COUNTRY MUSIC
WEEK FINDS A HOME IN CALGARY
CALGARY,
Alberta, Canada (January 8, 2001) - The Canadian Country Music
Association (CCMA) opens a new chapter in its eventful history in the
fall of 2001 as it not only commemorates its 25th anniversary, but
also marks the inauguration of the city of Calgary as the annual home
of Country Music Week.
The 2001 gathering, which includes the Canadian Country Music Awards,
artist showcases, an industry convention and celebrations, will take
place in the Alberta city from September 7-10, 2001.
Randy Stark, president of the CCMA, explains that establishing Calgary
as the permanent home of Country Music Week makes sense on a number of
levels. "CMT is headquartered in Calgary. The Country Music Hall
of Fame is there. The internationally-renowned Calgary Stampede is a
major country music event. Calgary, and vicinity, has a powerful
country music radio presence, and there are great clubs in the city.
Best of all, there is a committed, dedicated country music
fan-base. Itšs a city that has always welcomed our
organization."
The CCMA will keep its head office in the Toronto area where it
benefits from its proximity to the Canadian music industry as a whole,
including the major record companies, national retailers, sponsors and
the Canadian media infrastructure.
Given the history of Country Music Week, the decision to make Calgary
the annual home for the popular gathering is a timely and practical
one. "Establishing a permanent home in Calgary will enable
the CCMA to seek sponsorship agreements on a long-term basis,"
adds Stark. "It will provide stability for our sponsors and
our association."
Though not ruling out future Country Music Week celebrations in other
Canadian cities under certain propitious circumstances, in the
near-term, the logistical problems and the increasing costs of moving
the event from city to city were a factor when the CCMA Board of
Directors made their decision for constancy.
Country Music Week has been widely traveled since its inauguration in
1977, having been hosted by almost every major city in Canada. (See
list below). In the 90s, and beginning in 1991 with Country
Music Week in Hamilton, the CCMA decided to give a semi-permanency to
the event by alternating the convention and associated celebrations
between Hamilton, in the east, and Calgary, in the west. This
decision was, in part, due to the phenomenal growth and increasing
sophistication of a Canadian country music industry that was suddenly
catching the eyes and ears of a larger national and international
audience and the subsequent desire to have production values mirror
that universal success. Not only were the major record labels
and a growing indie scene in Canada taking notice, increasingly,
executives from Nashville, the mecca of country music, were making
Canadašs Country Music Week a regular part of their annual schedules.
The Hamilton/Calgary rotation was interrupted in the past couple of
years as Country Music Week was held with great success in Ottawa in
1999 and Edmonton in September of last year. The logistical
facts-of-life remained, however, and as other major conventions and
award shows have found during their history, organizational and
financial stability can only be achieved when direct control of the
event is centralized and permanency is given to the hosting site and
associated facilities. CCMA executives have often spoken about
the difficulties of "reinventing the wheel each year" as
Country Music Week moved from city to city. This current
decision to make Calgary the home for Country Music Week reflects that
reality.
COUNTRY MUSIC WEEK HOST CITIES (1977 2000)
1977 Ottawa 1978 Regina
1979 Toronto
1980 Winnipeg
1981 Ottawa
1982 Halifax
1983 Regina
1984 Moncton 1985
Edmonton 1986 Winnipeg
1987 Vancouver
1988 Toronto 1989
Ottawa 1990 Edmonton
1991 Hamilton
1992 Calgary 1993
Hamilton 1994 Calgary
1995 Hamilton
1996 Calgary 1997
Hamilton 1998 Calgary
1999 Ottawa
2000 Edmonton
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