Tuesday, November 17, 2009
CANADIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY REFLECTION
After completing my research on the Canadian Music Industry, a couple of things became clear to me:
1. Canada is an extremely diverse country with a diverse selection of music
2. The amount of Canadian content being played on Canadian radio stations is very limited
3. Canada has produced many extremely successful musicians, but unfortunately, there are some who have lost touch of their roots.
The styles, genres and markets throughout the different regions of Canada are extremely varied. In the northern part of the country there is a strong aboriginal and folk music scene. As we go closer to the south, our American influence is very apparent. After learning about the different styles of music throughout the country, it made me want to listen to them and also made me wonder why I am not exposed to these hidden styles of Canadian music.
By completing this assignment, I was able to see the actual percentages of Canadian content that must be played on Canadian radio stations. To be honest, I found these numbers shocking. Commercial Radio stations must broadcast 35% Canadian content; a percentage which I believe is embarrassing. We live in Canada yet the majority of our music is from different countries? Why is it that the majority of music on American radio stations is American? Or the majority of music on British radio stations is British? This 35% clearly shows a flaw in the Canadian music industry. Even CBC, a broadcaster meant to be the leader in Canadian programming, must play only 50% of Canadian content each week. As a country, we have been trained to follow the cultural footsteps of the United States whether it be music, film, or television. We need to begin supporting these Canadian industries or our culture will vanish all together.
Over the years, many Canadian musicians have gone on to having successful careers both in Canada and internationally. When looking at the nominees for the 2009 Grammy Awards I was somewhat surprised that 10 artists were nominated. I believe this is an impressive number considering that the Grammy’s are an American award show. When further looking into the nominees, I realized that though these 10 artists were considered Canadian, many of them had virtually no association with Canada. For example, though Rufus Wainwright is a Canadian citizen, he resides in the States and is signed to non Canadian labels. Rufus Wainwright is just one of many that have seemed to abandon their ‘Canadianess’ over the years. It is because of this that our Canadian culture is diminishing rather flourishing.
1. Canada is an extremely diverse country with a diverse selection of music
2. The amount of Canadian content being played on Canadian radio stations is very limited
3. Canada has produced many extremely successful musicians, but unfortunately, there are some who have lost touch of their roots.
The styles, genres and markets throughout the different regions of Canada are extremely varied. In the northern part of the country there is a strong aboriginal and folk music scene. As we go closer to the south, our American influence is very apparent. After learning about the different styles of music throughout the country, it made me want to listen to them and also made me wonder why I am not exposed to these hidden styles of Canadian music.
By completing this assignment, I was able to see the actual percentages of Canadian content that must be played on Canadian radio stations. To be honest, I found these numbers shocking. Commercial Radio stations must broadcast 35% Canadian content; a percentage which I believe is embarrassing. We live in Canada yet the majority of our music is from different countries? Why is it that the majority of music on American radio stations is American? Or the majority of music on British radio stations is British? This 35% clearly shows a flaw in the Canadian music industry. Even CBC, a broadcaster meant to be the leader in Canadian programming, must play only 50% of Canadian content each week. As a country, we have been trained to follow the cultural footsteps of the United States whether it be music, film, or television. We need to begin supporting these Canadian industries or our culture will vanish all together.
Over the years, many Canadian musicians have gone on to having successful careers both in Canada and internationally. When looking at the nominees for the 2009 Grammy Awards I was somewhat surprised that 10 artists were nominated. I believe this is an impressive number considering that the Grammy’s are an American award show. When further looking into the nominees, I realized that though these 10 artists were considered Canadian, many of them had virtually no association with Canada. For example, though Rufus Wainwright is a Canadian citizen, he resides in the States and is signed to non Canadian labels. Rufus Wainwright is just one of many that have seemed to abandon their ‘Canadianess’ over the years. It is because of this that our Canadian culture is diminishing rather flourishing.
0 Comments:
THINGS I LIKE
