Canadian music business and international streamers meet CTRC to speak CanCon and extra

Over the previous few days, the CRTC has been holding a listening to to find out whether or not the fashionable Canadian music panorama continues to be arrange to make sure that Canadian artists obtain a good shake on residence turf.

On its nostril, the listening to is trying into whether or not or not CanCon guidelines are serving to with music discovery on streaming companies. Nevertheless, it’s additionally diving deeper and exploring the thought of making a Canadian music fund that every one the distinguished streamers pays into to assist assist the Canadian arts. That is much like newly arrange funds to assist fund the Canadian information and TV areas.

The CRTC is biting off lots with this listening to. It’s additionally taking displays and asking questions on fashionable music knowledge assortment and the way AI may influence the music business, from distribution to creation.

To this point, over 30 displays have been given by anticipated Canadian gamers like Rogers, Cogeco, CBC, and Music Canada. Nevertheless, main tech gamers like Apple, Amazon, and Spotify have additionally appeared. Lastly, there have been many speeches from small and mid-sized gamers like Durham Radio, the Indigenous Music Workplace, and others. You will discover all of the displays posted on the CRTC Listening to Twitter account.

This listening to has appeared to be a little bit of a large number from the skin trying in, because it’s tackling each on-line music streaming and radio, so the breadth of questions and displays has been pretty huge. Tech firms are arguing that they already do lots to advertise Canadian content material to Canadians. Rogers is utilizing this time to push for brand new guidelines about shifting AM radio stations to FM, and smaller gamers like Torres Media used its time to argue for much less paperwork for small radio stations amongst different issues.

All through all that noise, there are nonetheless some fascinating factors which were raised concerning the fashionable music panorama in Canada.

For example, one thing that got here up greater than as soon as was the truth that radio stations must play a certain quantity of Canadian songs, however the on-line streamers don’t, and there appears like that makes it more durable for radio to compete. A presentation from Stingray Media even mentions that forcing the media to play CanCon, which may end up in the identical songs being performed lots, may even push individuals away from radio and onto the streamers.

One other difficulty introduced up greater than as soon as was the potential for reclassifying CanCon music. Proper now, a track must have been composed, written and carried out by a Canadian, however that also excludes loads of music by Canadian artists. For example, there are fairly often a number of individuals who work on chart-topping pop songs, that means it’s impossible to have these songs apply for CanCon.

The Digital Media Affiliation (DIMA)’s presentation claims that streaming is essential and saved the Canadian music business from piracy. Nevertheless, it is usually value mentioning that MobileSyrup talked with a number of Canadian indie artists this 12 months, and none of them had been very happy with how streaming income labored.

There are nonetheless a number of days of displays left for the reason that CRTC is anticipating 50 by the top of this session course of. General, from a few of the questions the CRTC has been asking it appears possible there will probably be some modifications to CanCon music necessities, nevertheless it stays to be seen what different modifications will probably be applied, and it’ll possible take some time after the displays are completed to see any actual outcomes.

Supply: CRTC