'It is putting us at risk': East Coast Music Awards chair says boycott may hurt event

Classified performs at the 2019 East Coast Music Awards Gala in Charlottetown, P.E.I., on Thursday, May 2, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Morris

A heated conflict over the direction of the East Coast Music Awards could threaten to destroy the organization that runs it, warns one of its top leaders.

Board chairperson Michelle Eagles told The Canadian Press that recent turmoil has left its leadership working to mend ties with members while also preparing for this year’s awards and conference, which take place in May.

“I’ll be blunt — it is putting us at risk right now for our future,” Eagles said Friday in a phone interview from St. John’s, N.L.

But she’s hopeful the worst-case scenario can be averted as the ECMA board meets next week to consider ways to address the music organization’s disgruntled members who want more transparency, including on its decision to oust CEO Blanche Israel in January.

“I like to think of the ECMA community as a bit of a family, and I feel like we’re having, in some ways, a bit of a family feud at the moment,” Eagles said.

“I do think that the board, and the organization, is definitely accountable for a lot of that. And we’re hoping to move away from it.”

The East Coast Music Association has endured months of scrutiny that spilled into the public conversation last fall when founding director Sheri Jones launched a petition that alleged Israel was making pivotal decisions without the board’s approval.

The petition stated that “significant changes” were being made to the awards application process and that “long-standing contractors with deep institutional knowledge” had been left out of plans for the 2025 awards show.

It garnered more than 600 signatures and triggered the board of directors to react.

Israel was ousted from her role in January, which led some ECMA members to object, saying she had meaningfully moved the needle on much-needed diversity and inclusivity.

In January, Israel published an open letter on her Facebook page addressing how her brief tenure “came to an unexpected close.”

She said she was hired as CEO to bring “needed inclusion at a systemic level,” a goal she approached in consultation with “hundreds of community members” who offered suggestions to improve the ECMA.

She told The Canadian Press in an interview she didn’t think her leadership was any different from what happens in a lot of organizations when there is a desire for change.

“The way that change is borne out can come as a surprise when it actually comes into practice,” she said in January.

Weeks later, several musicians withdrew their ECMA nominations in protest, including top contender Jeremy Dutcher, who said he stood in solidarity with those calling for more clarity on the direction of the organization.

“(I’m) following the leads of the people that are on the ground within the East Coast music community,” he said Wednesday in an interview.

“It’s important for us as artists to speak together and start to ask questions of an organization that purports to support and speak for us.”

Eagles said she understands the concerns expressed by the artists. A total of six out of roughly 250 nominees pulled out of this year’s awards as of Friday, she said, though she was unable to confirm how many backed out of the ECMA’s annual showcase event, which highlights local talent.

Many of them contacted her directly to explain why they were choosing not to participate this year, she noted.

“It is very unfortunate that we are in this position where people feel that this is their option,” she added.

Eagles said she hopes to share more with members in the coming weeks after the board meets to discuss calls for more information on Israel’s dismissal and the direction of the organization.

“I do think there’s lots of more information we could be sharing and we should be sharing,” she added. “And I hope to see that come, as long as the board agrees.”

She said the board made a “very difficult” decision to part ways with Israel, saying they ultimately felt it was best for the organization and the event that it relies on.

“It’s important for (members) to know how we’re making decisions on the inside,” she added.

Eagles said the ECMA intends to hold in-person sessions at its upcoming conference, as well as distribute online surveys and other communications to hear from a diverse group of members on how they’d like to see the ECMA forge ahead.

Eagles, who stepped into the role of chair in November, said part of those efforts will include laying out the strategic plan many of its members have called for over the past few months. She hopes to obtain funding that would see it complete by the organization’s next annual general meeting next fall.

“One of the things I believe we should value as an organization is to find a way to make space for every voice, every single voice,” she said.

“And I know that doesn’t mean we’re going to be able to do everything that everybody wants ... but I think we need to at least be open and gather that information and make it so that people feel they can have that voice.”

“To know there are people that don’t feel they can participate ... it’s difficult — it’s difficult for everybody,” she added.

“And so, I’m hopeful that we will get past this. And I think we will.”

The East Coast Music Awards are scheduled for May 8 as part of a five-day conference in St. John’s, N.L.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2025.

By David Friend