Canadian Country Music Association

 

AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY MUSIC DELEGATION TO CANADA REAPS RICH REWARDS
Australian country music heavyweights make an impact in Edmonton during Canadian Country Music Week!
Six members of the Australian country music industry recently attended CCMW with a broad agenda which achieved excellent results. Invited by the Board of the Canadian Country Music Association, the Australian Delegation participated in several key Panels during the Convention culminating in “Destination Australia” which covered a range of issues related to touring Australia from Taxation to country music Festivals and local media. This was followed by one-on-one meetings with Canadian artists seeking to tour Australia.
As testament to how this can best work for the ultimate individual beneficiaries, Australia’s current Male Vocalist of the Year, Adam Harvey, spoke of the successful reciprocal arrangement between himself and Canadian star Jason McCoy whereby Jason opened for Adam during an Australian tour earlier this year and Jason’s current tour in Canada where Adam is the opening act. The CCMC is working hard to open these “International Pathway” opportunities for successful contemporary country touring artists in both markets.

Adam’s trip to Canada provided some great opportunities – his album “Workin’ Overtime” was released by Open Road/Universal to coincide with the trip, he sang a duet with Jason McCoy at the Opening Celebration and Industry Awards Brunch to a packed industry crowd, he had the crowd in the palm of his hand at the songwriting Guitar Pull which featured Adam, Gretchen Peters (Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Bryan Adams), Walt Aldridge (Tim McGraw, Travis Tritt, Reba) and Gordie Sampson, (Keith Urban), and performed live on the Australian Today Show which was broadcast live from Canada.

During the course of the Convention the Australian Delegation met with the Cultural Trade Commissioner and will facilitate a showcase in Australia of 4 diverse performers from Alberta. The “Made In Alberta” concept is the initiative of the Government of Alberta with assistance from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and will see these 4 artists travel to Australia in February 2005 for a series of performances headlined by CCMA Award Winner, Corb Lund.

At the Gala Dinner Rob Potts of Allied Artists and Events was presented with the CCMA Leonard T. Rambeau International Support Award for Rob and his partner, Marius Ells’ continued work in promoting and touring Canadian artists in Australia.

The CCMC took the opportunity to hold a Board Meeting in Edmonton with its two International Board members both present (Ron Kitchener – Open Road, Canada, and Jeff Walker – Aristo Media, Nashville) . Initiatives from this meeting include the promised release in Canada of the CCMC’s “World’s Best Award Winning Country” CD series. This album concept features award winning artists from Australia, the U.S. and Canada and gives a true global perspective of country music’s finest. Via BMG Australia, Volume 3 has just been issued and focus will be on these artists for the first Canadian release in the series and thus expose some of Australia’s 2004 Golden Guitar winners to the Canadian market.

Through Jeff Walker, the CCMC Board reported to the CMA Board on activities by the CMA Advisory Group (consisting of Rob Potts – Allied Artists, Milly Petriella – APRA, Joan Warner – CRA, Andy Jones – BMG, Aneta Butcher – Universal, Meryl Gross – Vital Entertainment, Tim Daley – CMC, Kerry Roberts - consultant, Lynne Small – ARIA, Damien Devine - HMV) which included the Global Markets Forum in Nashville in November and Australian performances in Nashville during the 2005 CMA Music Festival. The CCMC are working with the CMA on a program for a delegation from Nashville to visit Australia some time in 2006. As a result of the tremendous interest shown by Canadians in Australia it was agreed that an invitation should be extended to the CCMA to send a delegation to Australia at the same time.
The Australian delegation was made up of Skip Beaumont-Edmunds (Manager), Marius Ells (Allied Artists), Meryl Gross (Vital Entertainment), Adam Harvey (Artist), Rob Potts (Allied Artists) and Jim White (President - CCMC).