INDIE ARTISTS TO BE CELEBRATED AT THE 10TH ANNUAL CANADIAN INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS

DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS: DECEMBER 15, 2009

Nominations for the 10th Annual Canadian Independent Music Awards – “The Indies” – are now open. Presented by Canadian Music Week in association with Astral Media and XM Satellite Radio, “The Indies” acknowledge, promote and honour achievements of Canadian and international artists in the independent music sector.

Submissions are being accepted through The Indie Awards website at www.indies.ca, as well as through Sonicbids at www.sonicbids.com/indies2010 until December 15, 2009.  Artists or their representatives (including labels and managers) can submit nominations on their behalf.  All submissions completed before November 30th will receive discounted pricing.

The eligibility period for all awards categories will run from September 1, 2008 through December 1, 2009. Nominees must have been active during the eligibility period and are based on the performance of the group or artist either on record or in live performances.

For additional eligibility requirements, voting procedures and a complete list of award categories, visit the Indies website at www.indies.ca.

An initiative of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Music & the Arts (CAAMA), the awards are limited to independent artists and cover 15 genres of music. Nominees will be announced in January 2010.  Winners in 28 of the 30 categories are decided on by both a public and an industry vote.

The awards will be handed out on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at the legendary Canadian Ballroom in the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto as part of Canadian Music Week.  Tickets for The Indies may be purchased on the Indie Awards website at www.indies.ca.

Canadian Music Week is Canada’s leading annual entertainment event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country’s music, media and entertainment industries. Combining four information-intensive conferences; a trade exposition; a film festival; four awards shows and the nation’s largest New Music Festival – Canadian Music Fest – CMW spans a five-day period from March 10 to March 14, 2010 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel and various downtown Toronto venues, attracting participants from across the globe. For more information, visit www.cmw.net

For Canadian Music Week information, please contact:
Bessie Bullard – Communications Director
T: 905.858.4747 E: bessie@cmw.net

For more information click here:  www.indies.ca