Corner Brook will be the next stop for the East Coast Music Awards following the upcoming 20th anniversary event in Fredericton, organizers said Monday.

Members of the East Coast Music Association's board of directors announced Monday that the Newfoundland and Labrador city would be the host for its music festival, conference and awards gala in 2009.

Both Corner Brook and provincial capital St. John's had been vying for the distinction of hosting the event, during which musicians from across the region celebrate the year's best in Atlantic Canadian music.

The exact date of next year's festivities has not been announced.

The 20th annual ECMA conference is set to begin in Fredericton on Feb. 7, ending with the awards gala on Feb. 10.

Halifax rock troupe Joel Plaskett Emergency heads into the event as the lead nominee with seven nods, including entertainer of the year, recording of the year for the album Ashtray Rock and best single for the track Fashionable People.

Instead of a live telecast this year, there will be a one-hour television special wrapping up the awards show, with Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page slated as host. It will air on CBC-TV on March 2.

With files from the Canadian Press