontario has been the cornerstone of its development, as it continuously evolves to meet the needs of a complex local, national, and international music industry.
As MusicOntario transitions, CIMA and its Board of Directors will continue to serve as a guide and resource, along with MusicOntario’s own General Advisory Committee, toward the association’s first elected Board of Directors in the Fall of 2020. MusicOntario will continue to share administrative resources and staff with CIMA in the interim.
As an official Music Industry Association (MIA), MusicOntario has long been active in the national network of its counterparts in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Northern Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, and Yukon, and engages regularly with a number of key organizations in advisory and outreach capacities, including Ontario Creates, FACTOR, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and the JUNOS, and the Canadian Council of Music Industry Associations (CCMIA). A proudly collaborative organization, MusicOntario will continue to consult with its many peer organizations on municipal, provincial, and national levels to ensure that its efforts benefit the greater common goal of supporting creators and small businesses.
Between 2013 and October 2019, MusicOntario has delivered almost 300 events, ranging from workshops, panels, B2B and peer mentorship sessions, to songwriting camps, showcases (domestic and international), and networking opportunities, whether in the form of free, low cost or
subsidized programming. More than 33,000 artists, emerging and established industry professionals, stakeholders, and music fans have taken part in or attended MusicOntario events in 37 cities across seven provinces/states, six countries and two continents. Annual attendance has risen from 708 in 2013 to 7557 at year-end 2018, and more than 400 Ontario performers have showcased across the world in that time.
“In my capacity on CIMA’s Board of Directors and the Ontario Advisory Committee, I have seen firsthand the growth accomplished by MusicOntario’s small and dedicated team, and the momentum that’s been built in the last few years alone,” says Lisa Logutenkow, VP of The Orchard Canada, and former VP of Dine Alone Records and Bedlam Music Management. “Becoming an independent organization is an imperative next step for MO’s growth and ability to serve Ontario’s music communities, and I look forward to continuing to work with the team.”
For more information about MusicOntario, please contact:
Emy Stantcheva
Executive Director
emy@music-ontario.ca
416-485-3152, ext. 226
For more information about CIMA, please contact:
Stuart Johnston
President
stuart@cimamusic.ca
416-485-3152, ext. 232
About MusicOntario
MusicOntario is the provincial Music Industry Association (MIA) dedicated to supporting the emerging music industry in Ontario. Launched in 2012, MusicOntario has members in all corners of the province, representing a community comprised of music creators and companies, including performers, songwriters, bands, record labels, managers, publishers, students, and more. The association’s mission is to create opportunities and bridge gaps for the music industry through professional development, access to resources, showcasing, and networking. We nurture, elevate, and empower independent music in Ontario.
About CIMA
Established in 1975 and the first of its kind in the world, CIMA is the not-for-profit national trade association representing the English-language, Canadian-owned sector of the music industry. CIMA represents a diverse membership consisting of Canadian-owned companies and their ambassadors, all of whom are involved in every aspect of the music, sound recording and music-related industries. They are exclusively small businesses which include: record producers, record labels, recording studios, managers, agents, licensors, music video producers and directors, creative content owners, artists and others professionally involved in the sound recording industry. CIMA’s mandate is to develop and advocate policies and services that serve to support a strong and economically stable Canadian independent music and sound recording industry, ensuring the long-term development of the sector and to raise the profile of Canadian independent music both in Canada and around the world.
