I'm not sure if they'll be increasing the amount, just the definition of what counts as Canadian content, which may widen what can be played under the quota.

But here's an interesting wrinkle to the hearings:

CRTC kicks off CanCon hearing as big streamers cancel appearances

Dale Patterson wrote:

They'll probably increase it. More "Can-Crap", as the late Mike Cleaver described it.

Most folk have that opinion...because Canadian acts have been force fed to us. "They're playing that because they have to". And to a point, Mike Cleaver is right - a lot of it was, well...not good and only got on the air thanks to the regs.

My 2¢:
Back when I was producing a music show that focused on the years 1965-1975, finding CanCon that hadn't burnt itself out over the years was a challenge.

So I did what most people my age do...I scoured the internet and file sharing programs to source discographies from Canadian artists of that era, both well-known and less so. I found a ton of stuff both well-known and obscure - and because the file sharing program I was using showed the flags of the sharing IP addresses, I was surprised to learn the majority of the sharers were NOT Canadian.

My takeaway was (and still is) that clearly this music appeals to people somewhere, just not here because we've a built in aversion from being forced to play it.

I've never owned a Rush record in my life but they made music consistently for forty-five years or so. Surely radio could opt for something other than "Tom Sawyer" or "The Spirit of Radio". God forbid radio played a lesser known tune by a popular act, you might just turn somebody on to said act by doing so. Perish the thought.

Binson Echorec wrote:

Dale Patterson wrote:

They'll probably increase it. More "Can-Crap", as the late Mike Cleaver described it.

Most folk have that opinion...because Canadian acts have been force fed to us. "They're playing that because they have to". And to a point, Mike Cleaver is right - a lot of it was, well...not good and only got on the air thanks to the regs.

My 2¢:
Back when I was producing a music show that focused on the years 1965-1975, finding CanCon that hadn't burnt itself out over the years was a challenge.

So I did what most people my age do...I scoured the internet and file sharing programs to source discographies from Canadian artists of that era, both well-known and less so. I found a ton of stuff both well-known and obscure - and because the file sharing program I was using showed the flags of the sharing IP addresses, I was surprised to learn the majority of the sharers were NOT Canadian.

My takeaway was (and still is) that clearly this music appeals to people somewhere, just not here because we've a built in aversion from being forced to play it.

I've never owned a Rush record in my life but they made music consistently for forty-five years or so. Surely radio could opt for something other than "Tom Sawyer" or "The Spirit of Radio". God forbid radio played a lesser known tune by a popular act, you might just turn somebody on to said act by doing so. Perish the thought.

One wonders if Canadian music were played strictly on merit, how much would be played?
 

Dale Patterson wrote:

Binson Echorec wrote:

Dale Patterson wrote:

They'll probably increase it. More "Can-Crap", as the late Mike Cleaver described it.

Most folk have that opinion...because Canadian acts have been force fed to us. "They're playing that because they have to". And to a point, Mike Cleaver is right - a lot of it was, well...not good and only got on the air thanks to the regs.

My 2¢:
Back when I was producing a music show that focused on the years 1965-1975, finding CanCon that hadn't burnt itself out over the years was a challenge.

So I did what most people my age do...I scoured the internet and file sharing programs to source discographies from Canadian artists of that era, both well-known and less so. I found a ton of stuff both well-known and obscure - and because the file sharing program I was using showed the flags of the sharing IP addresses, I was surprised to learn the majority of the sharers were NOT Canadian.

My takeaway was (and still is) that clearly this music appeals to people somewhere, just not here because we've a built in aversion from being forced to play it.

I've never owned a Rush record in my life but they made music consistently for forty-five years or so. Surely radio could opt for something other than "Tom Sawyer" or "The Spirit of Radio". God forbid radio played a lesser known tune by a popular act, you might just turn somebody on to said act by doing so. Perish the thought.

One wonders if Canadian music were played strictly on merit, how much would be played?
 

Good lord, yes.  Classic rock Can con needs to get rid of all the Nick Gilder. 🤨

I argue that Can Con is the reason why Kiss 92 is not the Kiss 98.5 playlist simply tossed on with no need for a local MD at all (or a Canadian one at all)
& yes, my point was stronger when both WKSE and CKIS were the same format, but you get the point.
Without Can Con, there is no need for music tests or anything. What's good for Buffalo NY is good for Toronto. 
 

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Canadian music. In fact, I love it. I just don't like government interfering in what is played on the radio. As in North Korea.

paterson1 wrote:

Dale Patterson wrote:

paterson1 wrote:

However, Canadian music needs to be played in the first place to help determine merit.  Sadly many worthy artists and songs don't see the light of day on radio, or receive so little airplay that the general public is unaware of the artist or song.  However this is not all radio's fault in my opinion, responsibility also rests with the performer and record label (if they are signed up with a label.)

