CIMA

CIMA

CIMA (Canadian Independent Music Association). Founded as CIRPA (Canadian Independent Record Production Association) in Toronto in 1975 to represent the interests of the independent, English-speaking Canadian sector of the music and sound recording industry. Members include Canadian-owned record companies, Canadian record and music video producers, Canadian-owned and -located recording studios, and other companies associated with the Canadian-owned (as opposed to foreign-owned) recording sector such as music publishers and music publicists as well as their representatives.

CIRPA's mandate has been devoted to increasing the financial stability of the Canadian independent music industry. It has been instrumental in stimulating the production, promotion and marketing of Canadian music both nationally and internationally. In the early 1980s it began to organize and run the Canadian booth at MIDEM in Cannes, France, and has prepared compilation recordings and videos for promotional and marketing use there. Since then, CIRPA has also been present at other international music industry trade fairs such as POPKOMM. The association has acted as a lobbyist on behalf of industry interests with federal and provincial governments and with government agencies such as the CRTC. It has also conducted regular seminars across Canada with the aim of increasing industry knowledge and expertise in all factors of the music business. It actively conducts research in order to assist its members in domestic and international marketing strategies. CIRPA has been an advocate for increased support, both from private and public sources, for the Canadian independent music industry. It has also been very active in the promotion of indigenous Canadian recording talent.

Issues facing the Canadian recording industry in which CIRPA has been especially active are revisions to the Copyright Act, the development of music industry programs and the promotion of Canadian content. As a result of lobbying for amendments to the Copyright Act, CIRPA was very active in the establishment of the Music Copyright Action Group, an umbrella music industry lobby group. CIRPA's efforts towards copyright revision throughout the 1980s and '90s helped lead to the passing of Bill C-32 in Parliament. This bill ensured two additional rights for the Canadian recording industry: the re-introduction of the neighbouring right and the introduction of the home taping right. This subsequently led to the establishment of the Neighbouring Rights Collective of Canada (NRCC) and the Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC), two groups in which CIRPA continues to be heavily involved.

CIRPA's early efforts towards the development of music industry programs culminated in the formation of the Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Records (FACTOR) in 1982. CIRPA administered FACTOR between 1982 and 1986. As a result of lobbying throughout the 1980s, CIRPA contributed to the foundation of the Sound Recording Development Program (SRDP) in 1986, which established significant government funding for the Canadian recording industry. Throughout the 1990s CIRPA also acted in tandem with its French-language equivalent, ADISQ, to lobby for increased government funding for recording industry program initiatives.

CIRPA's involvement with issues concerning Canadian content began in the 1980s, when it was increasingly involved in the hearings regarding Canadian content on radio and television held by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). CIRPA's efforts led to in increase in Canadian content by both private- and public-owned broadcasters. It was also partly responsible for the CRTC's decision to further increase Canadian content quotas on FM radio stations from 30% to 35% in 1998.

CIRPA has published a number of industry studies, including Sound Investments - The Recording Industry in Ontario (1987), Study of Home Taping in Canada (1988), Investor's Guide (1988, 1995), The Sound Recording Industry in Canada: A Plan for Action (19990). In 1989 CIRPA established the Music Industry Data Base, to provide an ongoing updated knowledge base of basic music education opportunities across the country. In keeping with its research role within the Canadian music industry, CIRPA has published numerous pamphlets designed to inform its members of ongoing changes affecting the industry. Serial publications, often jointly produced with ADISQ, have included the Canadian Record Catologue as well as a newsletter, introduced in 1977, which has appeared at varying intervals.

In 2009, the Canadian Independent Record Association (CIRPA) officially changed its name to the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) in order to reflect the changing realities of the national music industry. Concerning the change, President and CEO Duncan McKie stated, "We have witnessed the beginning of the digital age and dthe development of viable commercial model for Canadian music recordings is our paramount concern."