Newsletter

The Country Music Association of Ontario is looking for enthusiastic, motivated, passionate, fun, energetic, dedicated and personable individuals to join our Summer Street Team this year! If you love music, being involved and gaining hands-on marketing and promotions experience, this is the position for you! Job Description: As a member of our CMAO Street Team, you will be responsible for spreading the word about upcoming CMAO events by interacting with fans at local events in your community. Using the promotional training and tools provided by the CMAO, Street Team members are responsible for acting as brand ambassadors by sharing association information. Duties may include, but are not limited to, interacting with fans, handing out promotional items, taking photos, administering surveys, and developing content for our […]

Dear Members: As many of you already know, the first ballots for the 2014 CMAO awards have been mailed. I want to thank all of the artists that sent in their submissions. It’s really impressive to see the amount of talent we have here in Ontario. I want to thank the nomination committee for all the hard work and volunteer hours they committed to get the first ballot ready for the members. The CMAO has agreed to partner with the Unison Benevolent Fund – $2 from every 2014 CMAO Awards Show ticket sold will be donated to this worthy cause. The Unison Benevolent Fund is a non-profit organization that provides counselling, emergency relief, and benefit programs for those in the Canadian music community who face […]

by Sam Arraj If this is the first time you hear the term Crowdfunding, visit the National Crowdfunding Association of Canada’s website at http://ncfacanada.org/crowdfunding/ to get familiar with the term. You are an artist at the early stage of your career and have been looking for money to finally put together that special project that will allow you to pursue your passion. You start your Crowdfunding campaign on any of one of the many Crowdfunding platforms. After a few months of social media awareness campaigns your raise a few thousand dollars. Excellent, right? No so fast – the tax man wants a piece of the action. This is not so bad if you raise a few thousand, but what if you raise tens of thousands? […]

In The Country Celebrates 5 Years by Dave Woods Back in March of 2009, In The Country aired its first online episode. That adds up to 5 years and hundreds of interviews. I’ve been a country fan my whole life and had worked in radio for many years. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to combine my love of country music with my passion for talk shows. I wanted to create a program that had enough time to go deeper in the artist’s world and allow for conversations on a range of topics related to music. My hope is that listeners can sit back, relax and enjoy a conversation along with some of the best music around. It’s exciting to interview the bigger names like […]

by Rob MacArthur and Howard Ross Editor’s note: Ontario lost another seasoned, professional musician/artist recently: Canadian Zepher’s Garth Bourne. Two of his friends and former band-mates wanted to pay tribute to his passing. I met Garth Bourne at a Durham Music Society function. I was playing in a band with my wife, Lorraine Davies, called the Too Drunk to Fish Band. Garth was one of the founders and coordinators for the Durham Music Society event. Garth was a great person, greeting everyone with a smile and a good word. Some time later, we needed to replace a bass player. I had heard that Garth played Bass, so I did some checking on him. To my amazement he was quite a renowned Bass player in his […]

Excerpt #7 from “Winning The Music Game” by Brian Allen Shhhhh….. I’m going to give you the number one investment tip for the highest possible rate of return: The most valuable commodity you can invest is your time. And… The best investment of your time that you can make is in great songs. No other component of your career will replace a great song or yield the staggering ratio of return on your investment like great songs do. The best production, the coolest clothes, the most creative videos, the shrewdest manager, and the hardest working record company are all no substitute for the power and longevity of a great song. If you write your own material, take a minute and think about all the hit […]

This month, our feature video from Patrice Whiffen at Country Music Junkies profiles the country music duo, Small Town Pistols! Formerly members of The Wilkinsons, Amanda and Tyler Wilkinson are back in a duo that brings an eclectic edgy spin to their country sound. Amanda and Tyler share their excitement about this new musical chapter in their lives, along with how they felt after being nominated for a 2014 JUNO Award in the Country Album of the Year Category. Catch the JUNO Awards on CTV on March 30, 2014. Check out the video for the full interview! About Patrice: To Patrice Whiffen, country music is a lifestyle. As the appropriately deemed, “Country Music Junkie,” she strives to share her passion for country music with the […]