Newsletter

The explorers, the chemists and the copycats: Most milestone trends in music history can be traced to 3 waves of development. The explorers are generally open minded free wheelers who aren’t organized enough to be great songwriters. They are experimenters who hack paths through virgin musical jungle with a machete. They are happy to develop a small but loyal cult following, and care little about commercial acceptance. Behind them come the chemists, who are skilled at song writing and creative interpretation, but lack innovation. They  incorporate what the explorer did, blend it skilfully with their song writing expertise, and are generally the most popular and successful examples of the new trend. Behind the chemists comes a wave of copiers. Most of us seem to have […]

Two-time International Songwriting Competition Winner David Leask will celebrate the release of his 4th full-length studio album “Underneath” on Sunday Nov. 17th, 2013. Co-produced by Leask and Juno-winning multi- instrumentalist, composer and producer Justin Abedin (Jacksoul, Justin  Hines), this collection marks Leask’s first full album release in over 8 years. “Underneath” ushers in a new artistic era for the multi-award winner who’s been compared to such master musical storytellers as John Prine and John Hiatt. Songwriters Magazine called Leask, “the most consistent Canadian songwriting competition winner.” Leask co-wrote 11 of the 13 tracks on the album, which was recorded in both Toronto and  Nashville, and mixed by Grammy winner Chad Carlson (Chris Isaak, Jewel, Roch Voisine). Since taking top honours on the BBC-televised National Rock School […]

Elyse Saunders is a talented artist and humanitarian who believes that music is a great way to bring people together for a greater cause. Throughout her past elementary and high school years, Elyse saw many kids come to school without proper winter clothing and how much it would affect them socially and physically. After researching further, Elyse discovered the foundation and the dire need for winter coats in many communities was confirmed. “Health experts report that even a 2- degree drop in body temperature results in reduced heart rate, loss of coordination, and confusion. Adults cannot work effectively and  children find it difficult to learn. For most, a warm coat solves the problem and for those living in poverty, it’s a luxury item.” After researching […]

Dear members: I want to thank the SOCAN Foundation for their commitment to support the upcoming 2014 CMAO Awards Show. Every year, I continue to be impressed by the music community and their willingness to invest and support organizations such as our own. As a heads-up to our members, we will be announcing the nomination criteria and nomination process for the 2014 CMAO awards next month. Be ready and be sure you continue to pay attention. This could be your career-defining moment. I’m pleased to announce that our facebook and twitter pages have reached the 1,000 follower milestone! We hope that all of our followers continue to support us and help us achieve the next milestone of 2,000 followers. If you have any comments or […]

By Stephanie Brooks Social media marketing has become increasingly important for organizations and brands — and the same goes for bands and musicians. From Facebook pages to LinkedIn groups to Twitter posts, YouTube profiles, and Instagram, there’s no shortage of ways to maintain a solid follower base, help generate new fans, or showcase your music to the wider public online. Whether you post a status update on your own, or your management handles your accounts, here are some quick social media tips: 1) Be natural and conversational in tone One of the great things about social media tools is their ease-of-use and the informal, candid nature of its content. Being conversational in tone – finding your own social media voice – will ensure your profiles […]

Both a regular Seminar/Panel Discussion/Demorama (Song critique) and a “Live Demorama” Performance Opportunity are happening this month and next in Hamilton. Here’s the deets on both: October 27th CMAO Holds Seminar/Demorama in Hamilton on October 27th. If you’re involved in the business of country music, then we’ve got something you definitely won’t want to miss. The CMAO is holding another in its educational series of Seminar/Panel Discussion/Demoramas, this time in the Hamilton area. Join us at the Pheasant Plucker, 20 Augusta Street, Hamilton, on Sunday October 27th for 2 panel discussions made up of top artists, publishers, radio music directors, label executives and music industry professionals. At press time, we can confirm Ontario country artist Marshall Dane, award-winning producer, musician and songwriter Jason Barry, KX 94.7 […]

CMAO member Deric Ruttan is on fire. At the time of writing this article, Blake Shelton’s current single “Mine Would Be You” had just hit number one in the US on the MusicRow Country Breakout chart, and was holding down Top 10 spots on the US Billboard Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts. The song is a co-write between Deric, Connie Harrington and Jessi Alexander. You can make that a two-alarm fire, because here in Canada, Deric’s own latest single “Take The Week Off” was Top 10 BDS Country and climbing at the same time. This one is co-written with Ryan Tyndell (Eric Church’s “Springsteen”), and co-produced by Deric and Luke Wooten (Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley). Those who were lucky enough to be present […]

Your personal toolbox for making your way successfully through this strange and fascinating business should contain 3 subsections of personal assets or skills: The obvious, the hidden and the acquired. Related to the word “assets” is the word “assess”. Any pro carpenter would evaluate not only the proposed job in front of him / her, but also their abilities to perform and their list of appropriate tools. So, our whole process should start with an honest self-examination – a candid inventory to determine what’s working and what isn’t. Be brutally honest with yourself when listing your strengths and weaknesses – the detached general public certainly won’t be anything but brutally honest. They are not waiting patiently for you to explode into their world, and they […]

Many of you won’t know his name, but if you are active in the music business, you owe him big time. On September 5th of this year, at the far too young age of 73, Brian Chater left us… and we can be angry at cancer yet again for the crime. Born in England, but certainly refined, distilled and matured in Canada, Brian’s legacy is massive. As a music publisher, he had the foresight to sign a young Bryan Adams to his first publishing deal well before the rest of the industry recognized his talent. The Chater ears identified and developed many more nuggets from Michel Pagliaro to Eddie Schwartz to April Wine. But he really began the heavy lifting when he recognized that in […]