Founding director of East Coast Music Awards criticizes organization's current path

A founding director of the East Coast Music Awards has gone public with concerns about the way the organization is conducting its business.

Sheri Jones, a music industry artist and manager, has outlined her concerns in a petition that has garnered hundreds of signatures.

"There were major changes happening and no one was aware of how those had been made or even that they had been made," Jones told CBC's Information Morning.

She said all of the long-term contractors had been let go with the exception of one.

"That's a lot of institutional knowledge and industry experience to have walk out the door all at the same time," she said.

Contractors say they won't be back

CBC reached out to several contractors. None wanted to comment publicly, but they confirmed they wouldn't be working with the ECMAs this year. 

Jones's petition also notes changes to the award application process. She says these changes were made without consulting ECMA members.

Changes include new submission criteria that now asks musicians for a written explanation on why their music should be nominated instead of prioritizing commercial success and marketing. 

"These awards were put in place to recognize commercial success," Jones said. "Music is very subjective. It could be a terrible song recorded in your bedroom, and if six million people streamed it, that's a commercial success. Whether or not you or I think that's a good song … six million people liked it," said Jones. 

"They don't read that way anymore. Now it is based more on the art and the intent." 

Blanche Israël took over as CEO of the ECMAs last spring. She says the changes are meant to address issues concerning diversity, equity and inclusion. 

'Some of the old ways don't work anymore'

"When you look at all of the different categories of people who are recognized, the people who really do well at ECMAs versus the people who don't even show up or who don't see themselves reflected — that was an important part of what I was asked to address," she told CBC's Information Morning. 

In 2023, women and gender-diverse people accounted for only 27 per cent of the award nominees. The ECMAs told CBC at the time that this was due to some groups not participating.

Israël says the changes are intended to address this issue. "We've loosened on certain hard criteria."

She says the changes were approved by the board and the numbers are already starting to change, including a record number of submissions. Submissions by artists from the 2SLGBTQ+, Black and Indigenous communities are all up from last year and nearly half the submissions are from women or gender-diverse people. 

Israël wouldn't speak about the contractors that were let go but says the ECMAs have a more diverse team than ever before. 

Jones says she just wants her concerns to prompt a conversation. 

"This is not about burning ECMA down, quite the opposite," she said. "This is people concerned about the future of the ECMA."