Posted On: Jun. 27, 2017

BreakOut West and ECMA Launch "East Meets West"

The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) and Western Canadian Music Alliance (WCMA) are excited to launch 'East Meets West', a new collaboration which will create career opportunities for artists from the far ends of Canada, extending tour opportunities and connecting some of the country's greatest emerging artists.

The 15th Annual BreakOut West (BOW) music conference, festival and awards will be hosted in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) from September 13-17, 2017. This year's BreakOut West Festival will feature PEI's Dylan Menzie and Nova Scotia's Hillsburn.

ECMA artist images.jpgleft to right: Dylan Menzie, Hillsburn

Through the East Meets West partnership, BreakOut West is thrilled to partner with ECMA to feature its first Eastern Canadian artists performing in the music festival and participating in the conference. ECMA will also welcome two western Canadian artists for the 2018 East Coast Music Awards: Festival & Conference (ECMA) taking place in Halifax, May 2-6, 2018. This collaborative partnership will offer career development opportunities on each end of the country connecting the Canadian market for all artists.

"We are very excited about this partnership. So often Western artists' Canadian tours include dates from Vancouver Island to Ontario or Quebec and do not stretch to the East Coast," says Robyn Stewart, WMCA Executive Director. "Through this initiative we look forward to working closer with our partners at ECMA, and supporting the extension of Western and Eastern artists' touring network and fan base."

"This is a great chance for us as regional music associations to work together to provide a unique experience and perspective for our artists," says Andy McLean, ECMA Executive Director. "For touring musicians, the vastness of a country like Canada can be daunting and difficult. It is important to create opportunities like these not only to ease those burdens a little bit, but also to establish pan-provincial networks that serve to better develop the careers of our respective artists."

Selected artists have demonstrated they are export-ready and/or have exporting experience and the ability and team to maximize on this showcase opportunity. The initiative includes showcase opportunities at BOW and ECMA 2018, as well as songwriting collaborations and touring exchanges between the two markets.

The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) is a regional collaboration of people in the music industry of Atlantic Canada that fosters, develops and celebrates East Coast music and its artists locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. The ECMA annually produces the East Coast Music Awards: Festival & Conference (ECMAs), one of the top music industry events in Canada, which includes Awards, a Festival, an Industry Conference, and the International Export Buyers Program.
ECMA and its programs are generously funded by the Government of Canada through the International Business Development Agreement (represented by Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, and Industry Canada), the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund), the four provincial governments in Atlantic Canada, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and MUSICACTION. This project is funded in part by FACTOR, the Government of Canada and Canada's private radio broadcasters, and has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada and the Roadmap for Canada's Official Languages 2013-2018.
Music Festival