WORDS: Karen Bliss
This week, the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) is showcasing 12 of the country’s acts at the 2025 edition of UK Americana Music Week.
Trisha Carter, CIMA’s senior director of business development, has spoken to Music Week about the organisation’s mission to provide international opportunities to Canada’s indie community.
This week, the spotlight is on 12 Canadian acts, who will play at the Canada House takeover at Moth Club in Hackney, East London. CIMA also organises Canada House-branded showcases at SXSW, Reeperbahn Festival and The Great Escape.
The Once, Ryland Moranz, Logan Richard, Jade Turner, Julian Taylor (above) and Altameda will play on January 21, with The Lucky Ones, Madeleine Roger,Rube & Rake, Celeigh Cardinal, Logan Staats and The East Pointers performing on January 22.
“CIMA is a business organisation,” Carter explains. “So, ultimately, we're trying to provide opportunities for Canadian businesses to sell their products, which, of course, are artists and shows.”
Here, Music Week quizzes Carter, who runs these export missions, to find out more…
Jesse Roper plays the 2024 Canada House showcase during UK Americana Music Week
Firstly, can you give us a brief history of CIMA’s work in exporting Canadian independent music?
“We were doing trade shows going way back to the ’80s, pre my tenure, we set up a ‘Canada stand’ at MIDEM in France. We did other trade missions in the 1980s and ’90s to Popkomm in Germany, WOMEX in various locations in Europe, and the odd business mission to cities in the US. Then in 2005, we started showcasing to support business missions, the first at SXSW, and few years later, started venue takeovers named Canada House. That's where showcasing came into it. Then a little over 10 years ago, we got more export funding so we could do more missions. We had already started Canada House, so we do a contract with the festival to take over a venue for a couple of days.”
How long has CIMA been taking acts and industry to the UK?
“Our first UK showcase and business mission was to The Great Escape in 2009. That’s a bigger multi-genre event. Every event, we start with just one little showcase. We used to have a brand called Canadian Blast, where we would do this one showcase of five artists at the Great Escape. Now, we do 18 artists at the Great Escape. It was through the Great Escape that we were approached by Americana UK to start a Canadian delegation to Canada House over there.”
A few years ago, Julian Taylor had never been to the UK, then he played our showcase and built a tour around it
Trisha Carter, CIMA
Who is eligible to apply to play?
“We put out a call for submissions, but you have to apply directly to the festival, so we work with them. Where they're looking specifically at, ‘This artist fits our genre, we really like them and we think they'll sell tickets,’ we are looking at it more from the business side and if an artist has a good team. On our application, we look more for, ‘What's your export plan for that market?’ and ‘Who's coming with you, is your manager coming?’ And then, whoever Americana UK agrees to, we're going to programme these 12 artists, we put them on at Canada House, then we set up business events for their representatives.”
How does that work practically in terms of funding their trips?
“Part of our funding is to set up the production and the showcase. We then have to put in private money as well. Currently, we work with a local consultant, ENKI Music, in London. They were hired by us to produce and promote the showcases, get the right businesses in the room to see them and connect the Canadian execs representing the artists with relevant UK people like booking agents, festival promoters, radio, media, distributors. ENKI also works with the Canadian High Commission to support our pre-AMAUK business day in London at Strongroom Studios, where we connect Canadian and UK businesses in the Americana/roots genre. So, we don't provide funding; we provide the opportunity. When they're accepted, the artist can get FACTOR funding [through the Canadian government] to have a showcase in the UK. We just give an official, ‘Yes, they got a slot at Americana UK.’ The businesses can also get funding through FACTOR to travel.”
Kyle Mckearney on stage at last year's Canada House event during UK Americana Music Week
How involved are you in what happens around the gigs for the artists who play?
“Part of being part of our mission is they have to report on it, and they have to agree to participate in anything that we set up. We're working with the High Commission Of Canada [Allison Goodings, the trade commissioner for the arts and cultural industries]. We work with a lot of the embassies and consultants in markets. Sometimes, they'll just host the event. This year, they're not hosting, but they're helping us out. They helped us pick a consultant for the event, for example, and helped us put on a business day because that's their thing. Our consultant has interviews with each of the artists and their team to see what their needs are and then try and get the right people in the room. So they're meeting with the right people while they're there, and ahead of the show, which is nice, because then at the show, people have had meetings, they're inviting them out to see them. So that's a requirement of signing off on being part of the mission. We're not looking for major label acts; we're looking for Canadian owned and controlled companies and artists.”
What kind of success stories have there been so far?
“It's little things. A few years ago, Julian Taylor had never been to the UK and then he got on our showcase and built a tour around it. This year, he's coming back. His manager was like, ‘Is there any way he can play again because he's got another tour booked, and it came out of this, the leads that we got?’ So, we have examples like that. Aysanabee last year, it was really cool having him there because he managed to be on a couple of panels as well. His storytelling got out there more. From Americana UK, he then got on the bill at The Great Escape and his European trajectory started, he then played Reeperbahn. And some of the more traditional acts, the East Coast acts, some of them went to Ireland, too.”
