
As the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) updates the country's Broadcasting Act, it faces a fundamental question: Who counts as Canadian?
This question arises in the midst of unprecedented success for the Canadian music industry, especially on streaming platforms like Spotify. According to our latest Loud & Clear data, Canadian artists were discovered by first-time listeners more than 3.8 billion times last year. In addition, between 2018 and 2023, royalties generated by Canadian artists from Spotify alone more than doubled, exceeding $435 million CAD.
But as it currently stands, the CRTC system designed for radio employs certain criteria to decide whether a piece of audio content qualifies as Canadian or not, focusing on the location of production or performance and whether the writers and featured performers are exclusively Canadian.
This setup means that some of the most recognizable Canadian cultural success stories in recent years-many of them up-and-coming artists and those from diverse and historically marginalized communities who have changed the face of Canadian music-wouldn't be considered Canadian by the CRTC.
For example, in November 2023, Tate McRae's greedy became the world's most popular song on Spotify, spending four weeks at the top of the charts and garnering over 860 million plays globally. But despite being headlined by a Calgary-born artist who is one of her country's biggest cultural exports, the song is unlikely to be counted as Canadian, as it only fulfills only some of the required criteria.
Similarly, through his 4N Records imprint, Punjabi-Canadian producer Ikky has built bridges between India's exploding music scene, Canada, and the world, engaging over 8.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
For artists like Ikky and many others in genres like country or hip-hop (in which Canadian artists excel), the diverse backgrounds of collaborators are part of what makes their music distinctive and successful at home and around the world.
In fact, 92% of all royalties generated by Canadian artists on Spotify in 2023 were from listeners outside of Canada. But the Canadian music market's revenue is also growing. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's (IFPI) Global Music Report-which is an assessment of the music industry as a whole-Canada is outpacing the global industry with 12.2% revenue growth last year (compared to 10.2% globally). And on Spotify, Canadian artists are generating revenue at an even faster rate: When compared to 2022, their revenue grew by more than 15% in 2023.
But for Canadian artists with a global mindset, much of their work falls outside the CRTC definition of Canadian programming today.
Redefining Canadian' In light of the success Canadian artists are finding on Spotify today, we think it's important for the CRTC to prioritize work toward an updated definition of Canadian and Indigenous music, as the Trudeau government directed it to do-especially if Canadian artists want to continue using Spotify to grow their audience.
More broadly, a definition of Canadian and Indigenous music that works with the global realities of Canada's contemporary music industry will ensure that Canadian artists continue to succeed at home and around the world.
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
09/04/2026
Spotify has always been about putting listeners in the driver's seat. Today, people don't just want more ways to spend their time; they want that time t...
09/04/2026
Our Chief Public Affairs Officer Dustee Jenkins shares how we're building a more positive experience for families on Spotify.
As Spotify's Chief Public...
09/04/2026
Festival season is upon us. From sun-soaked weekends out west to iconic stages in Chicago and New York, fans are getting ready to see their favorite artists liv...
09/04/2026
O Spotify sempre teve como foco colocar os ouvintes no controle. Hoje, as pessoas n o querem apenas mais formas de passar o tempo - elas querem que esse tempo s...
09/04/2026
Read the original note in English here.
Nossa Chief Public Affairs Officer, Dustee Jenkins, compartilha como estamos construindo uma experi ncia mais positiva ...
09/04/2026
New synth focuses on sci-fi scoring
Following their formation and debut releases in December 2025, Smokestack Sounds - the brainchild of composer and produc...
09/04/2026
Latest version set for May 2026 launch
Reason Studios have revealed that the latest version of their DAW software will be launching in May 2026. Currently a...
09/04/2026
New EQ aimed at mix-bus & mastering duties
Shy Audio's first two releases focused on the past, delivering recreations of the budget mixers that were com...
09/04/2026
Based on John Galsworthy's novels known collectively as The Forsyte Saga a...
09/04/2026
The Forsytes has been renewed for a third season before the period drama has even premiered on PBS Masterpiece.
The adaptation of John Galsworthy's novel, ...
09/04/2026
IThe BBC has commissioned new drama The Witch Farm, starring Gabrielle Creevy (T...
09/04/2026
The next big thing To help broadcasters fully embrace dynamic hybrid workflows, Calrec will make a major announcement that unlocks even more freedom for broadca...
09/04/2026
Thursday 9 April 2026
Kick It Out and Sky extend ongoing partnership
Sky Sports and Kick It Out have extended their partnership for another year, as both orga...
