advertisement
Business

Women in Music Canada Launches New Membership Program

Partnership with Paquin Entertainment Group and Sony Music Canada includes mentorship, health care plan.

Award winners on stage at the 2023 Women in Music Canada Honours

The inaugural Women in Music Canada Honours in 2023

Liz Beddall Photography

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.”

advertisement

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.

advertisement

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

advertisement
Triumph
Courtesy photo

Triumph

FYI

Thousands of Canadians to Join in Triumph's 'Hold On' As a Cross-Country Sing-Along to Celebrate Music Education

The 1979 hit song is this year's Music Monday selection, an annual event by the Coalition of Music Education that unites the country in performances of the same song, on the same day, at the same time.

"Hold On," one of the biggest hits of Canadian Music Hall of Famers Triumph, will gain fresh life from being chosen as the anthem for Music Monday 2025.

On May 5, 2025 Coalition for Music Education will celebrate Music Monday with a cross-country sing-along to raise awareness for music education. This annual event celebrates the unifying power of music as thousands of Canadians join in singing and performing its anthem at their schools and other community events.

keep readingShow less
advertisement