Welcome to the Ontario Independent Music Archive!

You're looking at the results of more than a year of behind-the-scenes work. Phewf. And we're just getting started!

OIMA is an online repository for new and emerging musicians in all genres to post and share their work with the public. It also collects, preserves and promotes older independent music from across the province that was originally produced in small batches on vinyl, cassette and CD, making it available to new audiences.

Take a tour around the site, get familiar with the artists we already have and those you think we should have. Create artist profiles and discographies, and add to our wiki. If you are a musician, upload your own music! And please be patient with us over the next few weeks as we tweak some of the site functionality and, as is the nature of an archive, always keep collecting and adding new content.

Behind the creation of OIMA is the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA) along with the Music Association of Canada (MAC), and funded by a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, a leading grant-maker in Canada. The Foundation strengthens the capacity of the voluntary sector through investments in community-based initiatives. An agency of the Government of Ontario, it builds healthy and vibrant communities.

On Saturday, January 26th there will be a launch show at Call the Office in London, ON, featuring performances from local Eastern-European influenced folk act Olenka and the Autumn Lovers; hiphop act Treetop featuring Casper; NFG, the precursor to punk band 63 Monroe; and the electronic psychedelic duo Learning, the Band from Windsor. The facebook page for the show is here.

Then on Friday, February 1st we'll launch the site at the Garrison in Toronto, featuring Hamilton proto-punk pioneers Simply Saucer; Juno-nominated reggae legend and treasure trove of Toronto-Jamaican musical history Jay Douglas and the All Stars; Colombian-born, Toronto-based and rising star of the Alternative Latin scene Lido Pimienta; and new alt-country band The Highest Order. There will also be a book signing by Liz Worth, author of "Treat me like Dirt: An Oral History of Punk in Toronto and Beyond 1977-1981". The facebook page for the show is here.

Welcome to OIMA!