CIMA cancels Canada House showcase at SXSW 2025

The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) has announced the cancellation of its Canada House showcase at SXSW 2025, citing rising political and economic tensions between Canada and the United States. With President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian goods set to take effect on March 12—during SXSW—and ongoing threats to annex Canada, CIMA President Andrew Cash said the uncertainty made it difficult to justify participating in the festival this year. “The growing instability of everything in the United States right now, plus the high cost and the low [Canadian] dollar – all of these things combined made it so we couldn’t feel confident or good about what we were getting ourselves into at this particular moment,” Cash told Billboard Canada. “The timing just isn’t right"