Newsletter

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 […]

The BEST advice I could give for this upcoming holiday season? GO SEE JASON MCCOY’S  ‘THE PERFECT GIFT’ CHRISTMAS TOUR! Got a chance to check Jason’s performance at our recent Songs & Stories event for Kids Ability with Terri Clark (my girlfriend, go ahead ask her), Gord Bamford and Jamie Warren. I had no idea just how funny this guy was. Unscripted and off the cuff, he made the radio announcer in me jealous with the quick-on-the-draw comments. If this is a sign of what to expect in December, then I look forward to donning my gay apparel’! You know what I mean! http://www.reverbnation.com/jasonmccoy#!/artist/artist_shows/320468?class=next&page=2

Country Music Association of Ontario members The Sadies, have begun a cross Canada tour with legends Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Their association with Young goes back to 2010 when they recorded a cut with him on a tribute album to The Band produced by Garth Hudson. They play the Air Canada Center on Nov. 19th with added guests Los Lobos. The Sadies consist of twins Dallas and Travis Good on guitars, Mike Beltsky on drums and Sean Dean on upright bass.

It starts with an idea, and in this case a big heart too! “Warm Christmas” was created by Elyse Saunders, in her quest of raising awareness as well as warm coats, through the national single release of “Warm Christmas” and the benefit concert “Warm Coats Warm Hearts Country Concert” at The Orbit Room in Toronto on Dec 8th. As we go into the winter season, there are many children and adults who need a winter coat but cannot afford one. Please join Elyse & this wonderful campaign by coming to the concert and bringing your warm coats with you that are only keeping the closet warm! You can also find “Warm Christmas” on itunes with proceeds going to the One Warm Coat Foundation (www.onewarmcoat.org) and their agents in […]

Dear CMAO Members: I am proud and honoured to be serving as the new CMAO president. Following in the footsteps of all the work done by Heather Ostertag will be a tough task. I am pleased that she will be staying on in the role of Past President. She has so much valuable information that will assist the organization. I am truly humbled by the calibre of people that we currently have serving on the Board of the Directors. Volunteer Boards are always challenged with the number of hours in a day, their day jobs and their commitments to community service. I know that we are all prepared to step up to the plate and ensure that the CMAO continues to offer more support and […]

Charlie Major has been an artist on the Canadian and international scene for almost 20 years now and shows no signs of slowing down. The story of Major getting his big break is a bona-fide legend in the music business, and proves the old adage, “where there’s a will… there’s a way.” After countless attempts to get his songs heard by recording artists the conventional way Major pulled an ingenious end-run and went through the tour-bus driver. Which in turn led to Ricky Van Shelton cutting and having an enormous hit with Charlie’s song “Backroads”, winning a BMI Award for the most played song in America in 1993. His star started rising and continues today. Countless awards and nominations for Junos, CCMAs, and numerous hit singles […]

Hello Fall! Seems a little strange to say this out loud, but I really believe I like this season better than Summer. I don’t know, maybe it’s the colours, maybe it’s the sports on TV, maybe it’s just knowing that the population will be sweating less in the cool crisp air! I also enjoy the fact that all concerts will now be held INDOORS! Not that I don’t enjoy a good old fashioned, beer drinking, stranger high-fiving, outdoor sing along… it’s just that you learn to appreciate assigned seating after watching somebody get hit in the head with a bottle – ah, good times! Ontario is once again proving to be a hotbed for live performances from heavyweights like Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood as […]

Randy Stark came from the label side of the business. He was with Warner Music Canada for many years and worked his way up to Vice President of Marketing and Promotion – a position he did very well, as he was the person chiefly responsible for discovering and establishing talents like Patricia Conroy, Paul Brandt and the Johner Brothers. While still with Warner, he sat on the CCMA board of directors and eventually was elected President of that organization, which he held for 3 years. He was later elected to the board of directors of the CMA in Nashville. (This man is definitely connected).   Leaving the majors in 2003, Randy started Stark Ravings (Radio), an independent radio tracking company. Using his experience in marketing/promoting […]