09/04/2026
Thursday 9 April 2026
Justice turns deadly at sea as Jason Statham stars in new...
09/04/2026
The ATSC 3.0 standard , released on July 17, 2025, defines a comprehensive set of requirements for terrestrial next-generation TV broadcasting. Let's dive ...
09/04/2026
Enhancements Including MCP Connectivity, Intelligent Video Asset Orchestration and Red Hat OpenShift Deployment Transform Hybrid Video Streaming SAN JOSE, Calif...
09/04/2026
Own a 3rd or 4th Gen Scarlett interface? Download Cubase LE for free We're adding a new DAW to your collection here's what's included, and how t...
09/04/2026
Multi-year agreement enables Nation Radio to scale audiences, strengthen digital delivery and unlock new commercial opportunities
09 April 2026 - London, UK - ...
09/04/2026
RT Sport has announced Brian Fenton will join its Sunday Game GAA punditry panel for the 2026 Championship, featuring across video, audio, online including the...
09/04/2026
Doireann N Ghlac in returns as presenter, with the first episode airing this Friday at 8.30pm on RT One and RT Player
The beloved walking series Tracks & T...
08/04/2026
On March 7, Bad Bunny made history with his first-ever performance in Asia, taki...
08/04/2026
El 7 de marzo, Bad Bunny hizo historia con su primera presentaci n en Asia, subi...
08/04/2026
New channel strip plug-in revealed
The latest plug-in to be added to the Fuse Audio Labs line-up emulates a selection of vintage hardware units, combining c...
08/04/2026
Guitar & bass multi-effects software overhauled
Blue Cat Audio's flagship guitar and bass multi-effects software has recently received a significant upd...
08/04/2026
PanNoir mixer integration, Dolby Atmos Renderer & more
Merging Technologies have just launched Pyramix 16, the latest major update to their renowned DAW sof...
08/04/2026
Applicable Products Part number Description
QUARTZ-22-LTE (EU) Dual Port Dual SIM LTE Router (EU)
QUARTZ-COMPACT-11-LTE (EU) Single Port Compact LTE ...
08/04/2026
All episodes available on Thursday 30 April on Sky Atlantic and NOWWednesday 8 A...
08/04/2026
ICG is gearing up for a busy day on 14th May in Manchester.
First up, we'll be joining the Northern Marketing Festival as one of the event's marketing ...
08/04/2026
The Teatro Col n in Buenos Aires is not a venue that tolerates compromise. Built in 1908 and routinely ranked among the worlds finest concert halls, it has an a...
08/04/2026
Young Forever: The Death of Ageing? airs Monday 13 April and 20 April on RT One and RT Player
Around the world, the race to beat ageing is on. From cutting ...
07/04/2026
Starting today, Prompted Playlist is expanding beyond music to now include podca...
07/04/2026
Launched alongside piano promotion
The latest instalment in VSL's Synchron Series line-up captures the sound of a faithful copy of a Fran ois tienne Bl...
07/04/2026
Flagship sampling pad gets an update
Roland's flagship sampling pad has just received a major update that kits it out with an array of new features and ...
07/04/2026
Popular compact wireless system upgraded
Sound Devices have recently introduced a new and improved version of their compact wireless transmitter bodypacks, ...
07/04/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 7, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced it wi...
07/04/2026
FOX to Integrate Kalshi Forecasts Across FOX News Media and FOX One Platforms NEW YORK, NY (April 7, 2026) - Kalshi, the world's largest prediction market...
07/04/2026
THE GAA CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE BACK WITH A BANG
LIVE AND FREE TO AIR ACROSS ALL RT PLATFORMS
The Sunday Game and The Sunday Game Live return on Sunday 12 April
L...
06/04/2026
Like the immortal lives of vampires, some stories never really end. That's t...
06/04/2026
As podcasting continues to evolve, growth increasingly means building beyond aud...
06/04/2026
Multiband dynamics plug-in enhanced
California-based developer FSK Audio have released a significant update for their innovative multiband dynamics processo...
06/04/2026
Share official & user-created full-rig presets
IK Multimedia's latest TONEX update makes it possible for users of the popular amp and effects modelling ...
06/04/2026
Wayne, N.J., April 6th, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the release of PCC 4...
05/04/2026
Tackles all reported bugs!
SoundBridge have just announced the launch of a new update that introduces a couple of minor changes to their remote collaboratio...
04/04/2026
Faster, cleaner and more intuitive than ever
The control software for Flock Audio's digitally controlled patchbay systems has just been treated to an up...