Ethiopian Musicians Association (EMA)

Established back in 1965, EMA is among the oldest professional organizations in the country.

Having undergone a relative period of obscurity and silence from 1990 to 2004, it bounced back in 2004. It regrouped its scattered members (who were 233) and got itself registered as a professional society.

Its primary objective is representing the interests of its members which can take the form of advising them towards clinching fair agreements for their records, actively looking for ways in which its members get the best out of their efforts and constantly lobbying for the best legal framework which protects the ownership of recordings and copyright.

A commitment to raising industry standards and placing the professional musicians at the foreground of the cultural landscape are among the objectives EMA long stood for and is actively engaged in.

EMA also is used by its now 720 members as an important platform to exert a collective effort towards securing improved protections. It is also hosting the annual Ethiopian musical awards in various categories.

In a bid to bring musicians who have long been out of the musical scene back in to the limelight, they are engaged in a vast profiling and record-collecting activity. If they secure support form their partners, they intend to set up a musical library as well.