Newsletter

Over 4 years ago, back when the Country Music Association of Ontario was first forming, one of its founding directors was Peter Linseman. He served two years on the board and then decided to step down due to health reasons. Not his own, but to help a loved one. That kind of dedication and caring is one of the reasons we’re so pleased that he decided to run for the board again and was elected at the September 2012 AGM. We would like to welcome Peter Linseman back as a director of the CMAO. Spending over a decade as the owner of Music Mentor Productions, a CCMA nominated recording studio & Independent Record Label, Peter has worn every hat imaginable in the music industry. On […]

A new year often brings with it a host of new things. For some, it’s a fresh start. For others, it’s about minor changes to habits, mannerisms, or goals for work, love, and career. And to make these changes a reality, sometimes we find ourselves pausing to reflect on the year that just passed – the mistakes, achievements, trials and tribulations we endured – in order to move onward and upward. And when it comes to country music, the case is no different. From Ontario to across North America and around the world, 2012 saw a surge of country music talent – both new and old – lighting up studios, bars, radio stations, arenas, the media and popular culture. And if I can put forward […]

Happy New Year! Got to say I’ve got a good feeling about 2013. NHL hockey is back, the Blue Jays are an early World Series favourite, and some big things are brewing on the stove of your CMAO! It’s also a time where many of you are planning to take that step on the ladder of success. In a world of tight budgets and financial responsibility you will find yourself asking a ton of questions like: Should I make the drive to Sudbury to visit the radio station’s Music Director? Gas isn’t cheap and is it really worth it to make the trip only to have your record stay on the shelf? We’ve never said ‘no’ to anyone wanting to drop by, but we have […]

Over the past month, the CMAO board has been hard at work trying to provide a better service to you the members. We have revamped the look of our website. Take a look and let us know what you think. Send your feedback to info@cmaontario.ca. For those of you whose renewal dates are coming up, you will notice that we have sent our renewal requests in the mail. We are community (a country music community) and we require the support of everyone in this community. You might be wondering what’s in it for me, well in addition to some of the benefits that we are continuing to offer and enhance, you will be supporting your community. Having a strong community will provide opportunities to our […]

We hope that you are getting as excited as we are! We’ve been working hard over the last while to put together the first annual CMAO Awards for our members, which will be happening on May 27th, 2013, at Markham Theatre in Markham, Ontario. As a new organization we are constantly striving to provide strong benefits to our members and feel there is no better way to celebrate the individual accomplishments and diverse pool of talent that our members bring to the country music genre in our region and abroad, than with an awards show! The 1st CMAO Awards will be a special evening featuring live performances, special guests and the presentation of our inaugural awards. We have selected our nine nomination categories and eligibility […]

As we all know, luck is when “Preparation meets opportunity”. And our new addition to the board, Cadence Grace is a gal that makes her own luck. After working with us for only two months, we on the board feel that she’s destined for great things. She’s shown us her ability in web-site design, writing, poster and flyer production and a myriad of computer and graphic design skills. Plus she’s very adept at social media and event planning. But did we mention that as a youngster she was raised on and influenced by music of all kinds, and got into acting and musical theatre, doing a full run of Joseph at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto? Or that she was signed to a Management/Development deal […]

We in the country world, all know about Brad and Marylynne Stella from their CMT show, “The Stellas” and from hearing them on the radio with their hits, ‘In This House’ and ‘Riding In the Backseat’ and seeing them at the CCMA Awards this past September. Now their daughters, “The Stella Sisters” are heading toward stardom as well. Lennon and Maisy Stella (13 and 8 respectively) are portraying the daughters of a fading country star on ABC’s “Nashville” (airing in Canada on CTV). This hot hit show stars Connie Britton as Rayna, a country star who’s career is on the wane. Britton can also be seen on the show American Horror Story. The Stella family moved down to the capitol of country music back in 2009 […]

Want to kick start your career in the country music business? If you’re a singer, a songwriter, a performer, a musician or involved in making and marketing music this event will be of interest of you. On Sunday November 25th the CMAO (Country Music Association of Ontario) along with Y101 and The University of Ottawa, School of Music are presenting a 3 part Seminar/Demo-rama. Our previous seminar panel discussions have covered, “Getting Your Foot In the Music Industry Door, Building Your Career Independently, Getting Noticed, Playing in the Big Sandbox” and More! Our full list of speakers is below, and the panel topics are: How To Turn On The Radio! starting at 10:00AM followed by, Getting Your Career Off the Ground! at 11:45AM. Each panel […]

“The views expressed here are those of Bill Harts’ and do not necessarily reflect those of the CMAO.” As you know, (or maybe you didn’t) I’m part of the Jenn & Big Country show on KIX 106 in Kitchener-Waterloo. We have a lot of fun; we don’t hide the fact that we love our beer, our country music, & pull NO punches! Whatever’s on our minds, we say it, and we want our listeners to know they have the same luxury. So when we heard that flats are becoming the fashionable thing and heels may be on their way out, we asked; what invention could you live without? Amongst the responses on our Facebook page was this; In all fairness I could live without Canadian […]