Stephanie G. Mathis While we celebrate an additional year of Canadian music with the Juno Awards, let’s also consider the larger music ecosystem, which is a vital component of our culture and identity.
The Canadian Content (CanCon), or Canadian Content regulations, for music radio, has been a key component in this ecosystem that supports musical artists.
CanCon’s policy ensures that Canadian music is played on radio stations, and, notably, radio profits are distributed to artists via grant programs — a vital component for the viability of artists.
Revitalization in the digital era
There is currently a debate about how to implement similar rules for streaming media. Bill C11, An Act amending the Broadcasting Act as well as making related and consequential amendments to other Acts, was passed by the Senate with contentious amendments and is currently being debated in the House.
The few multinational corporations who use Canada’s creative industry should also contribute public funds to the arts. This will help revitalize music in Canada during the digital age.
Aysanabee performs at the Juno Awards, in Edmonton, on March 13, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Timothy Matwey
The music industry is highly concentrated.
On the one hand, the music industry in Canada is highly consolidated, with three record labels (Universal, Warner, Sony), three streaming companies (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music), and one live concert and ticketing company (LiveNation/Ticketmaster).
All of them are not Canadian. The market power they have allows them to shape the industry in favor of superstars. This reduces the earning potential of working musicians and limits the diversity of Canadian music.
Public programs, on the other hand, support the diverse Canadian music heritage as well as the development of Canadian musicians. The Juno nominations for this year include at least 85 Canadian artists who received a total of 433 grants from FACTOR, the foundation assisting Canadian talent on recordings.
Read more: Junos 50th anniversary: How we remember these award-winning hit singles.
FACTOR, along with public and community radio, the Polaris Prize, provincial music industry associations, and other public-serving organizations and regulations, help ensure the diversity and abundance of music outside of the purely profit-driven system.
Bill C-11
Bill C-11 can address the limitations of corporate music and give musicians more opportunities to earn their livelihood through increased grant opportunities. These concerns are overshadowed, however, by the complexity of the bill as well as its legislative amendments process.
Bill C-11 proposes to update the Broadcasting Act in order to include online platforms under CRTC regulations and CanCon rules.
This would include including Canadian music on the playlists curated by the platform and paying into a media fund to provide grants to Canadian artists.
Algorithms do not have a neutral. They train us just as much as they teach them. They can be used to promote Canadian or local music, which may lead to a greater variety of music being heard on streaming services.
Regulations done properly
C-11 critics claim that it would lead to financial hardship for content creators and unintended effects and allow the CRTC to interfere with freedoms of expression.
Many are still not convinced that the overreach of the bill is worth centralizing regulation.
Researchers in public policy have echoed the concerns of some content creators that, given the role broadcasting plays as a settler-nation-building project entrenched with systemic racism, a new policy must do more to protect Black and Indigenous content creators.
Changes to the Senate
The Senate proposed a major amendment that would limit the bill to and maintain the autonomy for individual creators who post online. It also curbed the CRTC’s discretionary powers.
The Minister of Canadian Heritage has rejected Senate Amendments, and the process continues to be criticized.