You could just as easily argue how much US or European music is based strictly on merit and how much would be played. 

It is played on merit. That's why it's played.

Much of Canadian music is played on quotas. That's why it's played.

Music should not have borders. Geography should not matter. No quotas can change that.

Wave the flag all you want, but it's not going to make me start listening to Frank Mills records.
 

Actually I guess Frank Mills records were played on merit.  Is that why he was played on US radio and Music Box Dancer reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100?  His album with that song reached #21 on the Billboard Top 100 album chart.   Frank also had two other songs that charted on Billboard including Love Me Love Me Love at #8 Easy Listening.    
If it makes people feel better, let's argue that the CRTC has a 65% foreign music quota for radio in Canada.  Damn, I hate when the government shoves all this crappy foreign music down our throats...  Might as well be living in North Korea!!

I'm STILL not listening to any Frank Mills records. 
 

Canadian Content regulations on oldies, classic hits and classic rock stations would seem to fly in the face of what I assume the goal was in the first place: mainly, breaking new Canadian artists.


PJ



 

A busy day at this hearing on Friday, as reps. for the big streamers like Netflix and Disney+ had their say.

Broadcasters won't like what they heard. 

Big streamers tell CRTC they should have more flexibility than broadcasters on CanCon

Nobody's being forced to listen to Canadian radio. Many, like myself, have moved on to streaming services and satellite radio which are not covered by the regs. You can still hear Canadian music - SirusXM DeepTracks plays a lot of rarely heard Canadian tunes - but not at the ridiculous levels demanded by the CRTC. The fact is, what the CRTC thinks and does doesn't really matter anymore, not with all the alternatives available. Aside from the impracticability of banning these services outright or making their use illegal, there's not much the CRTC can do to ensure the cittizenry gets its regulated allotment of Canadian music whether it wants it or not.

Last edited by Dale Patterson (May 18, 2025 12:46 pm)

There is a ton of great Canadian music that never is heard on the radio.  So the burnout of songs is really more a programming issue than a lack of content or even the regulations. Maybe BOOM 97.3 is starting to play some secondary hits from a few decades ago?  Recently I heard Sammy Hagar's somewhat mediocre I Can't Drive 55 which never even charted in Canada, and reached #26 on the Billboard top 100. So does this indicate that the station is starting to mix in a few familiar but less popular songs?

Streaming platforms absolutely should be contributing into the Canadian film and TV industries.  They are set up here, making lots of money here, selling hundreds of millions of dollars of Canadian advertising and   producing product here, both international and domestic. So they should and must be a full fledged member of the domestic media industry.  And that includes paying into funds or whatever arrangement that is appropriate. 

Last edited by paterson1 (May 19, 2025 1:13 pm)

paterson1 wrote:

Streaming platforms absolutely should be contributing into the Canadian film and TV industries.  They are set up here, making lots of money here, selling hundreds of millions of dollars of Canadian advertising and   producing product here, both international and domestic. So they should and must be a full fledged member of the domestic media industry.  And that includes paying into funds or whatever arrangement that is appropriate. 

It's called taxes. That's how every other business contributes.

RadioAaron wrote:

Dale Patterson wrote:

paterson1 wrote:

There is a ton of great Canadian music that never is heard on the radio.  So the burnout of songs is really more a programming issue than a lack of content or even the regulations. Maybe BOOM 97.3 is starting to play some secondary hits from a few decades ago?  Recently I heard Sammy Hagar's somewhat mediocre I Can't Drive 55 which never even charted in Canada, and reached #26 on the Billboard top 100. So does this indicate that the station is starting to mix in a few familiar but less popular songs?

Streaming platforms absolutely should be contributing into the Canadian film and TV industries.  They are set up here, making lots of money here, selling hundreds of millions of dollars of Canadian advertising and   producing product here, both international and domestic. So they should and must be a full fledged member of the domestic media industry.  And that includes paying into funds or whatever arrangement that is appropriate. 

You're entirely correct - stations should be digging deeper for Can-Con. I love those secondary hits from years ago, and there's lots of great forgotten Canadian tunes that never should have been, well, forgotten. Nice to hear that BOOM is starting to play some lesser-known tracks.
 

It was Top 10 on Rock charts, which at the time was quite significant.

Never charted either in Canada or the UK.  Doesn't matter if it charted in the US to #9 on a rock chart.  Here it was very much a secondary hit or less. 

Honestly, if they wanted to really screw things up even worse, they'll adopt this idiotic idea. Nothing would surprise me. 

CRTC hears debate on including a 'cultural element' in new definition of CanCon