The international exchange aims to introduce country musicians from each nation into a new market. Australian singer Tyla Rodrigues is currently in Canada, while Jade Eagleson is heading to Australia in 2027.
The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) has launched a new program connecting Canada's country music scene with international opportunities.
CCMA has unveiled its Canada-Australia Country Music Exchange, a new program to introduce Canadian and Australian country musicians into each other's markets. The initiative is meant to foster long-term growth through performances and connections with label executives, giving the artist an international base that they can continue to build upon. The pilot project, which will be evaluated after its inaugural run, aims to support artists through radio, streaming, festivals, live shows and media.
The inaugural artists are Australian singer Tyla Rodrigues and Canadian artist Jade Eagleson. Rodrigues has already hit the Canadian stage, performing at LASSO festival in Montreal earlier this month, one of the city's fastest-growing festivals. She's set to play at Country Music Week in Saskatoon in September, adding to her existing global footprint which includes performances at festivals like CMA Fest in Nashville and editions of C2C: Country to Country in the U.K. and Germany.
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“Canada has been a place I have always dreamt about visiting, so to have the opportunity to bring my music to Canadian audiences makes this that little bit more special! I cannot wait to meet Canadian fans, play these songs live and experience the country for myself. It’s such an incredible opportunity, and I’m so grateful to be able to take my music across the world," says Rodrigues.
The international exchange is the latest step for Ontario native Jade Eagleson's new career chapter, after singing with BBR Music Group and BMG Nashville and expanding his professional team with new publishing, booking and management staff last week. The CCMA winner has already topped the Billboard Canada Country charts and made his mark in Nashville, and now he's set to conquer a brand new turf in 2027.
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“Being part of the first Canada-Australia Country Music Exchange is a really exciting opportunity for me. Australia has such a strong country music community, and I’m looking forward to getting over there, playing for new fans and connecting with artists and people in the industry. I’ve always believed that country music has a way of bringing people together, no matter where you’re from, and I’m proud to represent Canadian country music as part of this initiative. I’m excited to see where these connections can lead and hopefully help build something that creates opportunities for artists in both countries for years to come," says Eagleson.
Australia and Canada have a history of affinity when it comes to supporting their musicians and their rights. Back in March, rights organizations SOCAN and APRA AMCOS teamed up to release a joint statement on copyright, music and AI. Last fall, the Australia Institute also published a study which highlighted that Canadian music is harder to discover on U.S. streaming platforms than American music, with Canada serving as reference point that illustrates a similar reality in Australia.
“Canada and Australia share incredibly passionate country music communities, and we see a real opportunity to create stronger pathways between our two markets,” says Amy Jeninga president of the CCMA. “This is about more than sending an artist to another country to perform a show. It’s about bringing industry partners together around them, opening doors and creating relationships that can support meaningful, long-term career growth. We’re thrilled to have Jade and Tyla lead our first exchange and excited about what this can become for artists in the years ahead.”
