Nominations Now Open For 9th Annual 'The Indies'

Toronto, Canada (Top40 Charts/ Canadian Music Week) - Nominations for the 9th Annual Canadian Independent Music Awards - "The Indies" - are now being accepted. Presented by Canadian Music Week, "The Indies" acknowledge, promote and honour achievements of Canadian and international artists in the independent music sector.

Submissions are now being accepted exclusively through Sonicbids at www.sonicbids.com/indies2009 until December 1, 2008. Artists who submit before November 15th will receive discounted submission package rates.

The eligibility period for all awards categories will run from September 1, 2007 through December 1, 2008. Nominees must have been active during the eligibility period and are based on the performance of the group or artist either on record or in live performances.

Additional rules and regulations can be obtained from the Canadian Music Week website at www.cmw.net.

"Independent performing artists continue to embrace their freedom from big label constrictions and still manage to prosper," said Neill Dixon, President of Canadian Music Week. "Their obvious success and spirit grows more dynamic every year, as evidenced from the number of musicians participating in the Indies. Going against the mass market grain, they are managing to capture the attention and win support from the public, media and taste-makers alike."

An initiative of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Music & the Arts (CAAMA), the awards are limited to independent artists and cover 15 genres of music. Nominees will be announced in January 2009. Winners in 28 of the 30 categories are decided by both a public and an industry vote.

The Awards will take place in Toronto on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel as part of Canadian Music Week. Tickets for The Indies may be purchased on the Canadian Music Week website at www.cmw.net or by calling 905.858.4747.