Women in Music Canada Launches New Membership Program

Non-profit association Women in Music Canada (WIMC) is announcing a new membership program to support and engage women in the Canadian music industry. Members who sign up will have access to a mentorship platform, discounts to industry events, health care benefits packages and more through the program.

In an industry historically dominated by men — on and off-stage — WIMC seeks to promote gender equity and professional development for women.

“Women in Music Canada has seen incredible growth in recent years,” says Robyn Stewart, WIMC’s Executive Director. “We are excited to now release this new membership platform, which will allow us to provide more value for members and have a better understanding of what our community wants.”

The platform follows the 2022 launch of the WIM Directory, a free resource that has amassed over 1200 users since its debut. Directory users have access to the “basic” level of the new membership program, while students can sign up for expanded benefits at $25/12 months, and premium members can subscribe for $50/12 months.

WIMC is partnering with Paquin Entertainment Group and Sony Music Canada on the program. “I think it is essential to have a strong female presence in all aspects of the music industry,” says Julien Paquin, Co-President of Paquin Artists. WIMC has developed the program so that both individuals and companies can register.

Founded in 2014, Women in Music Canada runs educational programming and networking events for women in the industry. Earlier this year, WIMC introduced their inaugural honours program, which celebrates the accomplishments of artists and industry members. 2023 honourees included Charlotte Cardin, Sunny Chen of Sad China, and Yolanda Sergeant of Sergeant and Comrade.

A 2020 study by the Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California Annenberg that looked at Billboard charts and Grammy nominations found that women represented only 12.5 percent of songwriters out of 800 songs, and 2.6 percent of producers out of 500 songs.

"Women are still missing in the music industry," study authors wrote.